Regenerative Agriculture - less ideology, fewer problems, more soil.

Magazine

Whoever wants to seriously do something for the climate and soils would have an open system at hand with Regenerative Agriculture, or simply Regen Ag. However, in both implementation and marketing, it is necessary to overcome established systems.

Switzerland takes pride in its organic farmers, who produce food in an environmentally friendly manner on 7819 farms (around 18% of farms). And the green bud under which their products are marketed is usually worth a corresponding premium to consumers. However, purchasing power in Switzerland is under pressure, and market researchers wonder how long consumers will still be willing to pay this premium for a clear conscience. Especially since, as noted by the NZZ in an engaging article in 2021, "higher production costs in Switzerland explain only a fraction of the surcharge that consumers pay in the supermarket".

Conscience should not be a luxury
Meanwhile, even former champions of organic farming acknowledge that production according to corresponding standards will never be sufficient to meet the entire food demand of humanity. Is organic, therefore, only for the wealthy? And is a clear conscience a luxury, as some proponents of the status quo claim? One thing is certain: Such questions are not a good basis for progress towards more environmentally conscious cultivation. Moreover, a two-tier society – organic only for those who can afford it – results in soils cultivated outside the organic system being subject to even higher production pressures.

Another way to address the organic issue is to liberate from restrictive standards while maintaining high environmental compatibility standards. And this is where Regenerative Agriculture, or Regen Ag, comes into play. Conceived by pioneers from the USA who have long been concerned about the desertification of agricultural land, it relies on agriculture reminiscent of the three-field system from the Neolithic Revolution era – supported by modern technologies and knowledge.

Regeneratively cultivated soils are capable of building new humus, populated by a rich microbiome of bacteria and microorganisms. These, in turn, live in symbiosis with the crops cultivated by humans. These crops are never grown in monoculture and benefit from the rich soil life through their roots. Furthermore, regeneratively cultivated soils retain much more water than soils that are plowed up to twice a year, exposed to wind, rain, and scorching summer sun. And the microbiome of regeneratively cultivated soils is considered an efficient way to sequester the excess CO2 that humans introduce into the atmosphere through the combustion of fossil fuels. Thus, Regen Ag helps mitigate climate change. All of this is not based on mere assumptions but has also been documented by the Swiss Science Network scnat in an extensive report.

A necessary look at the political constraints
Because agriculture is a profitable industry internationally, giant global corporations strive to gain as much market share as possible. There is a lot of money at stake at all levels, and where that is the case, lobbying and ideological debates create deep divides. The situation has been further exacerbated by the Ukraine war. For instance, Erik Fyrwald, CEO of the agro-giant Syngenta, stated in NZZ in 2022: "Yields in organic farming can be up to 50 percent lower depending on the product. The indirect consequence is that people in Africa go hungry because we eat more and more organic products." Bio Suisse countered in a rebuttal: "International research projects show that organic farming often delivers at least as high yields per hectare as conventional agriculture, is frequently more profitable, and conserves natural resources in the process. However, to feed the world's population, it is not enough to solve conventional problems with biological methods. What is needed is a comprehensive transformation of the global food system, to which organic farming can contribute." "If we halve food waste and consume half as many animal products, then we don't have to forgo organic farming and its advantages," said Jürn Sanders, chairman of the board of directors at the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FibL, in an interview on the topic.

It has emerged that right-wing parties tend to represent conventional agriculture – why this is the case would need to be discussed separately – and left-wing parties have taken up environmental and consumer protection issues. Meanwhile, farmers feel crushed between machinery, fertilizer, and seed producers, the large retailers as price-determining buyers of their products, and the state. Efforts toward a sustainable food system are continually being pushed further into the future.

In the debate between conventional and sustainable food production, neither side is "right" – both demands on agriculture are legitimate. However, ideological positions ensure that conventional production becomes sustainable only slowly. Meanwhile, the once positive image of organic food is causing problems: No one likes to be reminded while shopping in the supermarket that they should feel guilty because they may not be able to afford expensive organic products. Organic products are increasingly seen as an urban luxury and are also accused of allowing large retailers to make indecently high profit margins.

Regen Ag as a way out of the dilemma
Regenerative Agriculture is more open compared to the concept of organic farming: there are no fixed regulations, and accordingly, there are no official labels under which products from this production form are marketed. You can find out more about the principles of Regen Ag here.

Regen Ag is a modern concept because it is not based on regulations but on pragmatism. The world will need more of it in the future because with the increasing political polarization that makes society increasingly impermeable, consumers are ultimately not served. However, Regen Ag is not a panacea. A fundamental change in the food system is indispensable in the medium term. But hey: If more people switch to purchasing from regenerative agriculture, our cuisine, our entire diet, may become less global, requiring more imagination in preparing diverse dishes. This means eating more seasonally and locally. And this is proven to be as good for humans as it is for soils.

Regen Ag is part of the genetic makeup of Soil to Soul. After all, the whole idea of the movement, launched in 2020, originated from the founder of Soil to Soul wanting to learn on his farm, Terramay, in southern Portugal, how to inject new life into agriculturally damaged soils. Now, contribute to the experience in the spirit of Soil to Soul itself by making a contribution to climate-friendly, integrated agriculture of tomorrow. You can already take action today by purchasing more products from regenerative farms. Find out how you can get involved.

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