PUBLICATIONS
Works from Dr. André Leu, D.Sc., Regeneration International Director
Why I Became a Leader and Founder of the International Regenerative Movement
This is an edited version of an article commissioned by the editor of The Organic Standard (TOS), who was curious about why, as a long-time leader in the organic sector and a former President of IFOAM-Organics International, I became one of the leaders and founders of the international regenerative movement.
Vapor Pressure Deficits – Regenerating the Local Climate
Avoiding bare ground by maximizing vegetation cover is crucial for reducing VPDs and increasing SOM. SOM enhances the soil’s ability to capture and retain rainfall, improve fertility, and prevent the erosion of fertile topsoil during heavy rain events. Adopting these regenerative organic practices is essential for reversing the trend of increasing adverse weather events and ensuring a productive future for our farming and ranching systems, as well as providing our civilization with healthy, nutritious, poison-free food. We can avoid repeating the past’s failures.
The Benefits of the Regeneration International Standard and Certification – Growing and Selling with Integrity
Our goal is to clearly position Regenerative Agriculture within the organic agriculture paradigm of nature-based systems. IFOAM – Organic International’s four principles of organic agriculture serve as criteria to evaluate whether practices are regenerative or degenerative. Degenerative practices, which are, by definition, the opposite of regenerative, cannot be deemed regenerative.
Plant Sentience Changes Everything
I have always had a love and fascination for plants. I began growing them as a young boy at the start of grade school. I spent my childhood in the forest, learning the names of the plants and animals and understanding how they functioned as an ecosystem. I was destined to be a farmer because growing plants is fundamental to our work. Now, in my 70s, I continue to farm because my passion for growing plants and raising animals remains strong, and I will never quit. Two events profoundly influenced my approach to agriculture. In 1973, Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird published ” The Secret Life of Plants,” which confirmed what I had known as a child: plants are sentient beings that communicate.
Reversing the Loss of Soil Organic Matter – The Elephant in the Room and Solution to Closing the Emissions Gap
The climate change debate’s ‘ Elephant in the Room ‘ ignores 100 Gt of yearly CO2 emissions from soil carbon loss. Soils contain over 2,700 Gt (billion tons) of carbon, the largest terrestrial source. Implementing regenerative agriculture can reverse climate change by eliminating CO2 emissions from SOM loss caused by industrial agriculture. Regenerative agriculture captures CO2 in the soil and enhances SOM. This can be accomplished by stopping ecosystem destruction, restoring forests and pastures, and discontinuing synthetic nitrogen fertilizers by replacing them with cover crops. These are easy-to-achieve, shovel-ready solutions.
Why We must Reclaim Our Movement’s Language from Corporate Takeover
Watch this presentation by Regeneration International’s Steering Committee Dr. Vandana Shiva, and international director Dr. André Leu to hear their message on the importance of reclaiming our movement’s language from corporate takeover.
Pesticides Series
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Books
Professor Dr. André Leu, D.Sc., is one of the founders of Regeneration International and has served as its International Director since 2017. From 2011 to 2017, he served as the President of IFOAM-Organics International, the only worldwide representative organization for the organic sector.
André is an expert in nature-based ecological agricultural systems, having spent over 50 years as a regenerative organic farmer focused on agroecology. He has worked in and visited countries developing food and farming systems across Asia, the Pacific, Europe, North America, South America, and Africa.
Andre has published four books: The Regenerative Agriculture Solution, Growing Life, Poisoning Our Children, and The Myths of Safe Pesticides. He has also written extensively for magazines, newspapers, scientific journals, conference proceedings, newsletters, and websites and has participated in numerous media interviews across TV, radio, and online platforms.
He lectures and teaches at universities, institutions, and workshops worldwide, and serves as an Adjunct Professor of Regenerative Agriculture at South Seas University. He speaks at conferences, seminars, workshops, and United Nations events on every continent. He engages with governments, United Nations agencies, industry representatives, farmers, consumers, and NGOs about the multi-functional benefits of regenerative agriculture.
André and his wife Julia live on their organic tropical fruit farm in Daintree, Australia.
Qualifications:
Doctorate of Science, Environmental and Agricultural Systems, Faculty of Agricultural and Natural Resources, Rajamangala University of Technology, Chonburi, Thailand, 2022
Graduate Diploma in Adult Education, University of Technology Sydney, 1992
Bachelor of Arts Communications, with a Double Major in Social-Political Theory and Video Production, University of Technology Sydney, 1989