Is Regenerative Farming the Future?
Can farming give more back to the planet’s resources than it takes away? It’s been said (and debated) that Earth’s soil will only endure roughly 60 more harvests if conventional agricultural practices don’t change. Soil erosion, decarbonization, desertification, and chemical pollution are all outcomes caused by agriculture that will only intensify if we don’t redesign our food and medicine systems. In light of these worrisome trends, farmers have been embracing regenerative agriculture with impressive results both for their crops and for their soil.
The Goal of Regenerative Agriculture
The objective of regenerative farming is remarkably simple. Regenerative farming calls on its practitioners to transcend the concept of ‘do no harm’ to truly improve the health of the land. While conventional farmers might measure success simply on reduced costs and increased yield, regenerative farmers take into consideration the quality of the soil after a harvest, the biodiversity of their local environment, and many other indicators of environmental health.
To reach these goals, regenerative farmers generally follow the same four principles:
No till/ minimum tillage: Farmers avoid disrupting the soil structure, microbial life, and chemical makeup of the soil they cultivate.
Increase soil diversity: Regenerative practices focus on increasing the biodiversity of microorganisms living in the soil. With increased soil diversity comes a decreased need for chemical interventions like fertilizers. These practices can include cover cropping, composting, and worm farming.
Increased plant diversity: By planting different species of crops together in the same field, farmers can leverage the crop diversity to create the microbial diversity that nurtures healthy soil. Healthy soil sequesters carbon and retains water, offsetting emissions and conserving resources.
Create balance by integrating livestock:According to California State University’s Regenerative Agriculture Initiative, properly managed grazing can “stimulate improved plant growth, increased soil carbon deposits, and overall pasture and grazing land productivity while greatly increasing soil fertility, insect and plant biodiversity, and soil carbon sequestration.”
Are Regenerative Agriculture & Sustainable Agriculture the same?
The short answer is no. The 1990 Farm Bill referred to sustainable agriculture as the “integrated system of plant and animal production practices with site-specific applications that over the long term sustains economic stability, enhances environmental quality, efficiently utilizes resources, and provides benefits to society while providing food and fiber.” Essentially, sustainable agriculture is defined as farming that provides for long-term economic, environmental, and societal benefit. While this aligns with regenerative agriculture, it falls short of calling for true restoration of the soil and environment. In recent years, the definition of ‘sustainable’ has been co-opted by brands who only superficially focus on sustainability, driving the need to redefine true environmental stewardship in new terms for consumers.
Practices You’ll See Regenerative Brands Follow:
Diverse crop rotation
Multi-species cover crop
Worm farming
Soil Management
Overseeding
Agroforestry
If you see brands promoting these practices, it’s a good indicator they are either a fully regenerative brand or they are heading in that direction. Here at Tree Hugger Containers, seeing these practices listed helps us choose which brands to work with and purchase from.
Is the Regenerative Movement Growing?
Luckily for the planet and our resources, regenerative agriculture is increasingly embraced by the consumer packaged goods industry and the agricultural industry. General Mills, PepsiCo, Whole Foods, Unilever, Walmart, Cargill, and many more massive brands have all made announcements, launched programs, and set goals focused on adopting regenerative agriculture in their global supply chains. The cannabis industry has always had a niche community of regenerative practitioners, but this niche is growing rapidly with consumers increasingly demanding regenerative cannabis products. Brands like Papa & Barkley, Coastal Sun, Bird Valley Organics, Swami Select, and Brother David’s along with certification programs like Sun + Earth, EnvirOcann, and The Cannabis Conservancy have all embraced regenerative cannabis as the future for the industry. In fact, at 2021’s Emerald Cup Harvest Ball, organizers created an entire pavilion focused on regenerative cultivation to help nurture this movement.
Looking forward to the future, we all play a role in shifting our food and medicine systems away from conventional farming toward regenerative agriculture. As consumers, we can demand regenerative supply chains by purchasing from brands who have made commitments and are acting on them. As producers, use the resources in this article to find opportunities to incorporate regenerative practices into your operation. Of course, following regenerative principles applies to your entire business. Reach out to our team here at Tree Hugger Containers to get started on planet-first packaging for your regeneratively-farmed cannabis product.