Setting a New Standard: Regenerative Organic Certified

Mother Earth Food
Sep 7, 2018 · 6 min read

“Healthy Soil = Healthy Plants = Healthy People”

-J.I. Rodale

In 2000 the USDA created the National Organic Program which would set a national standard by which all farms wishing to be labeled ‘organic’ would have to operate by. This was a monumental piece of legislation and helped create strict guidelines by which organic farms could begin to differentiate themselves from their conventional counterparts. These standards included things such as banning the use of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the production of fruits and vegetables, while banning substances such as antibiotics and growth hormones in the production of meat and animal products. These guidelines laid the framework for a more sustainable form of agriculture and began to raise awareness among the public that not all food is created equal and that farming methods have a direct impact on the environment, ranging from sustainable to downright destructive.

This legislation laid important groundwork, but it still left a lot of room for improvement especially in regards to things such as soil health, animal welfare, and fair wages for farm workers. However I am excited to announce that the Rodale Institute is currently developing a standard by which to take organic farming to the next level. It’s called Regenerative Organic Certification and is defined as, “a holistic agriculture certification encompassing pasture-based animal welfare, fairness for farmers and workers, and robust requirements for soil health and land management.” J.I. Rodale and the Rodale Institute played a big role in defining the original organic standards and have now raised the bar in an attempt to take farming systems from sustainable to regenerative.

Sustainable vs. Regenerative

So what’s the difference between sustainable and regenerative? Imagine a spectrum with destructive farming practices on one end and regenerative farming practices on the other, with sustainable being somewhere in between. Destructive farming is exactly what it sounds like, namely, it is farming in such a way that depletes the soil and degrades the environment at large with methods that incur waste and pollution in the form of sludge, sewage, toxic pesticides and fertilizer run off. This leaves the land (and the environment) worse off than if it had not been farmed at all. Sustainable farming practices on the other hand employ methods to maintain soil health while also minimizing any negative effects on the environment. At the end of the day, sustainable farming efforts should maintain the original fertility and biodiversity of the land. The word ‘sustainable’ is meant to imply that we could continue farming this way indefinitely without any negative consequences upon the local ecosystem.

However, even if we were to transition every farm in the world to sustainable practices tomorrow it would not be enough to undo the damage done by years of destructive farming and industrial pollution. We sit on the verge of a tipping point with many climate scientist declaring that we are only twenty years or so from being at a point of ‘no-return’ in regards to the environmental degradation and climatic consequences of our current ways. In order for us to reverse course we cannot merely ‘sustain’ the status quo; we must seek to ‘regenerate’ the land by implementing practices that yield healthier, more nutritious food while at the same time improving the land upon which it is grown.

Courtesty of the World Meteorological Organization

The first sentence on the Regenerative Organic website states, “Farm like the world depends on it.” Farmer’s are on the front lines in this battle to fight environmental destruction and greenhouse gas emissions. Our livelihood and the lives of every single person on this planet depend on it and the time for action is now. A 2014 study by the Rodale Institute found that we could sequester more than 100% of current annual CO2 emissions by switching to regenerative agricultural practices that include things such as low till/no till, cover cropping, and rotational grazing. “These practices work to maximize carbon fixation while minimizing the loss of that carbon once returned to the soil, reversing the greenhouse effect.”

The Three Pillars of Regenerative Agriculture

The Regenerative Organic Certification consists of three main pillars: Soil Health, Animal Welfare, and Social Fairness. Under these three main pillars are three levels (Gold, Silver, and Bronze) by which to rank an operation based on the amount of criteria they meet. For instance, to receive Gold status under the Soil Health pillar, a farm would have to incorporate 4 or more regenerative practices such as cover crops, crop rotation, compost application, or windbreaks. Silver status would require 3 and Bronze 2. This offers a way for farms to become compliant at a bronze level and then over time work towards a gold status.

In regards to animal welfare, the standards are upped considerably with perhaps the most significant being that all livestock are granted what are called “The Five Freedoms,” which include:

1) Freedom from discomfort

2) Freedom from fear and distress

3) Freedom from hunger

4) Freedom from pain, injury, or disease

5) Freedom to express normal behavior

This of course bans all forms of force feeding, physical modifications such as de-beaking, and requires that animals be kept mostly outdoors while having access to shelter in times of inclement weather. To reach Gold status on the Animal Welfare pillar a farm’s ruminants would have to be 100% grass-fed. Silver status would be 75% grass-fed, and Bronze at least 50%.

The last pillar is Social Welfare and covers things like safe working conditions, living-wages, and fair pricing between buyers and producers. These are very important concepts for if a farm is not providing their workers with enough to sustain themselves, how can they be classified as a sustainable farming operation? The hope here is that by offering workers living-wages and good working conditions it will encourage future generations to take up farming and thus ‘regenerate’ the labor force. This last pillar also allows buyers to become Regenerative Organic Certified and a number of partners such as Nature’s Path, Dr. Bronner’s, and Herb Pharm have already signed up to participate in the pilot program.

Farming for the Future

As mentioned above, we are running out of time to reverse course on climate change and if drastic actions are not taken soon we will be leaving behind a beaten and battered earth for future generations. As citizens of this planet we can petition politicians to raise environmental standards and promote clean energy, but any significant change on this level will be slow and drawn out. It is instead best to focus our energies on where we spend our dollars as economic incentive is the greatest incentive to motivate change.

For proof of concept look no further than Wal-Mart who now carry at least some organic food in each of their mega stores. This decision is a direct result of the number of people who have decided to spend a little bit extra on their groceries to buy food that is grown in a more sustainable manner. The time is now to challenge farmers and their buyers to raise the bar and strive to achieve an even greater standard; one that takes into account the health of the consumer and the health of the planet as well.

Courtesy of Pellini at Morguefile.com

For a more in-depth look at the requirements for Regenerative Organic Certification click here.

Written by Rand Gifford

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