ABSTRACT
The regenerative agriculture movement can have a narrow definition of food compared to pre-colonial Native American regenerative food systems. These systems did not solely rely on intensive agricultural plots, but often focused on the gardening of entire landscapes. For example, the vast chestnut groves spanning from present-day Maine to Georgia were anthropogenic in nature, depending on human fire to properly space mast trees, open inter-grove meadow and nourish soil systems with ash. Contrary to popular belief, Indigenous Nations of the Americas wielded immense influence on the landscapes around them and often sculpted them into biodiverse food systems. This ecosystemic practice, focused on holistic management of complex biological systems on regional scales, is responsible for much of the nutrition the planet enjoys today. The conceptions and present-day applications of regenerative land management and regenerative food systems are expanded greatly when Indigenous regenerative strategies and practices are considered in our analysis.
