Can Humus Rescue the Future? Regenerative Agriculture Offers Openings for the Organic Sector

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First of all, the term regenerative agriculture – also known as agroecology – is self-explanatory. It means restoring something that was there originally. A regenerative approach focuses on renaturing the soil and the entire ecosystem that’s so important to climate change. More precisely, this kind of agriculture aims to build up humus – which by now has shrunk to one or two percent of its original level in Europe1, yet is essential for binding CO2.
Organic farmer Benedikt Bösel, with his Gut und Bösel farm in Brandenburg, offers a model business when it comes to regenerative farming. He was one of the first farmers in Germany to convert his farm – which now covers 3,000 hectares – to regenerative agriculture and forestry. In the spring of 2018, two years after he took over the farm from his parents, he encountered a straightforward trigger for changing his approach. “The spring drought was so extreme.
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Afsa Launches 21 Seed Case Studies in 10 Countries

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In Africa, farmers’ seeds are the basis of agricultural production and diversified and healthy food systems across the continent. Farmer Seed Systems (PSS) are the dominant system for growing food crops and conserving agrobiodiversity for family farmers. They persist and thrive despite well-funded programs that promote corporate seeds and the industrial food and farming regime of which they are a part, while receiving little or no public policy support and being frequently denigrated in discourse. audience.

Seeds are synonymous with culture, tradition, spirituality, cooperation, solidarity and survival; they provide diverse and healthy foods to feed families every day, as well as livelihoods. Today’s seeds embody centuries of knowledge about how to store them, exchange them, plant them, and guide them to fruitful expression. The rich diversity of Africa’s food crops is due to the diversity of ecosystems and local agricultural communities, especially women, the guardians of the seeds.

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Is 2024 the Year Regenerative Agriculture Takes Root?

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In 1942, J.I. Rodale first popularized the term organic in the U.S. with the launch of Organic Farming and Gardening Magazine. Some 45 years later, in the 1970s, J.I.’s son Robert Rodale introduced the phrase “regenerative organic.” Robert’s goal was to describe an approach to farming that combined organic practices with a more holistic approach to land management and a focus on rebuilding soil health. Yet it’s only been in the past few years that the term has gained more widespread traction.

With the release in 2023 of two full-length feature documentary films, Common Ground and Organic Rising, along with increased adoption among farmers and producers, awareness of regenerative agriculture is set to gain ground in the coming year among large-scale food manufacturers, policymakers, researchers, the general public and more. Today, advocates of regenerative agriculture say it is the best way to produce healthier food and promote local and rural economies.

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Think Regeneration to Launch Food-is-Medicine Program in 2024

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Think Regeneration is happy to announce it will be launching a new food-is-medicine event series in 2024 supported by funding from the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA). The new program will create opportunities for producers and medical professionals to connect and learn from each other about new prescription food markets opening up around the country.

The funding will allow Think Regeneration to host national events this year and in 2025 in Colorado and Oklahoma.

“Part of the vision of our organization involves moving the trillions we spend on reactive medicine into preventative medicine, primarily by improving the food supply,” said Ryan Slabaugh, founder of Think Regeneration. “This is not a radical act. We believe that reconnecting agriculture to human health outcomes is just common sense.”

Currently, 13 states are testing prescription food programs that are designed to help diabetics, and other people suffering from chronic diseases, help manage their care through nutrition.

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Press Release – Class Action Lawsuit Against Genetically Modified Corn in Mexico

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  • Great triumph against Monsanto in the defense of native corn, and against glyphosate.
  • Collegiate Court postpones the proposed resolution of the magistrate Ricardo Gallardo Vara on the injunction in favor of glyphosate and that favors transnational companies.
  • They recognize the precautionary principle and the precautionary measure against the planting of genetically modified (GM) corn, in view of the probable damage caused by cancer and in favor of the defense of health and biodiversity.

The Collective plaintiff against genetically modified corn celebrates the vote against the resolution of an injunction trial in favor of the Bayer-Monsanto company against the presidential decree for the progressive substitution of the use of glyphosate and prohibition of transgenic corn, presented by the magistrate Ricardo Gallardo Vara, who insists on determining that there is no danger associated with transgenic corn.

In a discussion held yesterday, Thursday, January 4, 2024, magistrates Patricio González Loyola and Jean Claude Tron Petit, mentioned arguments that the plaintiff Collective has presented during the ten years of our legal process, and that support our position of defending the right of present and future generations to the biodiversity of native corn in our country.

Judge Jean Claude Tron Petit highlighted aspects in the draft resolution that need revision, for example, that glyphosate is a deep-acting herbicide that kills the plants with which it comes into contact, which is why genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been developed that are resistant to its effects.

He highlighted that the Decree not only has to do with the limitation or regulation of glyphosate, but also with biodiversity and highlighted the resolution of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation of October 13, 2021, which recognizes the effects on biodiversity.

Likewise, the magistrate emphasized that there is scientific evidence that contradicts the information presented by Magistrate Gallardo Vara, such as that of the U.S. Environmental Office, which in 2023 resolved that glyphosate did not represent a serious risk in terms of carcinogenic effects, which in 2023 resolved that glyphosate did not represent a serious risk in terms of carcinogenic affections, a situation that was questioned by interested sectors and which led to a sentence issued by the Federal Court of Appeals of the Ninth Circuit of that country, ordering said Agency to rectify its considerations, since it did not take into account each and every one of the elements involved. He also highlighted the restriction of the German Parliament in the year 2023 for the use of glyphosate.

He mentioned several lawsuits filed against Bayer-Monsanto by people who have developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer that is a consequence of the use of the herbicide, such as the case of Edwin Hardeman, who won a lawsuit for 25 million dollars.

With respect to the decision of the European Commission authorizing the use of glyphosate for ten more years, the result of a controversial vote, he clarified that the use of glyphosate in public spaces was prohibited and that its use is not allowed for the drying or harvesting of vegetable products, especially for food use.

On the other hand, he mentioned studies that confirm the presence of glyphosate in people, particularly in children, in the states of Jalisco and Campeche, and commented on the cases of 10 to 15 countries that have restricted and even banned the use of the herbicide.

Finally, he made a call to be aware of the problems of glyphosate and the damage to native corn and commented that in situations of uncertainty or doubt such as the present one, it is better to apply the principles of prevention and precaution.

Judge Patricio González Loyola, focused his participation on the impact on the environment and health related to this draft resolution, such as the precautionary principle, which he mentioned, is justified, since it forces us to be careful in situations in which the risk may be the factor behind the action in question, in this case, the Decree that Judge Gallardo Vara has insistently tried to attack.

This, because they considered that the Decree is not a prohibition, but a restriction to reduce its use as a precautionary measure in view of the possible effects that glyphosate causes on people’s health and biodiversity.

It is important to have in mind that what is valid in other countries is different from Mexico, since in our country there is a connection between the effects on corn and traditional cornfield crops, which may have a different impact in other countries and cultures.

In Mexico, the consumption of tortillas and other corn products is high, so the impact that glyphosate may have on people deserves to be investigated, taking into account factors that correspond to our socioeconomic reality and our culture, highlighting that this is not present in the evaluations presented in the draft resolution.

It is essential to take up again the statement of Judge González Lozoya in the sense that the issue is controversial, but that the carcinogenic quality of glyphosate by the WHO means that certainty cannot be demanded in cases of presumption of irreversible damage.

Therefore, the Fourth Collegiate Court decided to withdraw the proposed resolution and reconsider it, considering the series of arguments presented by Justices Tron Petit and Gonzalez Loyola, all under the resistance of Justice Gallardo, who had to assume the reconsideration of the resolution.

As the plaintiff collective, we consider that this resolution represents a great triumph for the millions of corn consumers in Mexico, Mesoamerica and the world, by placing the human rights to health, to a healthy environment, to adequate and safe food above all else.

Unfortunately, the Collective has not been considered as a third party interested in the discussions on transgenic maize, however, we will continue to defend the great diversity of native maize in our country, against the purely economic interests of transnational companies, which do not take into account the damage that their genetically modified organisms and toxic agrochemicals cause us.

We will be watching the new project of the magistrate Gallardo Vara, to prevent him from continuing with the logic of favoring companies that are predators of life, the environment and biodiversity and that only seek profit, as is the case of Bayer-Monsanto.

Official press release (in Spanish)

“We are grains of corn from the same ear, we are one root, from the same path.” Otomi poem

‘the Wildlife That Has Come Is Phenomenal’: The Uk Farmers Holding Off Floods the Natural Way

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The streams, or becks, that run through James Robinson’s Lake District farm used to be cleaned out regularly – with vegetation yanked out and riverbeds dredged, or even completely filled in.

“The becks on our farm have suffered from overmanagement. We’ve got these elevated becks on some of our farm as well as some that have been cleaned up and cleaned out – it’s been a bit rubbish for ecology and for flood management,” he says now.

His family had run the farm for generations, but Robinson was already rethinking the way that things had been done, and had taken the farm organic 20 years earlier. And as flooding started to hit the farm more frequently, he began to wonder if changes could be made to the landscape that could make it more resilient.

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The European Alliances for Regenerative Agriculture – A New EARA to Regenerate Into 2024″

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In a truly bottom-up, grassroots manner, pioneering regenerative farmers from across Europe have organised in the new European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (EARA). 

EARA was founded in November 2023 with a clear mandate and vision of the European regenerative farmers’ movement as an independent farmer-led coordination and political advocacy organisation.

The uniqueness of EARA is that farmers of all EU contexts (young/old; big/small, organic/non-organic; pastoralist/arable; etc.) mycelium-together with a shared vision & voice rooted in their quest to farm for regeneration with the insights of the soil biology revolution at heart!

In the future the alliance will also have associated members, which will be non-farmer stakeholders from agrifood ecosystems.

 

With the sharing of their White Paper EARA starts to inoculate the consensus- and alliance-building process of agents whose interests lie in a regenerating world.

The paper gives clear guidance along which keystones agrifood ecosystem governance ought to be reenvisioned to foster holistic regeneration.

The paper’s key messages are designed to steward and motivate decision-makers to ensure that

  • their thinking puts emphasis on achieving holistic positive impact by working in alignment with living systems as wholes
  • the transition towards regenerative agrifood ecosystems is farmer co-led, as well as farmer-, people- and ecocentric
  • claims on regenerative agriculture go beyond the surface, are systemic, holistic, transparent and solidly documented
  • agricultural subsidies are transformed into simple agroecosystem health performance-based payments for land stewards
  • indigenous, peasant and farmer land rights and long-term land access is guaranteed
  • stranded assets as well as market- and power asymmetries in agrifood systems are faced head on
  • agrifood systems are de- and re-grown into their ecoregions

In the upcoming year EARA will focus on developing a new generation of agroecosystem governance deduced from the most innovative farmers in Europe that lay the basis for resilient and healthy food security for regenerating and peaceful European communities, economies, nations and ecosystems.

Please see EARA’s website and White Paper for further information.

Stay tuned for EARA’s upcoming CAP policy paper and political research project.

Be warmly invited to reach out for further information and collaboration.

In deep gratitude to all land stewards and their movements on Mother Earth and in regenerative solidarity with you all.

A Comparative Analysis of Organic Farming and Regenerative Farming: Cultivating Sustainability

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Organic farming is a system of agriculture that avoids the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

It aims to promote soil and water quality, biodiversity, and human health by following a set of standards and regulations. Organic farming has been growing in popularity and demand, as consumers seek more natural and healthy food options. However, organic farming also faces some limitations, such as higher costs, lower yields, and potential nutrient deficiencies.

Regenerative farming is a process of restoring degraded soils using practices based on ecological principles.

It goes beyond organic farming by not only avoiding synthetic inputs, but also actively enhancing the natural ecosystems of the land. Regenerative farming seeks to improve soil health, carbon sequestration, water retention, and biodiversity by employing techniques such as cover cropping, crop rotation, no-till farming, agroforestry, and livestock integration.

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Viet Nam to Spur Green and Organic Farming

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The strategy targets to develop farming into a tech-based sector with highly competitive products to ensure food safety and national food security.

The export turnover of farm produce is expected to reach US$26 billion by the end of this decade.

The crop production value is projected to increase by 2.2-2.5 percent on average annually and the added value of processing agricultural products is expected to grow 8-10 percent on average a year.

The rate of crop product value produced under the cooperative and linkage forms is expected to reach 30-35 percent of the total value of the sector, while export turnover of crop products per hectare of farming land is expected to hit VND150-160 million (US$6,181-6,593).

The total area of rice farms will be kept stable at 3.56 million hectares with an expected output of over 35 million tons of rice.

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…Organic Rising, a Film Featuring Ronnie Cummins, Was Released

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On October 1, 2023, Organic Rising came out.

So many of our organic heroes are in this film! In addition to our very own Ronnie Cummins who the director dedicated the film, Organic Rising includes:

Keith Freitas, an organic lemon farmer, on pesticide drift.

Jim Goodman of Northwood Organic Farm, on life over profits.

Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food and Water Watch, on water pollution from industrial agriculture.

Dr. Don Huber, Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology, Purdue University, on glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup.

Winona LaDuke of the Ojibwe White Earth Reservation, on the genetic modification of wild rice and food as medicine.

Jeff Larkey of Route 1 Farms, on the basic principles of organic.

Dr. Kris Nichols, when she was the Chief Scientist at the Rodale Institute, on why farmers should let nature work for them.

Glenn Roberts of Anson Mills, on the flavor of grains milled the old fashioned way and the problems with genetic modification.

Dr. Vandana Shiva on Monsanto’s trick to make us doubt scientists like Dr. Don Huber.

Dr. Michael Skinner, professor and biological scientist at Washington State University on obesity and DDT.

Mark Smallwood, when he was Executive Director of the Rodale Institute, on the differences between organic and conventional farming, from soil health to yields.

Eva Worden of Worden Farm, on the number-one reason people buy organic.

The film has a beautiful original score arranged by composer and producer Matthias Gohl, composed by Mark Stewart and Toddy Renolds, and performed by Mark Stewart, Jerry Douglass, Dave Mackay, Jamey Haddad, Toddy Renolds, and Gregg August.

Watch the Trailer

Watch Organic Rising