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Welcome to Regenerate AZ
From land stewards to institutions to local food supply chains, Think Regeneration is building a vast network of partnerships that are expanding markets for local farmers and improving the capacity of Arizona residents to access healthy, nutritious food.
Tucson Food-is-Medicine Pilot
Think Regeneration, DRY Cooperative, The Tucson Family Food and Ardmore Institute of Health
TUCSON, Arizona—An innovative pilot program connecting local farmers and local school food programs will be kicking off this year with more than 300 area students.
The Tucson Family Food Project, Think Regeneration, and the Developing Regenerative Yields (DRY) Cooperative today announced they have received a $125,000 grant from the Ardmore Institute of Health to launch a 12-month Food-is-Medicine pilot designed to evaluate how local food procurement can strengthen school nutrition programs and contribute to short- and long-term health outcomes for students and families.
The project will be conducted in consultation with the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona and will focus on the Tucson region as a living laboratory for a larger national question: Can school districts measurably improve food access, student health, family food literacy and local farm economies by shifting more purchasing toward fresh, nutrient-dense, locally produced foods?
The initiative will build on The Tucson Family Food Project’s existing school-based nutrition and teaching kitchen model, DRY Cooperative’s regional grower network, and Think Regeneration’s national food systems and evaluation work. Together, the partners will test a structured 12-week local food procurement pilot serving 350 students and families, while collecting data on school food operations, producer readiness, procurement costs, food access, student and parent experience, and early indicators tied to health and dietary behavior.
Starting Fall 2026
This novel 12-week pilot will start in the Fall of 2026 with planning and logistics work, and is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2027. Stay tuned for program updates by signing up for our regular newsletter below.
Our Partners
Regenerate AZ Farmland Commons
A partnership to form the Regeneration Arizona Farmland Commons 501(c)(25)
Founded in 2023 by the Developing Regenerative Yields Cooperative in Arizona, Regenerate AZ is a collaboration between farmers, ranchers, and supply chain entrepreneurs to create a more sustainable local food system. With a focus connecting Urban with Rural, the collaboration of Dry Co-op, Mollen Foundation, Think Regeneration, and The Farmers Land Trust are creating and stewarding the Regeneration Arizona Farmland Commons 501(c)(25). The mission of this collaborative is to celebrate life through securing, owning, revitalizing, and stewarding farmland for regenerative food production agriculture and education within its community.
Illustration showing people, community, and land linked to farmland commons.
Regeneration Arizona Farmland Commons Partners
Seeking Land, Seeding Change
Project Summary
What We Are Looking For
What We Are Looking For
The Regeneration Arizona Farmland Commons is pursuing transfer of title ownership of farmland real estate into the Commons for regenerative agriculture, economically viable farm businesses, and equitable land access and tenure for farmers to create a positive example of community-centered and owned farmland as an integral part of the local food system in Southern Arizona.
What We Are Looking For
What We Are Looking For
What We Are Looking For
- 70+ acres
- Full agricultural water rights
- Existing utility infrastructure, i.e. electricity, well
- Existing building or warehouse infrastructure, i.e. barns
- Close Interstate proximity and access
- 45 +/- minutes from Tucson
- Homestead Zoning if in Pima County
Long-Term Agreements
What We Are Looking For
Long-Term Agreements
The land managers in the 501(c)(25) will have access to the land for 99 years and generations. If they choose to leave the land, we will recruit a new land manager and farmer with the skills to create a viable, profitable operation that benefits the Tucson community for the long-term. The land will not be sold for development.
2024 Program Partners
The 2023 Field Trials
EnSoil Algae Tests
Enlightened Soil will be providing EnSoil Algae to the managers at Oatman Flats Ranch for a test trial in 2023. Details about the results of the trials will be made available to the participants, and will also be included in white paper to be published in 2023 after the conclusion of Regenerate AZ.
Information about the product and research done by Dr. James White at Rutgers University is available by request to info@think-regen.com.
Recent Media
In Parched Arizona, the Produce Gardens Bloom (New York Times, May 2023)
Read a weekend feature that informed millions about the regenerative farming practices in Arizona, including Oatman Flats Ranch. “Farming can’t continue like it is in the West,” said Dax Hansen. “You have to grow regeneratively or you’re going to run out of water.” Read the full story.
OTHER MEDIA:
microBIOMETER & Regenerate AZ Announce Official Partnership (Think Regeneration, July 2023)
Regenerate AZ & Enlightened Soil Corp. Announce Partnership (Think Regeneration, June 2023)
Regenerative Farming at the Oatman Flats Ranch in Dateland (AZ Central, March 2023)
Regenerate AZ: On the Ground (and River) at Oatman Flats Ranch (Think Regeneration, May 2023)
Weekly Newsletter
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