Regenerative agriculture is big news these days, with companies from ADM to Walmart to Bayer promoting it as the key to improving soil health, biodiversity, and the climate crisis. An invaluable goal, but one that not all practices touted as regenerative are currently meeting. With billions of dollars—and the future of our food system—at stake, it’s important to ensure that these investments are truly helping to make our farms more regenerative and resilient.

A new report from Friends of the Earth sheds light on why we need to rethink one key farming practice frequently lauded as regenerative—no-till. This practice dramatically reduces tillage and plowing. Major corporations are investing in no-till as part of their climate commitments, and state and federal programs have invested in it as climate-smart.

The public health, biodiversity, and climate crises we are facing threaten humanity’s livelihood, as well as businesses and their investors’ bottom lines. The good news is, we can ensure the growing investment in regenerative agriculture is harnessed in service of robust approaches with positive outcomes for nature, communities, and the economy.