The Government is investing in farm sustainability, this time backing two new research projects to investigate the impacts of regenerative farming practices.
“We’re contributing $2.8 million to a $3.85 million five-year project with co-investment by Synlait Milk and Danone that aims to understand how to measure and manage soil health to boost environmental and economic performance on New Zealand farms,” Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced on Sunday.
The announcement coincides with World Soil Day, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by addressing the growing challenges in soil management, fighting soil salinisation, increasing soil awareness and encouraging societies to improve soil health.
“We simply cannot take soil health for granted. It’s the basis of our food systems, and also New Zealand’s economic health.
SANTIAGO, Chile – To
measure Chile’s growing interest in regenerative agriculture
one need look no further than a one-day conference held in the Chilean capital
of Santiago, where an unexpectedly high turnout filled the venue to capacity—some
would-be
participants were even turned away.
The overarching message
to
emerge from the July 1 conference held in the
Santiago office of Regenerativa Chile? This: Regenerative
agriculture is gaining ground in Chile and
throughout South America, but there’s still much work to be done.
What’s needed to take the regeneration movement to the next level is greater
coordination and cooperation among those involved in this work in these
regions.
The
event was part of Regenerativa Chile’s IPA—Ideas Para la Accion
(Ideas
for Action)—sessions. Organizers included Regenerativa
Chile; Carnes Manada, a Chilean company
that promotes regenerative meat production; the Agronomy Department of
the Catholic University of Chile; local
regeneration ally El Manzano, an ecological and
educational research center for sustainability in Bio Bio, Chile; and Efecto
Manada, the Savory Institute’s Global Hub in Chile.
The
conference was the first
of many events being organized by Regeneration International
and local allies in the lead-up to the COP 25 Climate Summit,
to be held in Santiago December 2-13.
Conference
speakers included Javiera Carrión, co-founder and co-director of El Manzano, a
farm of more than 400 acres committed to land stewardship. El Manzano is a
GAIA university-Latin America leader and one of the pioneer organizations in
Chile offering workshops on permaculture, eco-village design,
sustainable land management and human development. Carrión reflected on the
many years of her regenerative agriculture work in Chile and the need for
larger, more coordinated efforts to make the regenerative
agriculture movement stronger and more cohesive.
Conference
speaker Cristóbal Gatica, co-founder of Carnes Manada, emphasized the need to
create a closer connection between producers and consumers. The movement for
regenerative meat in Chile is gaining traction, Gatica said, and Chilean
consumers are starting to recognize the importance of eating regenerative
meat.
Other
speakers included Isidora Molina, founder of Efecto Manada, a Savory Network
organization that promotes regenerative meat production (unrelated to Carnes
Manada). Molina spoke of the changes she has seen in the past few years and of
how Efecto Manada has worked to gain the trust and confidence of its
neighbors and nearby farm owners who were initially skeptical of Efecto
Manada’s holistic management approach to regenerative meat production.
Ercilia
Sahores, Latin American director of Regeneration International,
discussed the importance of building a regenerative movement by integrating
local regenerators with the support of an international umbrella such as
Regeneration International. Sahores also examined recent changes in the international
discussion around regeneration.
Dr
Rafael Larraín, professor in the Animal Science, Agronomy and Forestry
Department of the Catholic University of Chile, stressed the importance of the
collaboration between academic researchers and
hands-on practitioners. Larraín also
suggested closer collaboration between Regeneration
International, the 4 per 1000 initiative,
the Catholic University of Chile and the entire regenerative movement.
Finally,
the conference’s discussions around the rapidly approaching COP 25 summit made
clear the importance of having a robust presence at the official COP 25, and
the importance of organizing other, parallel activities to help nourish and
strengthen the worldwide Regenerative Agriculture movement.
The
conference was moderated by Mauricio Ramos of Regenerativa Chile, who stressed
the urgency and commitment of being part of global change—every day. Ramos also spoke on the importance of reflecting
on what we do and how we can all contribute to being part of that change.
Ercilia Sahores is a member of
the Regeneration International steering committee and Latin America Director. To keep
up with news and events, sign up here for
the Regeneration International newsletter.
https://regenerationinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/WhatsApp-Image-2019-09-02-at-9.40.33-AM.jpeg7681024Ercilia Sahoreshttps://regenerationinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RI-Logo-New.pngErcilia Sahores2019-09-02 11:32:472019-09-02 11:32:50Regeneration International, Regenerativa Chile and Other Groups Convene in Lead-Up to COP 25 Climate Summit
A
breakthrough conference on agriculture and climate change took place May 13-15
in Japan, and Regeneration International was there.
While the content and interaction of the “Agriculture Is the Solution to Climate Change” conference in Otsu, Japan, was dynamic and important, perhaps the most important takeaway from the conference was who organized the event in the first place.
The
conference was co-sponsored by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries in what could be interpreted as a tacit recognition by the world’s
third largest economy that agriculture must play a key role in climate-change
mitigation.
The
conference was also sponsored by the 4 per 1000 Initiative, and was supported
by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), United Nations Food
and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO), the World Bank, the World Business
Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Rothamsted Research, and the
governments of France and Germany, among others – and it took place just one
day after IPCC wrapped up its 49th session in Kyoto, just 13
kilometers from Otsu.
Key
speakers from 4 per 1000 and the major supporting organizations and governments
all upheld the importance of building soil heath to fight climate change. It
was the first-ever international conference in Asia about changing agriculture
by adopting management systems that increase soil organic matter as a drawdown
and adaptation solution to the climate crisis.
Rice
is the most important staple crop in Asia, and RI’s international director
Andre Leu gave a keynote presentation on Systems of Rice Intensification (SRI).
SRI
can double rice yields, and massively reduce methane emissions, thanks to its
lower water usage – and when combined with cover crops, SRI can result in
significant soil sequestration of carbon. SRI is a powerful solution for rice
farmers all around the world faced with increasing threats of drought, typhoon
and coastal storm surge.
A number of RI partners, such as the Biodynamic Association of India and the League of Organic Municipalities and Cities of the Philippines, also took part in the conference, and gave presentations on best practices for mitigating the natural carbon increase in farmland soils.
During
an interview with Regeneration International, Paul Luu, Executive Secretary of
4 per 1000, said policymakers and farmers are putting more and more emphasis on
agroecology. Luu spoke about the strong need for more research to be
carried out on agroecology, biodynamic farming and regenerative agriculture –
for it to be useful in advising transitioning conventional farmers in
accordance to their requirements.
Despite there being no mention of climate change in the G7 meeting of agriculture ministers held a few days earlier in nearby Tokyo (because of abstention by the United States government), the Japanese government is working with 4 per 1000 Initiative to include 4 per 1000’s framework in the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture (KJWA). KJWA is a decision reached at the UN Climate Conference (COP23) in November 2017, to officially acknowledge the significance of the agriculture sectors in adapting to and mitigating climate change.
The
implementation of KJWA is supported by the UNFAO in partnership with other
actors at national and international levels. Under this decision the
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) supports countries
providing technical support to adapt to and mitigate climate change, working in
close collaboration with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) and other partners.
Regeneration
International will showcase the progress made by the 4 per 1000 Initiative to
encourage countries to come on board with a Soil Health Revolution in
agriculture (dubbed the Brown Revolution) at its next General Assembly in Chile
in December 2019, to be held in conjunction with the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change COP 25 summit in Santiago de Chile December 2-13.
Oliver Gardiner is the Organic Consumers Association and Regeneration International’s roving reporter.To keep up with news and events, sign up here for the Regeneration International newsletter.
https://regenerationinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/japanRI.png529940Oliver Gardinerhttps://regenerationinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RI-Logo-New.pngOliver Gardiner2019-07-29 16:49:582019-08-23 12:09:29(Spanish ) Japan’s Ministry of Ag Acknowledges Role of Regenerative Farming in Climate Solution