ABSTRACT
Regeneration is the process by which nature, people, and communities heal after disturbance and increase their vitality. The same process that rebuilds a stricken forest can regenerate the nation's farmland. Agriculture is the product of human intervention in nature—the intentional manipulation of plant communities. A regenerative approach to both economic and social problems in communities depends on the clear understanding of a community's internal resources. The principles of regeneration are being applied in communities from coast to coast, but there are some communities that seem to embody all of the elements of the regenerative process. Most of a community's gross income, however, is spent outside the community. In effect, the economic buckets of most American communities are leaky. Almost every community in rural America could save millions of dollars by cutting back on what is spent outside the community for food and energy alone.
