Empowering nutrition and healthcare professionals to drive demand for more nutritious, regeneratively grown food, because healthy soil grows healthier people.
ROOTS TO WELLNESS
The regenerative agriculture movement holds incredible promise to deliver stability amidst climate change, restoring healthy natural systems, and enabling more nutritious foods to contribute to better human health. Yet the full potential of regenerative agriculture cannot be reached via supply chain adjustments alone.
We propose a new pathway to better health and nutrition that leverages the role of healthcare, nutrition, and culinary professionals as trusted sources of information and guidance for the communities with whom they work, under the principle that “Healthy Soil = More Nutritious Food = Healthier People.”
Our long-term impact is to grow a powerful network of leaders who understand the connection between regenerative agriculture and nutrition, and who use that knowledge to expand access to nutrient-rich foods across diverse communities. By increasing demand for better food in schools, hospitals, markets, and beyond, we aim to help build a more regenerative, equitable, and resilient food system for all.
To support that mission, we invite you to join us for Roots2Wellness, our monthly conversation designed to introduce the connection between procurement, Food is Medicine programming, and nutrient density. We provide a welcoming space to learn, ask questions, and connect with others working at the intersection of food, health, and agriculture.
Because each session covers much of the same core content, attending once is generally sufficient. That said, you’re always welcome to join again as new participants often bring fresh perspectives that can shift the conversation and create additional opportunities for networking and connection.
ABOUT ROOTS TO WELLNESS
OUR OBJECTIVES
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Educate members of the healthcare and nutrition communities about the connections between regenerative agriculture practices, healthy soil, and nutrient-dense food as well as benefits to the human gut microbiome
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Build momentum for the agricultural, food industry, scientific, and healthcare sectors to engage in the work of the Roots to Wellness: Soil Health Task Force
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Activities will include creating and distributing training materials, toolkits, and other resources, offering training opportunities for the field, and providing practical pathways for implementation AND increase awareness and outreach campaigns, collaboration and networking opportunities, and implementation and advocacy actions
Our Theory of Change
The Problem
Institutional and Food is Medicine (FIM) procurement decisions are largely driven by cost, availability, and calories, with limited consideration of soil health and its impact on nutrient density. This perpetuates demand for conventionally produced foods that often deliver lower nutritional value and contribute to environmental degradation, while missing an opportunity to improve health outcomes, equity and food system resilience.
If procurement decision-makers within healthcare institutions, public agencies, and Food is Medicine programs understand the evidence linking soil health to nutrient density, food quality, and human health outcomes, then they will begin to incorporate soil-health-aligned criteria (like regenerative practices, soil stewardship indicators, nutrient density proxies) into purchasing decisions, contracts, and program standards.
This will lead to:
Increased and more equitable institutional demand for regeneratively produced and nutrient dense foods
Market signals that reward farmers and producers who invest in soil health, including small-scale, BIPOC, and regional producers
Expanded access to more nutrient-dense foods within healthcare, public, and community food programs
Ultimately resulting in:
Improved diet quality and health outcomes for program participants especially for communities disproportionately impacted by diet-related disease
More equitable access to high-quality, nourishing food
Accelerated transition toward regenerative agricultural practices that benefit both people and the planet
