Read trend report PART 1 here. PART 2 here
Soil is the foundation to food production and growing healthy, nutrient-rich food to sustain a growing population. It is estimated that 95% of our food is directly or indirectly produced on our soils. (source)
Over the last 50 years, advances in agricultural technology and increased demand due to a growing population have put our soils under increasing pressure. In many countries, intensive crop production has depleted the soil, jeopardizing the soils productive capacity and ability to meet the needs of future generations.
Food availability relies on soils: nutritious and good quality food and animal fodder can only be produced if our soils are healthy living soils. Further, Rodale Institute recorded up to a 38% decline in fruit and veggie nutrients with grain protein concentrations declining 50%, a result of modern farming methods that degrade and destroy soil, the source of foodâs nutritional value (source) According to The Council for Responsible Nutrition, one-third of the worldâs population isnât getting enough of the nutrients that are critical for maintaining proper health.
Without shifts in convention to accommodate for our Earth's carrying capacity, the food we grow on an industrial scale requires more chemicals to produce less nutritious food. The âgrowth of the intensive livestock sector stresses many ecosystems and contributes to global environmental problemsâ (Alonso, 2012).
With regenerative agriculture, healthier soil grows healthier plants, and healthier plants are more nutritious plants. Regenerative practices biologically create more surface cover for plants, end erosion, and increase beneficial microbial populations near the soilâs surface where plants grow.
"A University of Washington study has produced preliminary results which confirm this in practice. Tracking eight pairs of regenerative and conventional farms across the US over five years, the study found that crops from regenerative farms had 34% more vitamin K, and 15% more vitamin E, B1 and B2, than conventional farms. The regeneratively-grown crops also had 11% more calcium, 16% more phosphorus and 27% more copper. These nutrients are central to a healthy human diet." (source)
Regenerative Agriculture Boosts Nutrient Density
- No-till regenerative vegetables had more phytonutrients.
- Regenerative agriculture practices â namely minimal or no tilling, cover crops and crop rotation â increased nutrient density in soil and boosted soil health. Based on the metrics used to compare farms, regenerative soil was seven times healthier and had higher levels of several minerals and vitamins, including B vitamins, calcium, vitamin K, copper, phosphorus, vitamin E and more.
- No-till wheat crops contained more micronutrients than conventionally tilled wheat.
- Regenerative farm meat, specifically pork and beef, had way more omega-3s and better omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.
Nutrient exchanges between organic matter, water and soil are essential to soil fertility and need to be maintained for sustainable production purposes. When the soil is exploited for crop production without restoring the organic matter and nutrient contents, the nutrient cycles are broken, soil fertility declines and the balance in the agro-ecosystem is destroyed.
The boost to the immune function in plants and the community-wide networking provided by mycorrhizal fungi turns out to be the true basis of ecosystem resiliency. A profound intelligence exists in the underground nutrient exchange between fungi and plant roots, which in turn determines the nutrient density of the foods we grow and eat.
Soil health metrics for regenerative and conventional farms. Distributions of soil health metrics for regenerative (blue) and conventional (red) farms for (left) % soil organic matter, (middle) Haney test scores, and (right) ratios of paired regenerative and conventional farm values for % soil organic matter (red) and Haney test scores (blue). Source
For the average American farmer, adopting organic farming has a positive impact on the produce they grow, the soil on their land where they grow it and, perhaps most compelling, their own economic bottom line. Organic certification allows farmers to charge a premium for the food that they bring to market. In todayâs economy it is likely the only way that small farms survive into the next generation.
Rodale Institute has moved from a focus on simply organic to exploring the benefits of regenerative organic agriculture. The approach is a whole-system farming method, focusing on the cultivation and maintenance of healthy soils, a series of humane considerations for livestock (from the ability to graze freely to how they are fed and sheltered), and the safety, treatment and compensation for the people who work on the farm.
Childhood nutrition giant Gerber is teaming with the Rodale Institute and Michigan State University to test whether more sustainably grown food is not only better for the earth, but also for children, as part of an ambitious, multi-prong commitment to reduce carbon emissions (source)
Major food and beverages innovations have been launched in America, Australia, New Zealand... Do you want to know which brands have invested in regenerative agriculture ? What products have been launched ? What claims are made ? The level of transparency from farm to fork ? What are the certifications ? Can we hope for better nutrition?
You can read part 2 about positive nutrition.
REGENERATIVE BRANDS PART 2 - POSITIVE FOOD FROM REGENERATIâŠ
Read Part 1 on regenerative brands. A regenerative business renders an ecosystem service, so Part 1 on regenerative brands focuses on CLIMATE and SOIL at the international level - Anglo-Saxon countries (USA - Australia) https://www.slideshare.net/jeremydumont/regenerative-brands-part-1-the-climate-soil-story-noussommesvivants
Next will come : new relationships at the LOCAL level (part 3) and a LIFESTYLE part in contact with nature (part 4).
Please share the brands that you notice are missing. New regenerative brands will be launched at upcoming expo west in Los Angeles #EXPOWEST and the French agriculture salon #SIAL #SIA2023
