Supplementary file 1_Mapping food businesses with regenerative potential in the Amazon and Central American Dry Corridor.xlsx

The global food system plays a pivotal role in environmental challenges, being a major contributor to climate change, the primary driver of tropical deforestation, and responsible for one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. In response to these challenges, a regenerative approach to food businesses has emerged as a promising framework for driving environmental change and addressing the climate crisis. However, there is a gap in information across Latin America regarding the number, location, and activities of food businesses adopting a regenerative approach, hindering a better understanding of this trend and limiting its potential support in the region. This article presents the results of a mapping effort using specific criteria and analytical frameworks to build a better understanding of how regenerative food business models are evolving in Latin America. The mapping was conducted across six countries in the Central American Dry Corridor and five in the Amazon Biome. The process involved using the Google search engine with 77 keyword combinations, complemented by information from 50 key informant interviews. A total of 181 businesses with a potentially regenerative focus were identified. Of these, 64 were explicitly using the term “regenerative,” with its usage being more prevalent in the Central American Dry Corridor than in the Amazon. Notably, businesses using the term were non-associative enterprises. In contrast, associative enterprises such as cooperatives and associations, although not employing the term “regenerative,” played a critical role in socio-cultural and environmental conservation of territories, particularly when led by indigenous or other local traditional populations. Furthermore, the participation of women in leading these businesses was higher than in other traditional businesses, though it still reflected global gender imbalances in leadership positions compared to men. This study provides one of the first comprehensive mappings of regenerative food businesses in the Amazon and CADC, offering valuable data from Latin America. The findings reveal the distribution, characteristics, and diverse ways businesses engage with regenerative practices, underscoring the need for further research beyond the explicit “regenerative” term to fully capture the scope of initiatives driving socio-environmental transformation in the region.

全球粮食系统在诸多环境挑战中扮演关键角色，既是气候变化的主要推手、热带森林砍伐的首要驱动因素，同时造成了全球三分之一的温室气体排放（greenhouse gas emissions）。为应对上述挑战，食品产业的再生型发展路径逐渐成为推动环境变革、应对气候危机的极具前景的框架。然而，拉丁美洲地区在采用再生型发展路径的食品企业的数量、区位与经营活动方面存在信息缺口，这阻碍了学界对该趋势的深入理解，也限制了该区域对此类企业的潜在支持力度。本文基于特定标准与分析框架开展了映射调研，旨在更全面地掌握拉丁美洲地区再生型食品企业（regenerative food business）模式的发展态势，并呈现本次调研的结果。本次映射调研覆盖中美洲干旱走廊（Central American Dry Corridor）的6个国家以及亚马孙生物群落区（Amazon Biome）的5个国家。调研过程中，研究团队借助Google搜索引擎，结合77组关键词组合开展检索，并辅以50次关键知情人访谈（key informant interviews）获取的一手信息。最终共识别出181家具备潜在再生型发展导向的企业，其中64家明确使用了"再生型"这一表述，且该表述在中美洲干旱走廊的使用频率高于亚马孙生物群落区。值得注意的是，使用该表述的企业均为非联合型经营主体。与之形成鲜明对比的是，合作社（cooperatives）与行业协会等联合型经营主体虽未使用"再生型"这一术语，但在区域社会文化保护与生态环境保护领域发挥了关键作用，此类主体尤其多见于由原住民或其他本地传统族群主导的经营活动中。此外，女性在这类企业的领导层中的占比高于传统食品企业，但相较于男性，仍反映出全球范围内领导层岗位的性别失衡（gender imbalances）问题。本研究是首批针对亚马孙地区与中美洲干旱走廊的再生型食品企业开展的综合性映射调研之一，为拉丁美洲地区提供了极具价值的调研数据。研究结果揭示了该区域再生型食品企业的分布特征、经营特点以及其参与再生型实践的多元路径，同时强调，若要全面捕捉该区域推动社会与环境转型的各类举措的全貌，需进一步开展超越"再生型"这一术语本身的相关研究。