Regenerate 68! Farm Spotlight: Jonny Root
How can we grow abundant food while improving the health of the land?
This has been the central question driving Regenerate 68! Farm Manager Jonny Root’s study and practice of sustainable farming methods around the world.
His near fifteen-year journey in regenerative agriculture has enabled him to learn and work on farms, permaculture projects, and agricultural education programs across six continents. From organic beekeeping in New Zealand and soil-building projects in the Gambia to working with farmers in Israel, India, Kashmir, Chile, and throughout the United States, Jonny has seen firsthand how people cultivate food in a wide range of climates and cultures.
Today, Jonny brings that wealth of knowledge and experience to his work at Regenerate 68! Farm, Regenerative California’s 68-acre demonstration site for regenerative organic agriculture training and outcomes-based farming practices.
“Regenerative agriculture is important because it shifts the conversation from simply sustaining our resources to actively restoring them,” Jonny says. “I've seen firsthand, across many different ecosystems around the world, that nature has an incredible capacity to heal when we work with it instead of against it.”
For Jonny, healthy soil is one of our greatest assets, supporting healthy plants, healthy ecosystems, and, ultimately, healthy communities. Yet much of modern agriculture has depleted this precious resource.
“Regenerative farming allows us to rebuild soil biology, increase biodiversity, improve water retention, and grow nutrient-dense food while helping address larger environmental challenges,” Jonny shares. “It is not just a production method, it's a way of stewarding the land so future generations inherit healthier ecosystems than we did.”
That commitment to taking the long view is part of regenerative agriculture’s promise—and challenge, as Jonny acknowledges. “Regenerative farming requires patience,” he says. “There are no shortcuts to developing biological fertility; every season brings new variables, and finding products and inputs that align with regenerative principles can also require extra effort and creativity.”
Yet, as Jonny has seen in communities around the globe, the payoffs are profound. “Watching depleted soils become rich and alive, seeing biodiversity return, and establishing an economically viable farm with fewer external inputs is incredibly rewarding,” he says. “Equally exciting is the growing interest from consumers, farmers, and businesses who want to support agriculture that benefits both people and the planet.”
Describing Monterey County as “one of the most important agricultural regions in the world,” Jonny sees tremendous opportunity for Regenerate 68! Farm and fellow small sustainable farmers to demonstrate innovative production approaches while serving as sites of education and inspiration for broader change. “They help reconnect people with where their food comes from and show that agriculture can be both economically viable and environmentally responsible.”
For Jonny, while every farm is unique, the underlying principles of regeneration are universal, rooted in understanding the biological processes happening beneath our feet and the far-reaching outcomes for farmers, consumers, and society at large
“I'm excited to be part of a growing movement that is redefining what agriculture can be, not just a way to produce food, but a way to restore landscapes, strengthen communities, and create a more resilient future,” he shares. “Every season offers an opportunity to leave the land a little better than we found it, and that's what continues to inspire me.”