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Policymakers, donors, and investors are seeing the wisdom of investing in soil restoration, agroecology, agroforestry, and biodiversity, among other regenerative actions. Not only are these markets a good fit for smallholder farmers who practice agroecology , but they are also more equitable and accessible for women and youth.
Theyve got their eyes on one: the food system.” Theyve got their eyes on one: the food system. The food system is responsible for an estimated one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions driving this crisis. One key reason: the industrial food chain and its ultra-processed foods are deeply dependent on fossil fuels.
Family farmers can develop flourishing businesses while supporting local food systems, food sovereignty, and sustainability. SUPPORT FAMILY FARMERS FEEDING THEIR COMMUNITIES Farmers can increase their yields while caring for the land by restoring soil health and adopting agroecological techniques.
Last year, in the lead-up to COP27, the biggest global convening on climate change, many groups worked to call attention to the fact that governments and businesses were not doing nearly enough to address food and agriculture in their plans to tackle the crisis. Food Systems Summit in 2021. consumers of all kinds,” said Nabarro.
Some of these, such as food, fiber, and energy, are marketed, and the market compensates farmers. But intensive agricultural practices prevalent since the Green Revolution began in the 1960s in India suppressed many ecosystem services and threatens India’s food, ecological, and nutritional security. percent in 1947 to 0.4
A Bigger Conversation’s Director, Pat Thomas, shares insights from the ‘Agroecological Intelligence’ project, which spoke with agroecological farmers and growers to establish a criteria for adopting new technologies. But not everyone buys in to this narrative.
These severe conditions have a tremendous impact on our food system, affecting everything from crop yields to working conditions on farms. So far this year, we have shared numerous stories of creative thinkers across the food system pursuing efforts to reduce damage, increase resilience, and adapt to the new and ever-changing realities.
Regenerative agriculture offers a powerful solution to today’s interconnected crises, including the climate crisis, poverty, declining food security, and biodiversity loss. Conventional agriculture heavily relies on synthetic chemicals in the form of fertilizers and pesticides.
Policy Director, HEAL Food Alliance Nichelle Harriot has over 15 years of federal policy experience working on a range of issues from pesticide regulation to building support for sustainable, organic, and agroecological farming systems and research.
By taking legal action, researching, and building campaigns around the world, CIEL hopes to expose the hold that fossil fuels have on industries, including the food system. The Global Alliance for the Future of Food (GAFF) reports that the food system contributes to 15 percent of the total fossil fuel consumption every year.
As a researcher of urban agriculture, I was shocked to see a recent news article bearing the headline “ Food from urban agriculture has a carbon footprint six times larger than conventional produce, study shows.” with the Berkeley Food Institute, and this conclusion seemed to fly in the face of all that I’d read.
On a summer day in downtown Salinas, California, a group of farmers, biotechnology start-ups and pesticide corporations gathered to talk about the benefits of biology. While the realm of pesticides and fertilizers has been dominated by chemistry for the past eight decades, it seems like biology may soon have its day.
At its core, it’s about working with nature, rather than against it, to achieve sustainable and resilient food production. This means increased crop yields and reduced inputs like fertilizers and pesticides. Cost savings : Regenerative farming often reduces the need for expensive inputs like synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
An example of a negative externality is the negative health impacts of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers in rural disadvantaged community residents: community residents pay with their health for the cheaper price of conventional food production. How do we weigh these scenarios and decide if cropland repurposing makes sense?
By: Florence Reed , Founder + Director of Sustainable Harvest International With the war in Ukraine, the global food crisis looms large, given that Ukraine is a major global exporter of both wheat and chemical fertilizers. The crisis in Ukraine reveals that now more than ever, we must embrace a food system grounded in local agroecology.
Those corporations spray pesticides that often drifts over people and sensitive environmental areas. What they do need are huge amounts of water, huge amounts of pesticides to artificially correct the unnatural monoculture, and huge amounts of fertilizers because industrial agriculture practices deplete nutrients from the soil.
Conventional sugarcane production uses high levels of pesticides and other agrochemicals, which are harmful to local wildlife and local communities. Thankfully, planting diverse crops and organic methods instead of chemicals restore the soil needed to produce nutritious food.
They can flourish eating grass, herbs and shrubs, effectively transforming sunlight, rainwater and soil nutrients into some of the most nutrient rich foods available to us. These animals live on a diet of mainly pasture and forage, making use of land that is often unsuitable for growing other crops.
more food secure and our farming practices more environmentally friendly , we expect to see both an increase in and a deepening of these conversations. More than just an explicit set of production practices, this way of farming is known as “agroecology”, and refers to working with, rather than against, nature.
Alongside partners at the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), the GFM team are leading Regen10’s trials of its Regenerative Outcomes Framework. As agroecology researcher, Dr Nathan Einbinder, shares in his Wicked Leeks column , “I’m a strong believer in farmer-to-farmer approaches as a vehicle to empower producers to experiment and share.”
For time-pressed shoppers wanting to choose healthy, sustainably produced food, the organic label has become a reliable go-to. The shelves crawl with sustainability logos: more than 460 of them on food and beverage packages, and a third of them created over the last 15 years. However, this can be easier said than done.
Special in-person events and digital profiles throughout the year highlighted the diverse ecosystem of supporters who forged SHI’s success as a forerunning leader in the field of agroecology and regenerative agriculture.
Suppressing pests and disease Much of pest management in conventional systems relies on synthetic pesticides, often alongside genetically modifying a single variety for resistance to sprays, in the case of herbicides. Diverse above-ground systems and reduced soil disturbance can work together to reduce erosion and even build soil over time.
Contributing authors: Abigail Buta ,and Jessica Levy , and Elena Seeley The momentum to transform food and agriculture systems has never been more urgentor more inspiring. It connects expertise across disciplines to enhance food security, improve distribution, and position Canada as a leader in agricultural innovation.
The Nation Do nations have the right to determine their own food policies? Defending food supplies is an ancient cornerstone of the social contract, one enshrined in 21st century trade pacts including the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the successor to NAFTA. If sovereignty means anything, the answer to these questions is yes.
In early 2023, I had the opportunity to serve as the reviewer of Chapter 11 (Agriculture, Food Systems, and Rural Communities) of the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA 5 ). This creates instability in the cultivation and overall supply and distribution of food, which affects human and environmental health.
This series will explore the history of seed breeding in the US, the impacts of consolidation and concentration of seed breeding on farmers and our food systems, and what a more democratic seed breeding system might look like. Seeds are an integral underpinning of our food system.
could reduce their food-related emissions by shifting 40 percent of their meat-based diet (cows, sheep, goats) by 2050 to meat alternatives, whether plant-based or lab-grown, or a mix. These bans hinder innovation rather than seek protocols for vetting new technologies in food science, she added. It all comes into what drives them.”
Better soil produces healthier food, but it also holds more watera boon for a wildfire state with depleted groundwater. This prompted CDFA Secretary Karen Ross to turn to the State Board of Food and Agriculture , an advisory board consisting of members from across the sector. California urgently needs to improve its soil.
As always, there was much to explore at the Conference with an array of workshops and deep dive sessions arguably dominating the more academic talks on topics like Trauma and the Land and The Interbeing of Agroecology not to dismiss those deeper discussions which are important to have, but perhaps practice is having a moment?
Department of Agriculture (USDA) has an array of programs aimed at farmers growing food that supports rural communities and the environment, but its own purchasing has long revolved around sourcing the cheapest foods available.
The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 recently passed by the House Agriculture Committee does not serve the new generation of farmers and ranchers in this country. Below are some key highlights from the Conservation Title of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024. 1101, 1103, 1105, 1604, 1605, 11005, 11006).
food system for nearly 16 years. In that time, we’ve been at the forefront of reporting on the policies—some arcane, some mundane—that impact everyone’s most basic daily need: food. Now, a week past the 2024 election, we’re at the brink of momentous shifts in how our food system functions—and for whom.
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