Regenerative agriculture is practiced on a very small percentage of total farm and ranchland in the U.S., maybe 3-5%. This figure is growing by the day because it is a sustainable approach to growing and raising food that also mitigates some of the effects of climate change.
This is Part 2 of a two-part story. It looks at how and why food grown using regenerative agriculture practices tastes better and can be better for you, then delves into the challenges and opportunities around upending the current model of agriculture and the food system it supports.
First, Allen Williams and Gabe Brown, farmers/ranchers and consultants with Understanding Ag talk about the importance of biologically active soil in improving both the taste profile and nutrient density of food.
Suzan Erem, director of Sustainable Iowa Land Trust, and Jack Algiere, farm director at Stone Barns Center paint a picture of the challenges farmers face in making the switch, as well as possible ways to provide incentives to embrace regenerative farming: providing access to affordable land and more equitable ways of sharing equity and profits.
Rebecca Chesney of IDEO, a global design firm, talks about the surprising level of collaboration and commitment from food makers and distributors to enabling regenerative agriculture by building and/or evolving both physical and information infrastructure.
I talk with Monica Rocchino, co-owner of The Local Butcher Shop, a custom butchery in Berkeley, CA that buys directly from local farmers and ranchers who grow and raise food sustainably. More of her suppliers are calling themselves “soil farmers” and more of her customers are asking about regenerative agriculture.
Finally, I share my thoughts on what each one of us, as consumers and eaters, can do to help create a market for foods grown using regenerative agriculture practices. This touches on where, how, and what we buy.
Antonio Vivaldi violin concerti courtesy of John Harrison Music