China's first systematic, locally grounded assessment framework for regenerative agriculture—the Guidelines for Regenerative Agriculture Practices and Metrics (hereinafter “the Guidelines”)—was officially released on June 23.

The Guidelines were jointly developed under the leadership of Syngenta Group China, a subsidiary of Sinochem Holdings, together with upstream and downstream partners across the industrial chain, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), China Agricultural University, and other institutions. They provide a standardized tool and comprehensive framework for the agricultural industry, combining theoretical foundations with practical applicability.

As regenerative agriculture shifts from a conceptual idea to large-scale implementation, the objective assessment of its outcomes and ecological benefits has become an urgent challenge. To address this, the Guidelines establish, for the first time, a comprehensive five-dimensional evaluation framework covering climate, soil, water, biodiversity, and socio-economic factors. They are supported by clear methodologies for data collection, accounting standards, and baseline setting, forming a practical, quantifiable scientific evaluation system that fills a gap in China’s unified standards for regenerative agriculture assessment. In addition, the Guidelines compile regenerative agriculture case studies from diverse contexts and types of operators, providing useful references for industry development. The release of the Guidelines marks a new stage in the standardization of regenerative agriculture in China, and will support the upgrading of the industrial chain and the advancement of sustainable development.