{"id":2289,"date":"2019-04-23T14:27:05","date_gmt":"2019-04-23T18:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bard.edu\/mba\/?p=2289"},"modified":"2022-11-07T11:26:35","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T15:26:35","slug":"regenerative-agriculture-increases-profits-and-benefits-the-planet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bard.edu\/mba\/2019\/04\/23\/regenerative-agriculture-increases-profits-and-benefits-the-planet\/","title":{"rendered":"Regenerative Agriculture: Increases Profits and Benefits the Planet"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo: NRCS Oregon. Cows grazing on cover crops in Oregon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With the recent <\/span>EAT-Lancet report<\/span><\/a> it is imperative now, more than ever, to better understand how to feed 10 billion people healthy diets by 2050 while considering our planetary boundaries.<\/span><\/p>\n

The report calls for consuming less meat when possible (depends on geographic location in relation to healthy diets) while increasing plant-based foods. One of the solutions to this is to use regenerative organic practices to produce our food and to encourage companies to adopt such practices.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Key Takeaways from this Report<\/b><\/p>\n

The EAT-Lancet report highlights the importance of eating healthy as it relates to the environment and feeding a growing population. <\/span>Adopting regenerative and improved land management practices reduces the risk for both farmers as well as suppliers while also producing more yield using less land.<\/span><\/p>\n

Studies indicate that consumers, especially millennials (~60% of millennials), are <\/span>willing to pay<\/span><\/a> more for food that has been produced using social and environmental practices in the supply chain\/operations. Also, consumer trends show that transparency is important to consumers as they are more willing to purchase from companies that have <\/span>transparent supply chain<\/span><\/a>\/operations. <\/span><\/p>\n

Regenerative practices increase <\/span>carbon dioxide sequestration<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> thereby increasing the potential to reduce agricultural carbon footprints. The report explains what regenerative agriculture is and how it works followed by how it can benefit operations for farmers while benefiting brands\/distributors\u2019 supply chain. The report concludes with an outlook on who is investing in this technology. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: FAO. Carbon storage in soil using different agricultural practices. Link to <\/a>poster.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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What is Regenerative Agriculture?<\/b><\/p>\n

Although it has been around for roughly ~70 years, regenerative agriculture is being adopted by farmers and considered as an alternative to big agriculture\/industrial agriculture. Regenerative organic agriculture is believed to be first mentioned by J.I. Rodale in 1942 associated with the <\/span>Rodale Institute<\/span><\/a>. It has only been in the last decade or so that research indicates the positive <\/span>impact of regenerative agriculture<\/span><\/a>. In fact, organically grown corn has been found to produce roughly 30% greater yields<\/a> compared to conventional farming.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regenerative agriculture uses holistic farming practices with the overall purpose of improving the soil (increase the microbial populations) which in turn has the ability to <\/span>sequester carbon dioxide<\/span><\/a>, improve water retention, and contribute to biodiversity. This results in a healthier environment, healthier food, and a healthier planet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo by: USDA. No-till vs conventional tillage. Run-off is common on tilled land.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Regenerative agriculture can take many different approaches but they all have the same purpose of improving the overall environment. <\/span>Regenerative practices include<\/span><\/a> (but are not limited to):<\/span><\/p>\n