Project title: ReGenWine (ReGEN)
Project number: SAGWRI MAV 25-01
Project leader: Mrs Julia Harper
Institution: Stellenbosch University (Faculty of AgriSciences)
Start date: 2025
Project description: Producers should consider diversification strategies to address climate change, rising production costs, and the increasing demand for sustainably produced wine. ReGEN advocates for a shift to regenerative practices to address these challenges. However, wine farmers require scientific validation that regenerative farming systems can sustain wine quality and production long-term and that the benefits justify the investment costs involved. The project aims to address the viability of transitioning from conventional farming practices to a more regenerative approach while also quantifying the long-term benefits to the soil, plants (cover crop and vine) and quality of wine. A pre-trial with a multidisciplinary project team will be conducted on a commercial farm to evaluate the benefits of regenerative practices for the soil, plants, animals, and wine production. This will allow for a thorough evaluation of regenerative agricultural practices over time.
The project will assess the following based on the key principles of regenerative agriculture:
- Evaluate the impact of adopting the five principles of regenerative practices on soil health, soil microbiome, vine development, grape and wine quality, and compare the economic sustainability of these practices to conventional farming,
- Develop a better comprehension of how regenerative agriculture can support the creation of a circular economy within vineyards and
- Distinguish emerging regenerative practices that can be tested and potentially be applied by the wine industry.