Environmental Benefits Of Regenerative Ag
Why is luxury group Kering—the owner of Saint Laurent, Gucci, and other high fashion brands—also co-founder of an organization called Regenerative Fund for Nature getting involved? And why is one of the most ethical shoe brands, Allbirds, partnering with the New Zealand Merino Company to establish the world’s first platform for regenerative ethical wool?
Because regenerative farming is precisely the approach that enables natural materials (cotton, wool, hemp, linen, etc.) to be produced in a way that minimizes greenhouse-gas emissions and supports a healthier world.
It doesn’t just mean reduced emissions; it means negative emissions because it consumes more carbon than it outputs. Plants capture (AKA sequester) carbon from the atmosphere, which can then be stored in their roots. This stored carbon supports healthy soil, helps plants grow, and combats climate change.
With more fashion brands aiming toward carbon neutrality (often via carbon offset programs), sourcing fabrics via regenerative farms could be a significant way to get there—or for those with bigger ambitions, to become carbon negative.
Capturing carbon is just one of the benefits of regenerative farming. When done right, regenerative agriculture—like its name suggests—has the potential to regenerate and replenish our environment. It can eliminate the need for agricultural inputs (pesticides, fertilizers, and even water), support biodiversity, and improve soil health. A 2021 study summarizes a few key benefits:
- Improved organic matter
- Increased captured soil carbon
- Increased soil nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, and sulfur (nutrients to support healthy soils and plant growth)
- Faster water infiltration rates (increased access to water)
- Higher beneficial bacterial biomass
- Improved soil health
- Increased plant species diversity
- Improved plant biomass
- Increases in beneficial insects to prevent biodiversity loss
- Increased crop yields (which mean significantly higher profits!)
Social Benefits Of Regenerative Ag
While not discussed as often as some of the environmental benefits of regenerative agriculture, the social benefits are worth mentioning. It can lead to higher yields and lower production costs—a big win-win for farmers. One study found farmers who used regenerative agriculture practices were 78% more profitable than those using conventional practices.
Fewer chemical inputs doesn’t just mean less money spent on such inputs, but less exposure for the farmers to harmful pesticides and insecticides.
Reviving Traditional Farming Practices
There is one potential con of regenerative agriculture: its roots in systemic racism and colonialism. While regenerative agriculture has “emerged” as a new way to mitigate the impacts of climate change, it’s not a new idea at all. Black, Indigenous, and people of color have been carrying out regenerative soil practices long before its whitewashed version made the news.
From a Civil Eats interview with Romero Briones from the First Nations Development Institute, “The present-day regenerative movement is—much like agriculture in general—’inherited, guarded, and perpetuated by white men.”
While this in no way diminishes the environmental benefits of regenerative farming, it’s something to be mindful of as we consider who and what to support in this movement. It’s also a reminder that we have much to learn from indigenous farming practices that have developed over many generations of working closely with nature.
