How Regenerative Agriculture Differs from Organic
Day 10 of 40 days of regeneration brings some clarity to why a new category of food and fiber are important
Today we are one-quarter of the way through this regenerative initiation, great job making it thus far. Today we bring some clarity around the strategic difference between a regenerative category of food, clothing, and possibly recreational marijuana.
Defining Regenerative Agriculture
A definition of regenerative agriculture comes from the team at Terra Genesis International, the best ecological consultants in the space, who state: “regenerative agriculture is a system of farming principles and practices that increases biodiversity, enriches soils, improves watersheds, and enhances ecosystem services.” Another industry pioneer, Darren Dougherty, explains regeneration: “we have to be ‘Blue before Green & Black’! That is we need to have Water (Blue) before we get Vegetation/Money (Green) and a residue of Soil Carbon/Deposits (Black).”
Regenerative agriculture restores the ecosystem it is grown in.
Key Takeaway: Regenerative Agriculture is defined by the creation of beneficial ecological outcomes.
Unlike regenerative agriculture, organic agriculture is not defined by its ecological outcomes. According to The Balance: “There is no universally accepted definition of organic farming, but most consider it to be a specific production system that aims to avoid the use of synthetic and harmful pesticides, fertilizers, growth regulators, and livestock feed additives.” Since Organic Agriculture is not defined by its beneficial ecological outcome, it is instead a set of rules that are set by governments who were lobbied by agribusinesses; it is a model that can be corrupted.
Organic sales account for only four percent of total U.S. food sales, and three percent in Canada, even though organic has been around for over thirty years. The rules for growing organic come from a good place, purists want to ensure that agriculture is as pure as possible, since it was created many years ago, the system may be outdated.
Key Takeaway: organic agriculture is not defined by positive ecological outcomes
What do you think, does organic certification go far enough to creating a more restorative agricultural model?
The Journey
40 Days of Regeneration is an online initiation to show you, the consumer, that it is possible to Reverse Climate Change profitably. Sign this pledge to seven of the world’s best social impact venture capitalists telling them you will allocate some of your money to purchase CO2 Negative food, clothing and other products to encourage them to invest in this industry.
Follow me on January 1st, 2019 as I swim from Alcatraz Island to the shore at SF Aquatic Park to inspire us all to support regenerative endeavors. 50 years ago, the prisoners housed on Alcatraz thought this 1.25-mile swim was impossible, today thousands of people a year do it. The same is true for those who say we cannot Reverse Climate Change; together we can.
