Monthly Newsletter – Vía Orgánica

Backyard Crop Production

The diversity of vegetables, herbs and other species grown on the ranch are part of the ecological management of the garden. The proposal to produce healthy and delicious vegetables begins in the soil, building life and fertility with the use of green manures, the application of compost, biodynamic preparations, etc.

During your visit to the ranch you will notice that the soil is prepared to oxygenate and allow the roots to develop better by inoculating it with native microorganisms, which promote root health and plant nutrition.

More than 56 species are grown on less than a quarter of a hectare throughout the year on the ranch: vegetables, aromatic herbs, roots and more. Thanks to this mix, the presence of beneficial insects and the overall health of the garden is self-regulating.

You can start growing this season! Take advantage of the warm weather and start transforming your gardens and soil into edible areas full of vitality. We would like to extend an invitation to come to our tours and visit the agro-ecological park to learn more and start building your own vegetable garden at home!

Tours at the ranch                  Video tour with Azu and Rubí               Plan your Vegetable Garden at Home

Infographics

How to grow organic tomatoes at home                                   Book a bike tour to see our Orchards

Seasonal Crops

Visit Our Restaurant to See All Our Recipes with Our Seasonal Crops

Recipe of the Month

Tomato sauce for pizza

Ingredients
10 ripe tomatoes
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste or tomato puree (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
Start by removing the skin from the tomatoes: make a cross cut on one end of each tomato. In a large pot heat enough water, when it starts to boil, add the tomatoes five by five.

Wait 40 seconds and remove from the water. Transfer them to a bowl of cold water with ice cubes and remove. Remove the skin and chop the tomatoes into medium pieces.

In a skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and cook until slightly caramelized. To achieve this, stir constantly until they are transparent and then turn golden brown. Be careful not to burn them or they will make your sauce bitter.

Add the garlic and cook for one minute; add the tomato and the pasta or puree. Stir and boil until the tomatoes release liquid.

Cook until the tomato is soft and has changed color.

Blend the tomato, onion and garlic together with the oregano, salt and pepper. To cut the acidity, you can add a teaspoon of sugar to your sauce.

Wait for it to cool before putting your tomato sauce on pizza dough or other base. If you want to store it warm in a sterilized glass jar, close and turn upside down until it cools.

Salsa Making Workshop with María de Jesús Zermeño at Vía Orgánica

Meet the Animals from the Farm

Coqueta (Coquette) 

This little goat is very friendly and playful, every morning she jumps on the rocks and branches inside and outside the corral. She is very docile and accustomed to contact with visitors. She feeds on branches and shoots of tender trees and maguey fodder. Every morning the herd goes out to graze in the ranch’s pastures and returns to its pen at midday.

Next Workshops

Check the Full Calendar here                                          Book your event here

EVERY FRIDAY WE TAKE YOU TO THE VÍA ORGÁNICA RANCH!

Includes transportation, lunch, mini tour of the garden and tamale making demonstration.

RESERVE ON THE FOLLOWING PHONES: 
Office: 44 2757 0441
Whatsapp: 41 5151 4978

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT US!

Remember that we are open from 8 am to 6 pm
Carretera México/ Querétaro, turnoff  to Jalpa, km 9
Agroecological Park Vía Orgánica.
For information on our products, seeds and harvest,
call our store at 442 757 0490.
Every Saturday and Sunday nixtamalized tortilla with Creole and local corn!
Enjoy our sweet and sour kale chips for children and not so children!

FOLLOW US!

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SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER!

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Mekong Organics Invites Regeneration International to Promote Regenerative Organic Development Across Vietnam

In January, our friend and partner Mekong Organics invited Regeneration International to participate and share knowledge on a very successful series of events they brilliantly managed entitled “Strengthening Trade and Investment in Organic Agriculture between Australia and Vietnam”, held from January 15 to 21 in both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, funded by the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and part of a program to bolster economic cooperation between the two countries.  

HO CHI MINH CITY

“Strengthening Trade and Investment in Organic Agriculture between Australia and Vietnam” occurred following our trip to Dong Tháp Province in the Mekong Delta. Prominent regenerative farmers from Australia, such as Regeneration International’s Prof. Dr André Leu, Peter Randall, and Alan Broughton, were welcomed by Mekong Organics and the University of Social Sciences and Humanity of Ho Chi Minh (USSH) to give keynote presentations that showcase the triple bottom line benefits of regenerative organic agriculture to an attentive and discerning audience at USSH during a three-day event that included a forum and workshop by Mekong Organics, and an organic food expo of local and regional producers working under OCOP (One Commune One Product of Vietnam) a national cooperative developed to create value chains for small hold farmers.

Further presentations highlighting the importance of organic development as an economic driving force between Vietnam and Australia were given by USSH Rector Dr Ngo Thi Thuong, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, The Embassy of Australia, The National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia (NASAA Organic), and The Export Council of Australia.

Fifty-seven enterprises registered for the event, and over 150 participants attended the forum and workshop from January 15-18 at USSH in Ho Chi Minh, including rice farmers, livestock managers, southern regional officials from the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Leaders from the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development from several provinces, organic food and inputs business executives, and the Vietnamese Organic Agriculture Association the Embassy of Australia in Vietnam, and state media.

Ho Chi Minh:

Hanoi:

 

During the forum in Ho Chi Minh we met with farmer Joe who produces purple rice in the Mekong Delta who says “The importance of farming organically is above all to save our farmers health – just within my community, those who convert to organic no longer have irritations and daily skin rashes – and their chances of developing cancers decrease. Unfortunately, there are not enough organic farmers in Vietnam, especially as the conventional ones are too scared to make conversion as they think they will lose money and harvests during the transition period”.

Farmer Joe has found a clever way to combine rice and shrimp farming that benefits rice farmers in the Mekong Delta. The living organisms in the rice fields provide food for the shrimps, while also fertilize and regulate pests in the rice paddy. This practice has been recognized by the Vietnamese government as a climate solution in the Mekong Delta and is receiving increased investments at scale. However, the Mekong River, also known as the Mother Water, is being severely affected by upstream dams, illegal sand mining, aquifer depletion, and rising sea levels. As a result, the freshwater supply to Vietnam’s rice basket, the Mekong Delta, is under threat. These farming practices will be limited in the long run unless more investments are made towards environmental conservation of the Mekong Regions and the restoration of its ecosystems – and this is where our partner, Mekong Organics assists communities according to their wants and needs through research, policy, conservation, and regenerative organic development.

HANOI

The second part of “Strengthening Trade and Investment in Organic Agriculture between Australia and Vietnam” took place from January 18-21 in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, with an “Australia – Vietnam Organic Agriculture Trade and Investment forum, followed by organic and PGS certified farm visits organized by the Vietnamese Organic Agriculture Association (VOAA) to the Trang Trai Hüu Organic Darwin Farm which focuses on large and medium scale production of vegetables with state of the art processing facilities to facilitate the export of its products. The second visit brought us to the PGS certified Nhóm Thanh Xuân farm cooperative, a beautiful mosaic of highly productive organic gardens on the outskirts of Hanoi growing and producing fruit, vegetables and flowers symbiotically for the domestic market – two very distinct and unique farming models that create sustained revenue for farmers, promote climate resiliency in food systems, and provide safe and nutritious for consumers in Vietnam and abroad.

In both rounds of events in Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, RI’s Prof. Dr André Leu highlighted the importance of regenerating agriculture using photosynthesis for root secretions to build soil fertility and presented regenerative innovations and successes happening across the globe, such as pasture cropping in Australia, holistic planned grazing systems in East Africa, micro-farming in California, and how regenerative organic agriculture is the future of food production in a world affected by climate change, as it can store water on land, converts atmospheric carbon into soil fertility and uses biodiversity to self-regulate pests and diseases while producing higher yields than conventional farming.

Dr Andre Leu’s knowledge transfer of global regenerative organic development and his workshop and forum contributions in Dong Thàp, Ho Chi Minh, and Hanoi have built solid partnerships and paved the way for Regeneration International to collaborate on future multistakeholder events with Mekong Organics and partners such as the Vietnamese Organic Agriculture Association to promote long-term solutions that combine climate, environmental, and market resiliency in food systems through regenerative organic farming.

Regenerating Nature-based Systems – The Solution to Cooling the Climate

A research paper published in Nature this February (2024) showed that the world had already passed the preferred Paris goal of 1.5C (2.7°F) and would pass the 2C (3.6F) threshold by 2030. 2023 broke records as the hottest year since records began, and 2024 is shaping to be even hotter. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) estimated global temperatures in 2023 were 1.45C above the 1850–1900 average, exceeding the previous record warm years of 2016 and 2020. Global sea surface temperatures were the highest on record for all the months between April 2023 and January 2024, and this record-breaking trend continues.

The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) reached a record of 424 ppm in May 2023, the highest in 800,000 years due to human activities. Humans have emitted this CO2 by burning fossil fuels, clearing forests, and farming degeneratively, oxidizing soil organic matter.

The WMO has reported that there has been a fivefold increase in extreme weather events (floods, storms, droughts, fires, etc.) in the last 50 years. The causes and adverse effects of climate disruption are worsening despite the Paris Agreement.

Climate Forcings

Changes to the Earth’s climate system affect how much energy enters or leaves the Earth’s climate equilibrium, forcing temperatures to rise or fall. Consequently, they are called climate forcings. Changes in the Sun’s brightness, long-term sun cycles, minor variations in the shape of Earth’s orbit over thousands of years, volcanic eruptions that inject light-reflecting particles into the stratosphere, methane from melting permafrost and forest fires from lightning strikes are natural climate forcings.

People cause climate forcings through numerous activities. The rising concentration of atmospheric CO2 and other greenhouse gases through the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, loss of soil organic matter, deliberately lit forest fires, methane leakage from gas wells and animal factory farming, and nitrous oxides from synthetic fertilizers trap heat instead of radiating it into space are human forcings. They contribute to the disruption of the climate equilibrium.

Human-produced greenhouse gases (GHGs) absorb radiant heat and energy and reflect it in the atmosphere, causing an amplifying effect on water vapor, the main greenhouse gas. This is radiative forcing, and despite skeptics saying there is no evidence that CO2 causes warming, this forcing has been detected and measured since the 1970s.

Strong Scientific Evidence that Humans are Disrupting the Climate

NASA launched the IRIS satellite in 1970 to measure infrared radiation. The Japanese Space Agency launched the IMG satellite in 1996, which recorded similar observations. Their data over the 26 years found a decrease in radiation going out into space at the wavelength bands that greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane absorb energy. The measurements were direct evidence showing the increased heat and energy absorbed and radiated by these gases.

These results have been confirmed by subsequent research using more recent satellite data, showing that anthropogenic greenhouse gases trap energy and heat and are a significant cause of climate change. This has added an extra 4.1 W/m2 of energy into the atmosphere since 1750, the start of the Industrial Revolution. This amounts to an extra 2,091 trillion watts of energy, the equivalent of billions of atomic bombs, violently fueling and disrupting our weather systems.

Water vapor is responsible for 75% of the greenhouse gas effect; however, it does not persist, and the excess heat quickly goes out into space. NASA and NOAA models show that carbon dioxide is responsible for 20% of the greenhouse gas effects and is highly persistent, lasting over a thousand years. The other gases, methane, nitrous oxide, and halocarbons, account for 5% and are not as long-lasting. The models show that the heat-amplifying effect of CO2 stabilizes and amplifies water vapor as the main greenhouse gas so that heat does not readily escape into space. This leads to increased energy and heat fueling and disrupting our weather systems.

Forests and Vegetation Cover

Forests, vegetation cover, and soils profoundly affect local and global temperatures, the transpiration of water vapor, and atmospheric and terrestrial hydrology, including rainfall.

Greenhouse gases, such as CO2, are just one type of climate forcing. Forests absorb heat and energy through photosynthesis, shade the ground, and cool the planet through the transpiration of water vapor. Deforestation results in the soil absorbing sunlight and heating up, making this a significant warming climate forcing.

According to Our World in Data, 1.5 billion hectares (4.5 billion acres) of forest have been cleared over the last 300 years – since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. That’s an area 1.5 times the size of the United States. This loss of forest cover is a significant climate forcing and contributor to increasing global temperatures.

The European Investment Bank estimates that around 15 to 18 million hectares (45 to 54 million acres) of forest are destroyed yearly, with 2,400 trees cut down each minute. A high proportion of this deforestation is driven by consumers in the world’s wealthiest countries to produce GMO soy and maize used to feed cruel confirmed animal feeding operations – factory farms in Western Europe and East Asia. These feeding systems are incredibly inefficient. They need 10 tons of plant protein to produce one ton of animal protein.

There is no justification for clearing these forests to ‘feed the world’ when they are not feeding the food insecure. This industrial agriculture system grossly wastes land and resources to provide commodities for the world’s wealthiest consumers. The same applies to the beef, biofuels, sugar, vegetable oils, cocoa, coffee, and paper produced on deforested land and exported to the global north. They are not produced to feed the undernourished; they are luxury and, in many cases, unnecessary commodities for the world’s most affluent consumers.

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) states that industrial agriculture is responsible for 80% of deforestation and is one of the primary greenhouse gas emitters. Researchers calculated that the actual contribution of deforestation to global climate warming since 1850 is as much as 40 percent and that the current rate of tropical deforestation could add a further 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7°Fahrenheit) to global temperatures by 2100 even if there were zero fossil fuel emissions.

Forests moderate local climates by keeping their local environments cool. They do this by shading the land and releasing moisture from their leaves. This process, called transpiration, requires energy extracted from the surrounding air, thus cooling it. A single tree can transpire hundreds of liters of water in a day. Every hundred liters (25 gallons) has a cooling effect equivalent to two domestic air conditioners daily.

Monitoring rapidly deforested regions of the tropics has shown the effect of losing this arboreal air conditioning. Sumatra has been losing forests to palm oil cultivation faster than anywhere else. A study found that since 2000, surface temperatures have increased by 1.05 degrees Celsius (1.8°F), compared with 0.45 degrees in forested parts. Another study found temperature differences between forest and clear-cut land of up to 10 degrees Celsius (18°F) in parts of Sumatra. Research in the Amazon found a difference of 3 degrees Celsius (5.4°F) between the cool of the forested Xingu indigenous park and surrounding croplands.

The regeneration of tree cover is one of the most effective strategies for climate change mitigation.

Clearly, the destruction of ecosystems is contributing to global warming, whereas regenerating these forests and rangelands would cool the climate.

Most of the Warming is in the Oceans

The NOAA states that more than 90 percent of the warming on Earth over the past 50 years has occurred in the oceans. The ocean’s heat energy will continue to warm the planet after net zero is achieved. Ocean heat is a significant driver of weather. The oceans and the atmosphere are already more than one degree Celsius warmer than at the start of the Industrial Revolution.  They have broken new records at the beginning of 2024.

Even if CO2 levels went down to the 1750s level of 280 ppm, it would take centuries for the heat in the oceans to dissipate. Regenerating and conserving forests, rangelands, and diverse terrestrial ecosystems will cool the planet faster than only reducing GHGs. Scaling up agroforestry and silvopasture systems, where animals are grazed under trees, can significantly cool the planet, restore hydrology, and regenerate our climate.

What is agreed upon by most scientists is that the world is warming with increases in air and sea temperatures, ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are melting, most of the world’s glaciers are shrinking, and sea levels are rising.

This extra 2,091 trillion watts of energy is already violently fueling and disrupting our weather systems. It is causing weather events to be far more intense. Winter storms can become colder and are pushed further south and north than usual due to this energy, bringing damaging snowstorms and intense floods. Similarly, summer storms, especially hurricanes, tornadoes, tropical lows, etc., are far more intense, with increases in deluging destructive rainfall and floods. Droughts and heat waves are more common, resulting in more crop failures and water shortages. They are also fueling damaging forest and grass fires that are burning out whole communities and changing regional ecologies due to not allowing time for recovery before the subsequent fires.

The frequency and intensity of these events will only worsen exponentially when the world warms to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), the upper limit of the Paris Climate Agreement. We are on track to shoot far past this goal.

Eliminating Fossil Fuels by Replacing them with Renewable Energy is Not Enough

The final version of COP 28 calls for “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050.”

COP 28’s ‘diplomatic’ language shows no intention to phase out fossil fuels. They will be a significant part of the energy mix and the resulting GHG emissions if, by some miracle, net zero is achieved by 2050.

The annual rate of CO2 emissions increased to 2 ppm per annum in the decade before the 2015 Paris Agreement. CO2 emissions have increased by about 2.87 ppm annually since 2015, so the rate is rapidly accelerating. Atmospheric CO2 increased by 37 billion tons of CO2 in 2023.

We must reach net negative emissions as soon as possible to avoid runaway global warming, wholesale biodiversity collapse, climate catastrophes, endless poverty-driven conflicts, forced migration, and wars.

Net Zero by 2050 is too late to stop catastrophic climate change. Even if the world transitioned to 100% renewable energy tomorrow, this would not prevent rising temperatures and sea levels. The world will continue to heat up because CO2 lasts around 1,000 years in the atmosphere. The oceans’ heat will continue adversely affecting the climate until it slowly dissipates.

Just eliminating fossil fuels by replacing them with renewable energy will only reduce part of the CO2 emissions, as fossil fuels are only responsible for a percentage of emissions. Research shows that emissions from destroying ecosystems such as forests and rangelands and the loss of soil organic matter are sources of a considerable amount of atmospheric CO2 and methane.

The UNCCD states that industrial agriculture has altered the face of the planet more than any other human activity. It is responsible for 80% of deforestation and 70% of freshwater use and is the most significant cause of terrestrial biodiversity loss.

The destruction of forests and diverse ecosystems generates the bulk of CO2 emissions associated with land use change, nitrous oxides from synthetic chemical fertilizers, the methane emitted by factory farms, and intense animal production. These are significant greenhouse gas sources.

The widespread scaling up of industrial agriculture in the last century has neglected soil health and below-ground biodiversity, especially the soil microbiome, the source of most of our food, due to its focus on toxic synthetic chemicals as the basis of increasing production.

Soil carbon is the largest pool of carbon after the oceans. The soil holds almost three times as much carbon as the atmosphere, forests, and ecosystems combined. Degenerative land use is oxidizing this organic carbon into CO2. The loss of soil carbon through degenerative farming practices has been underestimated in its contribution to atmospheric GHGs. Oxidation of soil carbon is caused by excessive tillage, bare soil, and erosion. Synthetic nitrogen fertilizers stimulate the types of microbes that consume soil carbon and turn it into CO2. Research shows that it is a considerable contributor to the CO2 in the atmosphere.

A recent study analyzing the change in the proportions of Carbon 14 (C14) in the atmosphere raised severe doubt that the increase in CO2 mainly came from fossil fuels. C14 is created in the upper atmosphere from cosmic rays.  They bombard nitrogen, turning it into radioactive C14. It is unstable and slowly decays back into nitrogen over thousands of years. This decay rate can be measured and used to determine the age of artifacts derived from living organisms. When they are alive, they absorb carbon, and this includes C14. Over time, as the C14 decays, its proportion decreases, which is used as an accepted scientific method for dating the age of archeological and historical artifacts.

Fossil fuels are so old that all the C14 has decayed to nitrogen. They have none. Scientists used this fact to analyze the percentage of the total CO2 due to the use of fossil fuels from 1750 to 2018

They stated, “Our results show that the percentage of the total CO2 due to the use of fossil fuels from 1750 to 2018 increased from 0% in 1750 to 12% in 2018, much too low to be the cause of global warming.”

This study, naturally, is very contentious; however, it is an essential part of the debate on how we manage the causes of climate change. The current focus is mainly on reducing fossil fuel use, methane production from ruminants, and scaling up renewable energy. The research shows this approach is highly problematic in stopping the projected temperature rises and changing climate.

The research shows that a high percentage of the increase in CO2 in the atmosphere since 1750, from 280 ppm to over 400 ppm, comes from living carbon sources. These sources are obviously from clearing forests and the loss of soil carbon. The 1.5 billion hectares of forests (4.5 billion acres) cleared since 1750, the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, an area 1.5 times the size of the United States, is a significant contributor to CO2 in the atmosphere.

This loss of forests has made, and continues to make, a massive contribution to the current CO2 levels. Previously, they were essential in removing CO2 through photosynthesis and stabilizing Earth’s weather and rainfall. Not only has this removal capacity been lost, but the billions of tons of biomass have degraded into CO2 and released billions of tons into the atmosphere and oceans.

Climate change will continue to worsen unless we stop all deforestation and regenerate ecosystems so that instead of emitting CO2, they remove it via photosynthesis, storing it in plant biomass and as soil organic matter. There is an urgent need to transition industrial agriculture, a massive contributor to climate change, to best-practice regenerative agricultural systems that can remove CO2 and cool the climate.

Carbon Dioxide Removal is Essential to Cool the Climate

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that keeping global warming to 1.5°C  can only be achieved through carbon dioxide removal. 

“All pathways that limit global warming to 1.5°C with limited or no overshoot project the use of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) on the order of 100–1000 Gt CO2 over the 21st century. CDR would be used to compensate for residual emissions and, in most cases, achieve net negative emissions to return global warming to 1.5°C following a peak (high confidence).” (IPCC 2018)

Regenerating natural ecosystems and soil carbon sequestration are two carbon dioxide removal technologies recommended by the IPCC to achieve this goal.

Cooling the Climate

The climate news isn’t good now, with devastating storms, droughts, floods, and fires everywhere.

The facts are that solar/planetary cycles, greenhouse gases, and forest/vegetation cover have roles in climate forcing and contribute to the changing climate. While we cannot change the solar/planetary cycles, we can change the level of greenhouse gases and regenerate ecosystems to cool the planet and restore the hydrology and climate.

We have enough evidence based on current best practices that scaling up a percentage of best practice regenerative agriculture systems can remove more than the current emissions of CO2 to reduce the levels in the atmosphere and oceans. The scaling up of these systems by regenerating a high biodiversity of plants and animals in agroecosystems will cool the planet.

The following articles in this series will detail how we can do this. The good news is that we can turn it around by regenerating our planet. We know how to do it – it isn’t rocket science. Many of us are doing this now. We need many others to join us. Together, we can give ourselves, our children, and all the living species we share our planet with a great future.

Ronnie Cummins, one of our founders, wrote: “Never underestimate the power of one individual: yourself. But please understand, at the same time, that what we do as individuals will never be enough. Weve got to get organized, and weve got to help others in our region, our nation, and everywhere build a mighty Green Regeneration Movement. The time to begin is now.”

Please support our mission to regenerate our climate, people, and planet.

Monthly Newsletter – Vía Orgánica

Soil Conservation

Via Organica’s Agroecology Park in Jalpa has become a demonstrative and experimental space. It’s been more than 11 years since the transformation of each of the areas began and here we will share with you how the changes have been. The areas have been gradually transformed thanks to teamwork, agroecological and regenerative techniques and, above all, the favorable response of nature when treated with conviction and respect.

Soil conservation constructions such as stone terraces, contour lines and vegetation cover have allowed the restoration of several spaces on the ranch. One example was in front of the cabins where the land was previously eroded, compacted and with low fertility, now, after a little more than a decade, it has become an edible forest and one of our favorite gardens, where you will find fruit species, forest, medicinal, hill oregano and a living soil, with vegetation cover all year round.

Find out here how we take care of the soil, using agave plants

Agroforestry Space

Another restored area, is the agroforestry space where olive trees were established in association with vegetable beds. Work started with 2% organic matter and, thanks to organic fertilizers and ecological management, the organic matter has increased by 8%, which favors moisture retention and annual harvests of olives and fresh vegetables.

Find out more about our restoration programs here
Spend a weekend away at our eco cabins

Regenerative Farm

Also, of great relevance is the regenerative farm, led by a team of women from the community, this space was restored with a plantation of more than 700 species of olive trees, mulberries, cacti, agave plants and milpa with free grazing hens. A true example of a sustainable agroecological production system.

This system, thanks to restoration, vegetation cover and fertilization by the hens themselves, prevents erosion, improves soil fertility and maintains humidity.

Visit the Regenerative Chicken Field when touring the Agroecology Park
Enjoy a nice bike ride with beautiful landscapes

Billio Agave Project

Finally, with the BAP (Billio Agave Project), more than 20 hectares of degraded or eroded soils have been recovered, pastures have been recovered, generating greater biomass and grazing capacity for goats and sheep.

Currently, the Ranch-School is a toxic-free space, where you can breathe clean air, promote biodiversity and have pollinating insects in action all year round.

We’d like to extend an invitation to visit us, to get to know the space, and enjoy this wonderful agro-ecological park and its transformation.

More information about the Billion Agave Project here

Infographics
Seasonal Crops
Recipe of the Month

Tomato, Carrot and Ginger Cream Soup
Ingredients
For 4 servings

1kg Tomato
6 Carrots
4 tablespoons Strawberry or blueberry jam
Salt and pepper to taste
Ground ginger
4 Mint leaves

How to make cream of tomato, carrot and ginger soup
Difficulty: Medium
Total time 45 m
Cooking time 45 m

Wash the tomatoes and chop them into quarters. In a Wok or large frying pan, put 3 tablespoons of oil and start frying the tomatoes over low heat.

While the tomatoes release their water, peel and chop the carrots and add them to the pan to cook in the tomato water. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for about 35 minutes until the carrots are tender and there is almost no liquid left in the pan.

Add powdered ginger and taste for seasoning. Once to our taste, we grind with a blender or blender and pass through a strainer to remove bits of skin or seeds that may remain in our cream.

Serve the tomato, carrot and ginger cream with a spoonful of blueberry jam in the center of each soup plate and decorate with some mint leaves.

Meet the Animals from the Farm

Esperanza

This newcomer to the ranch is a very intelligent, funny and sociable piglet. She lets herself be pet and responds to her name by wagging her tail happily. She was the only survivor of 6 siblings, hence her name (Hope).

She loves to go out to pasture, greet people and be very spoiled. Visit Esperanza during your tour of the ranch!

Defending Seed and Food Sovereignty

Seeds are the first link in the food chain. They embody our heritage and enfold the future evolution of life. It is our inherent duty and responsibility to protect our seeds and pass them on to future generations. The cultivation of seeds and their free exchange among farmers have been the basis for maintaining biodiversity and our food security. Today, our seed sovereignty is threatened by intellectual property rights and new GMO technologies that have transformed seeds from a commons shared by farmers, to a commodity under the control and monopoly of agribusiness corporations. To have control over seeds is to have control over our lives, our food and our freedom.

Over the last few decades, GMO crops have been imposed in countries all over the world, advertised as a solution to food insecurity and the malnutrition crisis. However, hunger, disease and malnutrition have increased, while biodiversity has declined and toxins have spread. GMO imperialism has destroyed the lives and livelihoods of small farmers and biodiversity in centers of origin. These centers of origin of biodiversity are the cradles of the world’s food supply, and the protection against plague, climate challenges, natural disasters or other hindrances to food production.

Source: Navdanya International

Next Workshops

EVERY FRIDAY WE TAKE YOU TO THE VÍA ORGÁNICA RANCH!

Includes transportation, lunch, mini tour of the garden and tamale making demonstration.

RESERVE ON THE FOLLOWING PHONES: 
Office: 44 2757 0441
Whatsapp: 41 5151 4978

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT US!

Remember that we are open from 8 am to 6 pm
Carretera México/ Querétaro, turnoff  to Jalpa, km 9
Agroecological Park Vía Orgánica.
For information on our products, seeds and harvest,
call our store at 442 757 0490.
Every Saturday and Sunday nixtamalized tortilla with Creole and local corn!
Enjoy our sweet and sour kale chips for children and not so children!

FOLLOW US!

FACEBOOKFACEBOOK    TWITTERTWITTER    INSTAGRAMINSTAGRAM

SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER!

CompartirShare       TweetTweet             forwardForward 

Strong El Nino Affects Southern Africa: How Creating Landscape and Farmer Resiliency to Shocks is Going to Help us all Keep Moving

Year after year we realize that the extreme weather patterns are making it hard for farmers to make ends meet from their landscapes.

In a report on Southern Africa the main areas of concern that are being hard hit are Zimbabwe, southern Malawi, Southern and central Mozambique and southern Madagascar.  These areas will be in deficit of food supplies and its anticipated to get to early 2025.

I am in western Zimbabwe, Hwange where I am engaged with communal farmers working on regenerative projects together. We are currently in an unprecedented dry spell in the midst of a growing season!  Reports show that a great population will be in lack of food this year in our country, quoting about 2.8 million people. The rains delayed, the temperatures were soaring, wildlife, people and livestock were all desperate for the smallest shower we could get from the skies. We have a very short growing season, that starts in mid November to mid-March, and this 2023/2024 we have only had precipitation for 9 days, and a long dry spell, of 15 days (and it looks like we are still counting).

Most of the farmers where we are working are in an already challenging environment, we are located in rainfall region 4&5 (barely enough rainfall per year anyways) and on mostly Kalahari sandy soil areas, that easily lose moisture if there are long dry spells and leach all the nutrients should there be excessive downpours of rain. It is unfortunate that we are living in the times where both events are a norm. As such, every small effort to create resiliency on the landscape, crop lands and the broader ecosystem becomes one of the greatest priorities of our time.

All regenerative efforts like Agroecology, organic farming, permaculture, and so on are so important to relieve stress in events like this. Regeneration in at the core meant to help farmers manage the complexity that is involved with living systems work. The odds are never predictable, and with the ever advancing climate crisis- the shocks are almost inevitable. Our  networks are doing the very best moves to pressure the powers that be to make policies and plans that will finally see us moving ahead with confronting climate emergency. While this effort is important, we also celebrate the brave efforts of being able to work at policy levels while building strong farmer movements to create capacity to small holder farmers across the region for such times.

In our region, I have witnessed in the last week, chances of total crop failure rising to nearly 90 percent. If it doesn’t rain in the next few days, for those on sandy soils, it’s game over. Those that did not apply ecological principles on their plots, have already counted their losses. The farmers that used livestock manure, mixed crop still have a spark of hope that some legumes and smaller traditional grains might wake up at the smell of a light shower. And so the wait continues.
Below are some crop field photos taken on 6th February 2024:

A devastated crop- in scorching heat, and a loss that will probably never bounce back should the rains delay further. Besides, it’s past fruiting season and the plants are stunted in growth.

 

A hopeful crop, albeit late for fruiting, the color and strength shows that some ecological principles and early planting can buy a bit of time and give a farmer the smallest chance to get a harvest.

Grazing lands are what will carry most of the households, that is if farmers continue to hold strong on the plans we created. Otherwise, in panic some farmers are letting their animals wander off to their prime dry season paddocks in a bid to speed up great condition. However, they do not realize that this action is at the expense of their animals condition in the face of a longer and  harder non growing (or dry) season. Livestock becomes an important back up plan for the community in times like this, because one animal can be sold to buy staple food from neighboring communities with better soils. Some legumes will survive and balance up local nutrition.
Below are some photos of the landscape comparisons. Pictures taken on 06 Feb, 2024.

A prime paddock that has been exposed to consistent grazing, not recovering, will be overgrazed and will not be able to carry any livestock when needed the most (in the 8 months of dry season).

 

A sufficiently grazed paddock, farmers have pulled out livestock for its recovery. Once it rains, a little bit of moisture will give them a chance to regrow forage.

 

A paddock that has had about 2 months without animals in it, growth could have been much taller but rainfall has been so limited. The farmers will still have something to fall back on for their livestock.

Joint Declaration in Defense of our Biodiversity, Seed and Food Freedom – Resisting GMO Imperialism

Defending our Seed and Food Sovereignty 

Seeds are the first link in the food chain. They embody our heritage and enfold the future evolution of life. It is our inherent duty and responsibility to protect our seeds and pass them on to future generations. The cultivation of seeds and their free exchange among farmers have been the basis for maintaining biodiversity and our food security. Today, our seed sovereignty is threatened by intellectual property rights and new GMO technologies that have transformed seeds from a commons shared by farmers, to a commodity under the control and monopoly of agribusiness corporations. To have control over seeds is to have control over our lives, our food and our freedom.

Over the last few decades, GMO crops have been imposed in countries all over the world, advertised as a solution to food insecurity and the malnutrition crisis. However, hunger, disease and malnutrition have increased, while biodiversity has declined and toxins have spread. GMO imperialism has destroyed the lives and livelihoods of small farmers and biodiversity in centers of origin. These centers of origin of biodiversity are the cradles of the world’s food supply, and the protection against plague, climate challenges, natural disasters or other hindrances to food production.

In Mexico, which is the center of origin of maize, just as in other centers of biodiversity, there has been a long struggle by society and organized communities against this GMO imperialism threatening the subsistence and culture of native peoples. To date, Mexican society has achieved a ban on the planting of GM maize in Mexico through a class action lawsuit filed against the companies Bayer-Monsanto, Syngenta and Corteva Agriscience. This ban is still in force.

Recently, the Mexican government issued an executive order that proposes the gradual prohibition of the use of glyphosate and the use of GM maize in tortillas, a staple food. GMOs compromise access to healthy, sustainable, culturally appropriate foods free of genetically modified organisms. Faced with this decision, the U.S. government, based on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement (USMCA), has requested a dispute settlement panel to reject the order.

Mexico is the protector of the biocultural diversity developed over millennia, and shared by peasants around the world. Mexico therefore urgently requires our support and solidarity in the face of this GMO imperialism.

All over the world, citizens are rising against the unscientific, undemocratic, anti-ecological imposition of GMOs by corporations and the US government. The first generation of GMOs has failed. But corporations continue to impose gene-edited organisms, or new GMOs, in centers of diversity. They continue to shift their narrative towards framing nature and biodiversity as commodities for commercialization and patent monopolies.

Agribusiness and biotech giants are attempting to bypass biosafety regulations by quietly making changes to GMO regulation around the world, in order to promote these new GMOs under new acronyms, such as NBTs (New Breeding Techniques), NGTs (New Genomic Techniques), or TEAs (Techniques of Assisted Evolution). These new GMOs have been silently dovetailing into different countries’ existing agricultural legislation, with the aim still being patent monopolies in the hands of the big chemical and biotechnology giants.

KEEP READING ON NAVDANYA

Mekong Organics brings Regeneration International to Dông Tháp Province, Mekong Delta, Southern Vietnam

Mekong Organics (MO) is an organization based in Australia led by Dr Van Kien Nguyen, which supports small-scale farmers, small-medium enterprises, and community-led initiatives in the Mekong region with research and training in organic food production, certification, trade, nutrition and health for various stakeholders and communities.

MO is currently working in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta with the local government of Dông Tháp Province to develop ecological rice farming combined with wildlife conservation to help re-introduce the Red Crane in the Tràm Chim National Park, an iconic bird species in the region that suffered loss of habitat due to human activity and pollution from agrichemicals.

On January 13, 2024, in the context of an economic exchange program between the governments of Vietnam and Australia and MO’s drive to introduce outside expertise on ecological rice farming, Regeneration International was honoured to be invited by Mekong Organics and the People’s Committee of Dông Tháp Province, for the first international workshop between Australia and Vietnam on combining rice farming with wildlife conservation. With a discerning audience of Vietnamese Mekong Delta farmers, traders, researchers, and politicians, RI’s International Director, Dr André Leu, gave a keynote presentation on the Systems of Rice Intensification and the power of Regenerative Agriculture to overtake conventional methods by converting greenhouse gas emissions into soil fertility, securing higher yields under organic production, remaining cost-effective, and building resiliency to pests, diseases, and climate extremes.

Ecological broadcast on national TV:

RI’s trip in Vietnam with Mekong Organics is being documented via interviews and video recordings by our roving video reporter and Eurasia Coordinator Oliver Gardiner for RI’s media content and the People’s Food Summit 2024. The trip will continue throughout January with an Australia-Vietnam Organic Agriculture Trade and Investment at the University of Social Sciences in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), research and farmer-led field trips to projects and an Australia-Vietnam Organic Agriculture Trade and Invesment Forum in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi. You can follow up on our trip to Vietnam in our next newsletter, where we will reveal how a few pioneering Vietnam farmers use clever innovations to create new revenue streams with combined rice/duck/fish/prawn production systems and simple money-earning solutions to prevent slash and burning practices.

A Brief Reflection on Year 2023: Regeneration International Africa 

As Regeneration International team different parts of the world, we are counting our wins, pains, and lessons that were embedded in the year with deep gratitude and a meek spirit. 2023 was a true depiction of what life and living systems work really is. It’s a package of plans, that unfold into unknown and unexpected ends, the pieces of our work as a movement keep moving simultaneously. Us, on the same note have kept self organizing to continue building and standing up for the most important work on the planet. Regenerating the future, our planet and all life. 

The support provided to RI goes a long way in providing the global team with many opportunities to contribute in the movement building both at farmer and global scale. The funding and partnership support has been pivotal to supporting the outreach we achieved through the Peoples Food Summit- 2023 segment, where we got over 800,000 views for Africa alone. This outreach has done more than just expose the work of different partners that shared their work at the summit, but also created a platform for work synergies. 

Through the regional partnerships, we are continuing to contribute to the body of knowledge in the agroecology movement; developing courses and sharing knowledge and lessons in hands on work initiatives as well strengthening small holder farmers initiatives in landscape level regeneration to enhance ecological, economic and social stability.

The weather patterns are becoming more uncertain, it is worrying especially because smallholder farmers feel it the most. On the other hand, global platforms like COP seem to continuously  make a mockery of the strategies suggested by the movement to urgently address the issue of climate emergency. Thankfully we still have partners in the movement that have forged ahead and continue to bring the smallholder farmer voices to these platforms. We, also believe that continued work on the ground by and with farmers is important to building evidence and showing that there’s hope for changing the current narrative.  A combination of efforts at all levels is one of our greatest advantages. 

Continuously, we are seeing the importance of collaborative efforts in movement building, sharing  experiences from  ground work, influencing policy, and science. Engaging with  different partners that work at different capacities across the African continent, enables us to bring all aspects of change together.  When we accelerate intersections of network collaborations, we begin to experience the transformation we hope for. 

2023 was filled with incredible collaborations with regenerative and agro-ecological partners and we hope for even better opportunities in 2024. As a team we also have a lot of exciting plans that will see us engaging more and more with our global partners. We have great hope for a wonderful year ahead for the movement. 

Monthly Newsletter – Vía Orgánica

Vía Orgánica Farm School

We welcome the year 2024. We begin with all the enthusiasm and energy to share and exchange experiences about the regenerative agriculture movement and to keep working for an environmental culture.
The essence of this project is to promote awareness of taking care of the planet, through different actions, among them, the experiences generated with our products and services from the Farm School.
Have you ever wondered how many times you have been in an ecological farm in action? Well, now is the time to do it!

Eco-tourism

Vía Orgánica’s agro-ecological park offers unique and memorable experiences. Enjoy a peaceful stay in the Jalpa Valley, the rustic cabins, which have been built on the ranch itself with adobe, a material that is made out of a mixture of clay soil and fibers, resulting in a compressed block of clay, which produces thermal constructions, allowing to cool down inside in the hot season and keeps it warm inside during the cold season. All the roofs of the buildings collect rainwater that is stored and used for irrigation and vegetable production; we also have solar energy and gray water filters. Our toilets are ecological, to avoid the use of water and compost waste.
Upon arrival at the ranch you will visit the different stations and areas to learn about the ecological management of plants, animals, forest areas, among others.
You will be able to enjoy a range of different dishes, made with local, seasonal ingredients, fresh salads and meals produced in a natural and regenerative way.
You can finish your experience watching a beautiful sunset from the lookout point, a quiet space at the top of the ranch with an incredible view. You can request a bonfire and bring a musical instrument.

Eco-Friendly Things to-do at the Farm School

In addition, you can rent a bicycle, take a ranger tour or walk along our hiking trail in the mountains; there is always plenty to do, no matter the season of the year.

As if that were not enough, you can attend the workshops offered throughout the year with diverse and very interesting topics such as: design and planning of your garden, composting, traditional cooking, ecological management of animals, medicinal plants, maguey breaking. It is important to tell you that we have activities for the whole family, school groups and fun activities for girls and boys.

Put together your custom package, enjoy and learn, be part of this movement and help us to promote tourism with integral and sustainable impact. Visit page here

Infographics

Seasonal Crops
Recipe of the Month

Rosemary Roasted Radishes
Ingredients (Serves 4)

Radishes 300 g
Garlic cloves 2
Fresh rosemary 2
Lemon 1
White wine 50 ml
Extra virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper
Salt

How to make rosemary roasted radishes. Difficulty: Easy

Preheat the oven to 200ºC and prepare a dish or tray. Wash the radishes well, removing the remains of soil and possible damaged parts, and cut the stalk -although the small leaves are edible-. Cut in quarters or in half, if they are small.

Place them in the dish and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a splash of good quality extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest and a little wine or white vermouth. Add the rosemary -we can use a couple of spoonfuls of dried rosemary- and season with salt and pepper, adding the unpeeled garlic cloves.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes, stirring the pan halfway through and adding a little more wine, if desired. Keep an eye on them towards the end of the cooking time and remove them when they are ready.

Meet the Animals from the Farm School

Tequila

This friendly and curious donkey is the oldest on the ranch, she has been with us since our beginnings, always showing her face to greet visitors and get a carrot. She also likes getting into mischief, like one time she tried to escape from a walk and lay down under a tree to avoid working. Thanks to her contribution of manure, many adobes and compost have been made. Meet Tequila on your next visit to the ranch by following the signs on the trails.

Next Workshops

EVERY FRIDAY WE TAKE YOU TO THE VÍA ORGÁNICA RANCH!

Includes transportation, lunch, mini tour of the garden and tamale making demonstration.

RESERVE ON THE FOLLOWING PHONES: 
Office: 44 2757 0441
Whatsapp: 41 5151 4978

DON’T FORGET TO VISIT US!

Remember that we are open from 8 am to 6 pm
Carretera México/ Querétaro, turnoff  to Jalpa, km 9
Agroecological Park Vía Orgánica.
For information on our products, seeds and harvest,
call our store at 442 757 0490.
Every Saturday and Sunday nixtamalized tortilla with Creole and local corn!
Enjoy our sweet and sour kale chips for children and not so children!

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The Definition of Regenerative Agriculture

There are claims that there is no clear definition of Regenerative Agriculture.

Regeneration International started the worldwide regenerative movement in 2015. We have published our definition many times. We are the oldest and most significant of all the inclusive regenerative agriculture movements working on all 6 arable continents on our planet. Consequently, we state with authority that our definition is the primary one.

By definition:

Regenerative systems improve the environment, soil, plants, animal welfare, health, and communities.

The opposite of Regenerative is Degenerative

 This is an essential distinction in determining practices that are not regenerative.

 Agricultural systems that use Degenerative Practices and inputs that damage the environment, soil, health, genes, and communities and involve animal cruelty are not regenerative.

The use of synthetic toxic pesticides, synthetic water-soluble fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, confined animal feeding operations, exploitive marketing and wage systems, destructive tillage systems, and the clearing of high-value ecosystems are examples of degenerative practices.

Such systems must be called degenerative agriculture to stop greenwashing and hijacking.

Regeneration International asserts that to heal our planet, all agricultural systems should be regenerative, organic, and based on the science of agroecology.

Different Definitions

Other organizations have put out different definitions of regenerative agriculture. These tend to be narrower than ours; however, most do not contradict our definition. They are equivalent.

It is the same with organic agriculture, with multiple definitions such as the USDA, the EU, the United Nations Codex Alimentarius, IFOAM – Organics International, over 100 national definitions, and numerous definitions in private standards. They are different. However, most do not tend to contradict each other. They are considered equivalent.

Significant contradictions exist in the numerous national and international organic standards and certification systems, resulting in inconsistencies so that most standards and certification systems are not considered equivalent.

Some of the examples are:

  • Europe allows antibiotic use in animals, whereas the USA and Australia prohibit it.
  • The USDA organic regulation permits carcinogenic nitrates as preservatives in processed meat, which is prohibited in most other countries.
  • The USDA allows hydroponics, which is prohibited by most standards and considered by many as the opposite of true organic agriculture. However, this is changing with other countries following the USDA’s lead and permitting hydroponics.
  • The European regulation encourages confined animal systems to the point that it wouldn’t give equivalence to organic animal products from Australia because their organic producers care for their animals on pasture.
  • European, USDA and Australian standards allow for very small pesticide residue levels, whereas many Asian organic standards prohibit any residue levels.

Many countries permit participatory guarantee systems (PGS) as a way to ensure fairness for small producers. PGS systems are based on farmers peer reviewing each other to ensure the integrity of organic claims rather than being certified by a third-party organization. Most professional groups, such as doctors, lawyers, and scientists, use peer review as a way to ensure the integrity of claims. Farmers should not be an exception. PGS has the advantage of being affordable for smaller farmers, especially in the global south, where third-party certification usually costs more than their annual income.  The world’s largest organic markets, the EU and the US prohibit PGS and make it illegal for these producers to call their products, such as coffee, tea, and cocoa, organic.  This is grossly unfair to some of the poorest farmers on the planet.

The fact is these significant differences in standards, and certification systems are the source of much disagreement in the national and international organic sectors. They have not been resolved despite decades of negotiations, protests, position papers, and discussions. There is no indication they will ever be resolved, and are resulting in the fragmentation of the organic and like-minded sectors.

Back to Basics with the Four Principles of Organic Agriculture

Regeneration International believes that rather than wasting decades trying to resolve the numerous inconsistencies and contradictions in standards, a more productive approach is determining if practices and inputs are regenerative or degenerative.

IFOAM-Organics International’s Four Principles of Organic Agriculture are the best criteria for determining this.

Health

Organic agriculture should sustain and enhance the health of soil, plant, animal, human and planet as one and indivisible.

Ecology

Organic agriculture should be based on living ecological systems and cycles, work with them, emulate them and help sustain them.

Fairness

Organic agriculture should build on relationships that ensure fairness with regard to the common environment and life opportunities.

Care

Organic agriculture should be managed in a precautionary and responsible manner to protect the health and well-being of current and future generations and the environment.

Why Focus on Regenerative Agriculture?

Most of the world’s population is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture. Agricultural producers are amongst the most exploited, food and health-insecure, least-educated, and poorest people on our planet, despite producing most of the food we eat.

Agriculture in its various forms has the most significant effect on land use on the planet. Industrial agriculture is responsible for most environmental degradation, forest destruction, and toxic chemicals in our food and environment. It is a significant contributor to the climate crisis, up to 50%. The degenerative forms of agriculture are an existential threat to us and most other species on our planet. We must regenerate agriculture for social, environmental, economic, and cultural reasons.

The soil is fundamental to all terrestrial life on this planet. Our food and biodiversity start with the soil. The soil is not lifeless dirt – it is living, breathing, and teeming with life. The soil microbiome is our planet’s most complex and richest biodiversity area.

Farming practices that increase soil organic matter (SOM) increase soil fertility, water holding capacity, pest and disease resilience, and thus the productivity of agricultural systems. Because SOM comes from carbon dioxide fixed through photosynthesis, increasing SOM can significantly assist in reversing the climate crisis by drawing down this greenhouse gas.

The fact is our health and wealth come from the soil. However, our global regeneration movement is far more than this.

Regenerating our Degenerated Planet and Societies

We have much work to do. We live well beyond our planetary boundaries and extract far more than our planet can provide. As Dr. Vandana Shiva, one of our founders, puts it: “Regenerative agriculture provides answers to the soil crisis, the food crisis, the climate crisis, and the crisis of democracy.”

We must reverse the Climate Crisis, Migration Crisis, Biodiversity Crisis, Health Crisis, Food Crisis, Gender Crisis, and Media Crisis to regenerate our planet to have a better and fairer world.

More importantly, we must build a new regenerative system to replace the current degenerated system.

We have more than enough resources for everyone’s well-being. The world produces around three times more food than we need. We have unfair, exploitative, and wasteful systems that must be transformed and regenerated.

We must regenerate our societies and proactively ensure that others have access to land, education, healthcare, income, the commons, participation, inclusion, and empowerment. This must include women, men, and youths across all ethnic and racial groups.

We must take care of each other and regenerate our planet. We must take control and empower ourselves to be the agents of change. We must regenerate a world based on the Four Principles of Organic Agriculture: Health, Ecology, Fairness, and Care.

Ronnie Cummins, one of our founders, wrote: “Never underestimate the power of one individual: yourself. But please understand, at the same time, that what we do as individuals will never be enough. We’ve got to get organized, and we’ve got to help others in our region, our nation, and everywhere build a mighty Green Regeneration Movement. The time to begin is now.”