This article describes how the TEIKEI level system for regenerative agriculture connects with the FairShare calculation, harvest shares, the regenerative farm dashboard, and the PGS system.
At its core is the question:
How can a farm realistically implement the progression from Level 1 to Level 3 while working on a stable foundation?
Any farm can begin working regeneratively immediately.
Regenerative agriculture is not a distant goal. It does not start at some later point—it begins the moment a farm decides to interact differently with soil, water, plants, and biodiversity.
What takes time is not the first step.
What takes time is continuity. Measures must be implemented, maintained, observed, and understood. Individual decisions only become practice over time. And it is precisely this journey that the level system makes visible.
A central principle of regenerative agriculture states:
The primary focus is not on feeding the plant to increase production.
The focus is on nurturing the soil to create the fundamental conditions for growth.
This represents a fundamental shift in thinking.
The plant is not viewed in isolation.
It exists in relationship with soil life, water, microorganisms, nutrient cycles, climate, biodiversity, and care.
When the soil becomes more alive, structurally richer, and more fertile, the plant changes as well.
It can root more deeply.
It can access water more effectively.
It can grow more stably.
It becomes part of a healthier system.
Regenerative agriculture does not merely address individual crops.
It addresses the conditions that make growth possible in the first place.
This idea is central to the TEIKEI level system.
Because Levels 1 through 3 do not simply describe individual measures.
They describe the transition from a product-focused perspective to a farm-based, soil-focused, and life-sustaining practice.
The level system does not describe abstract progress but a real process on the farm.
At Level 1, milestones emerge from the farm’s reality. The farm itself defines which steps make sense, and these are collectively categorized.
At Level 2, the actual work begins. Measures are implemented—in the soil, on the land, in daily operations. This is where it becomes clear whether something works or needs adjustment.
The decisive factor here is the impact. Changes are not merely assumed but observed. The soil feels different, water remains longer, plants respond more stably, biodiversity increases. Some of these developments can also be measured, for example, through soil samples, yields, or other indicators. What matters is that the impact is traceable.
At Level 3, this development is no longer isolated. It has become part of the farm’s practice. The farm works regeneratively on a permanent basis because the measures are no longer individual projects but have become integrated into the way of working.
The FairShare calculation creates the foundation that makes this journey possible in the first place.
It does not start at the end but at the beginning. Instead of slightly adjusting an existing price, it transforms the entire structure. The shared foundation is supported through memberships. This creates resources that no longer need to flow into conventional margins or intermediate stages.
A significantly larger portion of the final price goes directly to cultivation.
This noticeably changes the situation on the farm. Room for action emerges. Things that were previously impossible become feasible.
With this altered foundation, the focus shifts.
The farm no longer has to constantly react to short-term yield maximization. Instead, space is created to work on the substance: soil, water, biodiversity, cycles.
Transition phases can be sustained. Measures do not have to "work" immediately but can develop over time. This is crucial for regenerative processes because their effects often only become visible over time.
This change is not an addition to agriculture. It transforms agriculture itself.
A central aspect of the entire process is the impact.
Regenerative measures are not simply implemented and then considered complete. What matters is whether they actually bring about change.
In the field, this often first becomes apparent in small ways. The soil can be worked differently, stays moist longer after rain, or dries more evenly. Plants respond more stably, losses decrease, biodiversity becomes more visible.
Over time, these changes become more pronounced. The soil builds structure, water is retained better, and the system becomes more stable and less vulnerable overall.
Part of this development can also be measured, for example, through organic matter in the soil, yield trends, or other indicators. However, not everything can be immediately quantified. Observation, experience, and exchange remain just as important.
What matters is:
The impact is not only perceptible but traceable.
And this is precisely the foundation that allows development to be sustained within the system.
The altered structure of the FairShare calculation generates funds that can be specifically reinvested in this development.
This does not mean that something is "paid extra."
It means that the reality of the farm is fully acknowledged.
When measures are implemented and their impact becomes traceable, resources can be directed precisely where this development is actually taking place.
This applies, for example, to:
The prerequisite is always the same:
The impact must be visible and traceable.
Harvest shares form the foundation of this entire development.
They are renewed annually and thus create a form of stability that is often lacking in conventional agriculture.
This stability is crucial. Regenerative processes take time. Soil does not change in a single season. Water structures develop over years. Biodiversity grows step by step.
Harvest shares provide the farm with the framework in which this development can take place.
As regenerative practices increase, the production base also changes.
Yields do not necessarily become higher immediately, but they become more stable. The soil supports better, water remains available, and plants respond less extremely to weather.
At the same time, greater biodiversity often emerges on the land. Not just more of the same, but more variety. This can also lead to the land being used more intensively overall.
Part of the development, however, also involves consciously using land differently—for biodiversity, for water, for stability. These areas contribute indirectly to production, even if they are not directly harvested.
To keep this development traceable, each farm can maintain a regenerative farm dashboard.
It does not just show numbers but connections. Harvest shares, production, efforts, measures, and their impact are made visible together.
Over time, a picture emerges of how the farm is developing—not in isolation but over the course of time.
Regenerative agriculture is not a state that is once achieved and then completed.
It remains in motion.
Therefore, observation is a permanent part of the process. The farm pays attention, the network pays attention with them, experiences are shared and contextualized.
Questions evolve:
What works?
What remains stable?
Where is adjustment needed?
Which effects only become visible over time?
These questions are not a problem. They are part of the practice.
The PGS system creates the space in which this observation can take place collectively.
Farm visits, discussions, and exchanges make visible what is really happening on the farm. Things that are taken for granted in daily life become understandable to others.
PGS complements measurement with experience. And it complements experience with exchange.
This creates collective learning within the network.
This article shows that FairShare, harvest shares, the level system, dashboard, and PGS are not individual components.
They interlock.
Together, they create the foundation for regenerative agriculture to not only be initiated but understood, sustained, and further developed.
One level up: Level System for Regenerative Agriculture
Author: Felix Schröder, with assistance from AI (ChatGPT)
Creation: written by Felix Schröder › formatted in Markdown by ChatGPT › published by Felix Schröder › layout adjusted by Claude
Created: 2026-05-01 · Last updated: 2026-05-16 · Questions or feedback? support@teikei.us