Regenerative Tea Action Project
The goal of the Regenerative Tea Action Project (RTAP) is to help accelerate the adoption of and the commercial benefits from regenerative organic tea farming practices in the tea sector by working with smallholders, cooperatives and family run farms.
Our mission: To rethink, rebuild, and accelerate regenerative tea farming towards around the world.
Our objectives:
- Reduce barriers for farmers who need support and resources
- Build a network of smallholder farmers to bolster one another’s regenerative efforts
- Create a toolkit for regenerative tea practices that can be accessed by farmers globally
- Increase awareness of regenerative tea practices more broadly and motivate change
We're streamlining this project in a few key stages:
- Scope and baseline: Building advisory committees across four sectors: biodiversity, carbon, funding and certification
- Adopt and measure: Outlining roles for implementing partners, knowledge partners, and finance partners
- Testing the project in collaboration with farmers
Here are a few of the things the project has accomplished thus far:
- 4 deep dive upscaling areas
- 3 major consumer and wholesaler engagement events
- 72 participants spanning the entire tea value chain
Our target market includes:
- 480M small scale farms worldwide that need our support, producing
- 70% of the world’s food needs
Phase 1 : Dive Dives
Regenerative Tea Action Project
Deep Dive
Biodiversity Nutrient Density
The project members choose Biodiversity and Nutrient Density as their first Deep Dive topic. We had the incredible expertise of Dave Agueri - conversation biologist and Adriano Scarampi - nature based solution strategist - contributing to the content of this session. The powerpoint is available here and the Webinar here.
Regenerative Tea Action Project
Deep Dive
Regenerative Certification
This second Deep Dive focused on regenerative certification with Paul from the Regenerative Organic Alliance and the Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) label and Regenagri certification. We also had a deep dive into Sakare Specialty Tea Cooperative as a gap assessment towards these two regen certification schemes.
Regenerative Tea Action Project
Deep Dive
Carbon and Tea
This Deep Dive was focused on Soil Organic Carbon Measurement and Tea farming pratices that promote SOM. Speakers included Rachel Cracknell, former Ethical Tea Partnership Sustainability Lead and Adriano Scarampi, Nature Based Solutions Expert
Regenerative Tea Action Project
Deep Dive
Financing Regen Tea | Is there a Business Case
This Webinar was the fourth Deep Dive focused on Financing Regenerative Tea Farming for the RTAP and included Third party experts such as Go Steward, Boomitra, Regenagri and Land Print and Regen Brands.
Regen and Other Certifiers
A number of organisations are providing certifications of regenerative and other relevant tea farming practices.
Regen Market Organisation
Market oriented bodies that help to develop and connect relevant regenerative businesses.
Tea Rebellion's Regenerative Organic Principles
We first developed these in early 2024 and then after peer review re-issued these farming principles in August 2024. Seeing the gap between what we set out therein and the practices in the tea sector let to our decision to launch the Regenerative Tea Action Project to work on regen tea change collaboratively across the value chain.