Earth System Dynamics
Earth System Dynamics
ESD
Articles | Volume 16, issue 5
Articles | Volume 16, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-16-1699-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-16-1699-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 16, issue 5
Perspective
 | 
10 Oct 2025
Perspective |  | 10 Oct 2025

Positive tipping points for accelerating adoption of regenerative practices in African smallholder farming systems: what drives and sustains adoption?

Antony Philip Emenyu, Thomas Pienkowski, Andrew M. Cunliffe, Timothy M. Lenton, and Tom W. R. Powell

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Short summary
This paper proposes a new framework combining scaling theory with positive tipping points to explain how regenerative agriculture can scale rapidly. Drawing on the TIST programme (The International Small group and Tree planting programme) in East Africa, it shows that enabling conditions – like affordability, accessibility, and social trust – can trigger feedback loops such as social contagion and network effects. However, outcomes remain highly context-specific, requiring tailored approaches for sustained adoption.
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Tipping points in the Anthropocene
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