Degenerative vs Regenerative Agriculture – A Battle for Your Fork and Fashion

/by

Author: Jon Connors

In the fictitious Star Wars mythology, there are two sides battling for balance of the Universe. Those who serve the Dark Side, represented in the picture above with red light sabers, serve an order of hatred, anger, and absolute power. Those who serve in the Jedi order, serve according to Universal Laws and principles of goodness, fairness, balance and justice. These stories have captured our collective imagination partly because we can intuitively sense their truth in our everyday lives. In a subtle way, we are playing out the myth of Star Wars every time we sit down to eat, or choose clothing to wear; it is time to be aware of the ramifications of our actions.

In the real world, there are similarities between the Dark Side and the Jedi order when it comes down to agricultural production. The majority of agriculture in the United States is degenerative (aka the Dark Side); it pollutes the land, takes up more water than can be replaced naturally, erodes topsoil, and places carbon in the air- contributing to global warming. Most of the world’s agriculture fits this description.

Pollution: Wikipedia

Agricultural pollution refers to biotic and abiotic byproducts of farming practices that result in contamination or degradation of the environment and surrounding ecosystems, and/or cause injury to humans and their economic interests.

Water: USDA Economic Research Service

‘Agriculture… accounts for approximately 80 to 90 percent of U.S. consumptive water use.

Topsoil: University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources

In the United States, we lose an estimated 6.9 billion tons of soil each year (Pimentel, 2000).

Carbon: Yale’s Environment 360

The world’s cultivated soils have lost 50 to 70 percent of their original carbon stock.

According to many scientists, the Earth’s Sixth Extinction event is underway, in large part because of global agricultural practices. What this means is that every time most of us choose what food to eat and clothing to wear, we are unconsciously participating in the rapid destruction of our planet- we are unconsciously acting like the Death Star from the first Star Wars movie.

Keep Reading in The Medium

 

Interview: Scientist, Author, Activist Vandana Shiva Leads Movement to Restore Sovereignty to Farmers

/by

Acres U.S.A. is North America’s monthly magazine of ecological agriculture. Each month we conduct an in-depth interview with a thought leader. The following interview appeared in our January 2016 issue and was too important not to share widely.

Americans who visit India often come back more or less overwhelmed by its vast size and complexity, and if they are not stunned into silence they are at least much less willing to engage in generalities. Timeless beauty, explosive economic growth, persistent poverty and about a billion people all make for an intense experience if you’re used to the predictable movements of cars and shoppers. One thing that does emerge from the ancient nation’s recent history, though, is the way societies that seem chaotic and disorganized to outsiders actually offer opportunities for their citizens who are willing to act with boldness, imagination and fierce resolve. Gandhi was one such actor, and Vandana Shiva may well be another. Increasingly well-known here as an author and lecturer, her popularity makes her a pain in the neck to proponents of industrial agriculture. (Corporate ag apologist Michael Specter recently honored her with an attack in The New Yorker.) It’s a whole other story back in India, however — there Shiva is a force for change not only among the commentariat but also on the ground. She agitates for legislation and political change at one end of society while leading a movement to empower farmers at the other. Shiva is that rarity in modern life, an intellectual who sees possibilities for action in the world outside her study and moves to set them in motion, working with fellow sojourners to build and sustain a counterforce opposing the corporate status quo over the long haul. On a recent trip to California, Shiva spoke with Acres U.S.A., covering an amazing amount of ground. Readers who need a little context are advised to consult Wikipedia on the Bhopal disaster — a 9/11-scale tragedy linked to agricultural chemicals — in particular and modern Indian history in general.

Read the Interview on EcoFarmingDaily.com (PDF)

Subscribe to Acres Magazine

#LovePulses: 10 Ways to Celebrate the International Year of Pulses

/by

Authors: Danielle Nierenberg and Emily Nink

2016 is the United Nations International Year of Pulses (IYP). Pulses, or grain legumes, include 12 crops such as dry beans, dry peas, chickpeas, and lentils, which are high in protein, fiber, and micronutrients.

In celebration of the global launch of IYP, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) created a short video highlighting unique opportunities for pulses to contribute to the future of food security. Pulses offer many opportunities for reducing the environmental footprint of food production, especially by fixing nitrogen to improve soil quality.

Just 43 gallons of water can produce one pound of pulses, compared with 216 gallons for soybeans and 368 gallons for peanuts. And production of pulses emits only 5 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with beef production.

Furthermore, improvements in pulse productivity could be especially impactful in the developing world. “Pulses are important food crops for the food security of large proportions of populations, particularly in Latin America, Africa and Asia, where pulses are part of traditional diets and often grown by small farmers,” says FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva. Just one serving of chickpeas contains 1.5 times as much iron as a 3-ounce serving of steak, and pulses are a fraction of the cost of other protein sources.

“Pulses can contribute significantly in addressing hunger, food security, malnutrition, environmental challenges and human health,” adds UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The water efficiency of pulses allows the plants to enrich soil where they grow and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers.

Keep Reading on Food Tank

International Year of Pulses Booklet

/by

Meet Pulses: The Next Big Superfood Category

What are Pulses? In technical terms, they’re the dry, edible seeds of plants in the legume family. In understandable terms, they’re a category of superfoods that includes chickpeas, lentils, dry peas, and bean varieties. They’re also incredibly healthy, affordable, sustainable and tasty.

Download the PDF from the Global Pulse Confederation

What are pulses and why are they important crops for food security

/by

The International year of Pulses 2016 (IYP) aims to heighten public awareness of the nutritional benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food production aimed towards food security and nutrition. The IYP 2016 creates a unique opportunity to encourage connections throughout the food chain that would better utilize pulse-based proteins, further global production of pulses, better utilize crop rotations and address the challenges in the trade of pulses.

Learn More on FAO’s International Year of Pulses Website

Agroecology: Voices From Social Movements

/by

This video explores the different perspectives of food providers on agroecology and the calls from social movements to embed agroecoogy in the struggle for food sovereignty. It focuses on the International Declaration for Food Sovereignty which has been advanced by social movements to claim agroecology as a bottom up practice, science and movement and the most important pathway towards a most just, sustainable and viable food and agriculture system.

Visit: https://www.foodsovereignty.org/forum-… to read the declaration and www.agroecologynow.com for more information on this project.

Watch More Videos on Cawr Coventry University’s Youtube Channel

 

Life in Syntropy

/by

[ English | Português ]

“Life in Syntropy” is the new short film from Agenda Gotsch made specially to be presented at COP21 – Paris. This film put together some of the most remarkable experiences in Syntropic Agriculture, with brand new images and interviews.

Watch More Video’s on Agenda Gotsch’s Youtube Channel

The Future of the Organic Movement: Organic 3.0

/by

Author: Susanna Byrd

Organic is due for a re-haul, according to a recent discussion paper released by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) during the International Organic Exposition held in Goesan, Korea in October. The report, Organic 3.0: For Truly Sustainable Farming and Consumption, proposes the worldwide launch of a new phase of the organic movement.

From the visionary phase of organic agriculture in the early 20th century (termed Organic 1.0) to the acceptance of industry regulation and certification from the 1970s to the present (Organic 2.0), the movement towards sustainable food systems has enjoyed growth and success. By 2015, 82 countries had implemented regulations for organic food systems. By 2013, the global market for organic food was valued at US$72 billion.

Despite these accomplishments, however, organic agriculture currently represents less than 1 percent of global land and food production. The IFOAM report argues that the world must now enter into a new organic paradigm, referred to as Organic 3.0, which would address and resolve shortfalls of the current movement. The ultimate goal of Organic 3.0 is to propel organic agriculture out of its current “niche” role and towards a mainstream acceptance of organic practices, along every node of the supply chain. Organic 3.0 proposes a global effort “positioning organic as a modern, innovative system which puts the results and impacts of farming in the foreground.”

The report repeatedly emphasizes the idea of “true sustainability,” admitting that current organic systems struggle to address issues like fair pricing, new farming technologies, and the important role of smallholder, non-certified farmers.

Keep Reading in Food Tank

The MIF and GESGIAP will implement a mechanism to compensate Mexican producers for soil carbon capture and to mitigate climate change

/by

[ Español ]

The Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), member of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group recently approved a US $845,000 for a project with the Sierra Gorda Ecological Group, I.A.P (GESGIAP). The project will seek to enhance the capacity of 5,000 small-scale producers and market gardeners to mitigate and adapt to climate change through the transfer of a holistic management approach that will allow them to regenerate the soil, improve productivity and generate ecosystem services, such as carbon sequestration and water infiltration.  The adoption of the holistic approach will also help them increase their income, lower costs for inputs and get compensation for carbon sequestration in the soil.

Soil degradation in Mexico affects two out of three hectares, resulting in a loss of 10% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This issue is affected by weather events like floods, droughts and changes in the frequency and intensity of rain, but the main cause of soil degradation in the country (35%) is associated with agricultural and livestock activities. The agricultural sector is regarded as one of the main contributors to the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) but at the same time the sector has significant potential for mitigating climate change.  According to the Special Climate Change Program 2014-2018 for Mexico, by 2020 the agricultural sector will be the fifth leading GHG emitter in the country, accounting for 14% of emissions. The program’s main strategies include the implementation of sustainable agricultural, forestry, and fishery practices that reduce emissions and the vulnerability of ecosystems and the development of instruments to promote their implementation.

The approved project aims to address this problem through three actions. First, it will build awareness, train and provide technical assistance to producers through workshops, the establishment of demonstration pilots, the development of grazing plans as well as regional and national forums that facilitate exchanges of knowledge between peers. Second, a measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) system will be designed and implemented to promote transparency in the actions of mitigation attributed to the adoption of the holistic management methodology (monitoring soil carbon sequestration and biological recovery). Third, once the mitigation actions are verified, small-scale producers will be compensated, for their use of the holistic methodology, by a sub-national mechanism that will channel resources from environmental taxes to make the payment for environmental services to small producers. Additionally, these compensations will be offered to companies and/or individuals that wish to neutralize or mitigate their carbon footprint through an online platform.

Keep Reading on the Multilateral Investment Fund’s Website

Unlock the Secrets in the Soil

/by

Believe it or not, there are a lot of interesting facts about healthy soil. These informative graphics provide a glimpse of just some of those secrets.

Print

Download the Info Graphic from the USDA NCRS

Download More Info Graphics from the USDA NCRS