How our Choices Can Change the World

The buzz of a food and farm movement referred to as regenerative agriculture, or “regen ag,” is pollinating everywhere these days. At a food event I attended earlier this year called FoodTank, held at New York University, regen ag was on the minds of General Mills, Danone, Google and many other corporations. Yet despite its popularity, the conversations at the event revealed a lack of clarity around what, in fact, we mean when we talk about regenerative agriculture. And of course, the confusion is not limited to this event. Fortunately, there is a deep history for us to turn to for more clarity.

But first, let’s look at a couple of definitions that provide us with a framework:

From the August 2019 issue of National Geographic: “Like agroecological farming, regenerative agriculture uses cover crops, no-till and other methods to increase on-farm biodiversity and soil health.” And from Wikipedia: “Regenerative design is a process-oriented whole systems approach to design. The term ‘regenerative’ describes processes that restore, renew or revitalize their own sources of energy and materials. Regenerative design uses whole systems thinking to create resilient and equitable systems that integrate the needs of society with the integrity of nature.”

Despite the disparity in understanding I observed at FoodTank, those in the farming sector agree that the concept of regenerative ag strives for the outcomes of soil improvement, protecting diversity and producing healthy food. I applaud that National Geographic and Wikipedia’s definitions include “whole systems,” “resiliency” and “soil”—all precepts of organic agriculture. Much of today’s dialogue around regen ag tends to single out individual activities such as cover cropping, no-till and crop rotations to help prevent soil loss. All worthy activities, but its whole-system approach is what makes regen ag such a compelling solution.

I find it humorous when a person or company is called out as a “pioneer of regenerative ag.” Franklin H. King’s famous book, Farmers of Forty Centuries: Organic Farming in China, Korea, and Japan (2004), describes “a miracle of agriculture.” Instead of “regenerative,” the people of these countries refer to the farming as “permanent.” Can you imagine farming the same land for 4,000 years? As an example of agriculture that has stood the test of time, the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese are the true pioneers.

Fast-forward to the early 1900s, and George Washington Carver was an early “organic agricultural pioneer” according to historian Peter Burchard in his 2005 study of George Washington Carver, written for the national monument to Carver in Missouri. Carver, who was born into slavery in 1864, became a forward-thinking agricultural scientist who called out the depletion of soil from mono-cropping cotton and advocated for the very farming methods we now call regenerative agriculture.

A contemporary of Carver in England was Sir Albert Howard, who is credited for birthing organic agriculture and is often called the “father of organic ag.” He showed that good health is about good soil.

Robert Rodale is America’s “father of organic ag” and coined the term “regenerative organic” to “distinguish a kind of farming that goes beyond sustainable.” In 2018, the Rodale Institute released written standards for regen ag, called the Regenerative Organic Certification, which is an add-on exclusively for the USDA Certified Organic standard, and which is more explicit regarding specific practices.

Regenerative-style agricultural initiatives, projects and movements are proliferating. That is exciting news! There is organic agro-ecology, perennialization of agriculture, conservation farming, permaculture, sustainable (its own movement in the ’70s that focused on cover crops, crop rotations and contour farming), integrated pest management, silvopasture (using trees in animal pastures), ecosystem services, holistic resource management—there are hundreds of global efforts, albeit small, working to renew and protect our soil, water and air.

Other good news: Major food companies like General Mills, Danone, and Kellogg’s, to name a few, are embracing the concept of sustainability and regenerative farming practices. While some criticize their efforts, fearing these large companies will co-opt and dilute the regen ag effort, I applaud their efforts and say go for it. Positive changes from big companies can have big impact!

A current hero, especially on the social side of regenerative ag, is Fred Kirschenmann. His work at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, called the “Agriculture of the Middle” study, demonstrates the efficiency of the mid-size farm. Sadly, we have lost many of these family farms, and in their place are fewer, larger farms—often confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs)—that don’t have the same environmental or social benefits of mid-sized and small farms.

WHY WE NEED WHOLE SYSTEM THINKING

“Food and Medicine are not two different things: they are the front and back of one body,” said Masanobu Fukuoka, a Japanese farmer and philosopher. When we look at 40 percent obesity rates in many states and the type 2 diabetes epidemic, we cannot deny our broken food system and lack of unbiased food education is making us sick.

Let us take a look at some evidence of why we need to embrace regenerative, whole systems thinking and design:

• According to the World Bank, agriculture uses 70 percent of our global fresh water.

• Based on USDA data, for every bushel of corn grown in the Heartland, there is one bushel of soil erosion, contributing to a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico larger than Connecticut and growing. The current projection from the United Nations is that we may have only 60 years left of topsoil before it is all farmed away.

• Overuse of glyphosate has led to the creation of so many superweeds that the use of carcinogenic herbicides, like 2,4-D and dicamba, has doubled over the past decade. Increased pesticide exposure is causing increased rates of reproductive problems, childhood cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and most chilling, heritable learning disabilities including autism and low IQ.

• According to the Rainforest Alliance, we’re burning down the Amazon and other forests to produce more corn and soy for meat production, increasing the speed of global warming.

• The nutritional content of our food has dropped dramatically, which has been linked to poor health of the soil in which today’s foods are grown. Healthy food comes from healthy soil. To get the same nutrient density as was measured in food by a 1940 study, a person would have to eat two times more meat, three times more fruit, and four times more vegetables.

• CAFOs dominate Big Ag, yet grass-based farming produces healthier food and sequesters carbon.

I expect most Edible Madison readers know all this. But for those who want to go deeper, simply search “agriculture’s impact on the environment” for an overdose. But the good news is there are solutions! We can change, and there are proven examples in practice now. It starts with our everyday choices.

OUR CHOICES MATTER

“Eating is an agricultural act,” wrote Wendell Berry in his essay, “The Pleasures of Eating.” Food is powerful, and our choices can change the world. Farmers and consumers need to work together to create and support farming systems that will reduce our impact on the planet and keep us from getting sick. One of those solutions is organic regenerative agriculture.

The success of organic agriculture has shown it is possible to decrease the use of pesticides and herbicides and increase the health of the soil while protecting biodiversity and human health. Grazing is a huge solution, as well as all the regenerative agriculture practices listed previously. But we can’t just do one of these actions and expect it to fix the whole system. We must embrace a holistic, multi- faceted approach to both farming and our food system. Organic and regenerative ag must work hand-in-hand.

Everyone—farmers and consumers alike—need to stop buying the line that we need industrial-style agriculture to feed the world. If we shift to a mindset that remembers we already produce enough food for the planet, then we can make choices that focus on growing more food for humans and less for livestock, and on nutrition and safety over quantity. Farmers can grow food in a way that reduces impact and even rebuilds the Earth, leaving it better than they found it. And consumers can choose foods from these farmers, putting more dollars in the farmers’ pockets so they can continue making positive choices.

The fact is, living and eating responsibly is fun and healthy! Growing your own food, eating a predominantly plant-based diet, cooking from scratch, especially with friends and family, being a good citizen—not just voting, but really knowing what food and farming issues our politicians stand for—is a transformational lifestyle. At the 2019 Bioneers annual conference, Terry Tempest Williams gave this advice to the attendees: “We have to go deeper. See things as they are, eroding and evolving at once. How do we find the strength to not look away from all that is breaking our hearts?” We live in a broken world, and staying informed can indeed be painful at times; but remember: we’re in this together!

I invite all of you—consumers (aka citizen-eaters), farmers, policymakers, educators, moms and dads— to join together. Make the choices that will break the negative cycle of harm to our planet and our bodies—choices that will harness the power of food to create healthy lives and environments.