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Cultivating tomorrow: Applying regenerative agriculture, transforming field to product
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Friday, 16 February, 2024, 15 : 00 PM [IST]
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Amrendra Mishra
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In an era where the impacts of climate change cast a spotlight on our global food system, sustainability has risen to the forefront of consciousness for stakeholders throughout the food and agriculture value chain. As the need for sustainable practices becomes increasingly apparent, consumers worldwide are becoming more aware of the environmental, social, and economic implications of their purchasing choices. Amidst this transformation, the adoption of sustainable sourcing and production methods by food and beverage manufacturers stands as a pivotal force, not only preserving our planet's resources but also ensuring we have the capacity to feed the world’s growing population.
Farmers who understand the urgency and importance of sustainable practices are hence adopting innovative and climate-smart solutions that go beyond minimizing waste and resource use. These technique-driven approaches, including regenerative agriculture, help to restore and rebuild the environment to meet consumers’ growing expectations for sustainability, supporting the enduring strength of our food systems. Building a resilient food system is vital in helping us meet the nutritional needs of the population without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The shift towards climate-smart solutions
Stakeholders across the value chain are increasingly seeing the value of moving towards more sustainable sourcing and production methods, including consumers, manufacturers, policymakers, and farmers.
i. Consumers Faced with the ongoing climate crisis and food security concerns, consumers in Asia-Pacific are intentionally seeking out products that align with their values and are good for both them and the planet. In fact, 53% of consumers in the region claimed to have changed their diet in the last two years to lead a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. Conscious consumers are increasingly connecting the health of the planet with their personal health, demanding a higher standard from the companies they purchase from with regards to their environmentally conscious practices.
ii. Policymakers
The sustainability of food systems has come into the spotlight in 2023 with the United Nation’s COP28 climate conference in Dubai devoting a whole day to food and agriculture. One of the major milestones from the conference was the COP28 UAE Declaration on sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems and climate action which saw over 130 countries and heads of state announcing their intention to include food and agriculture in their climate plans and bring the world’s food production in line with global climate goals.
Focusing on India, the commitment to sustainability and fortifying the resilience of local food systems stands as a paramount priority for policymakers. Under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, sustainable agriculture is among the eight identified focus areas. The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture was set up to enhance agricultural productivity and promote the sustainable use of resources. This mission is geared towards empowering farmers by encouraging the adoption of sustainable practices, including but not limited to regenerative agriculture, energy efficiency, and heightened water use efficiency. In this way, India is actively steering towards a future where agricultural practices harmonize with environmental sustainability, ensuring a robust and secure food supply for generations to come.
iii. Farmers
Farmers, who have long been stewards of the land, increasingly recognize that regenerative agriculture is critical to driving new value and securing the future of the planet and their businesses. With adequate support that is well-suited to their needs and individual situations, smallholder farmers can make the shift toward regenerative agriculture to conserve natural resources and ensure the sustainability of their businesses.
Cultivating tomorrow with regenerative agriculture
We view regenerative agriculture as a system of practices that sequesters carbon in the soil and intentionally improves soil health, biodiversity, water quality and air quality while ensuring the viability of farm production and based on indigenous ways of land management that are adaptive to local physical conditions and culture. In the long run, it not only helps to protect and conserve resource use, but also plays a role in enhancing soil health and revitalizing ecosystems.
For over two decades, collaborative efforts with local farmers have been underway to identify and implement sustainable and regenerative agriculture programmes. They aim to address the world’s growing nutritional needs while ensuring the preservation of future agricultural productivity. Our support extends to over 25,500 soybean farmers, covering nearly 90,000 acres in Latur, Beed and Osmanabad in India, as part of the transition to regenerative agriculture.
Globally, our regenerative agriculture initiatives are guided by five key principles: minimizing soil disturbance, maintaining living roots in soil, continuously covering bare soil, maximizing diversity with a focus on crops, soil microbes, and pollinators, and responsible managing inputs including nutrients and pesticides. Regenerative agriculture can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve soil health, protect water quality and biodiversity, sequester carbon, and increase farm resiliency.
We continue to expand our regenerative agriculture efforts globally. Acknowledging the diverse environmental challenges across the various regions, it is important to tailor our programme qualifications and practices to the farmers’ specific needs to cater to these unique challenges and differences. In December at COP28, we hosted a panel to discuss the importance of value chain collaborations and incentive structures in encouraging farmers to make the shift towards more sustainable agricultural practices. The discussion aimed to catalyse technologies for innovations necessary to futureproof agriculture and food systems. It focused on benefiting farmers, manufacturers, and consumers alike, emphasizing our commitment to advocating for and implementing climate-smart practices. Our research has found that almost two-thirds of consumers would be more interested in purchasing from companies taking part in regenerative agriculture partnerships and almost three-quarters are more likely to trust companies and brands that implement regenerative agriculture programmes1. To align with consumer expectations surrounding sustainability, food and beverage manufacturers are increasingly pledging to transform their operations and sourcing practices, with a particular focus on minimizing their Scope 3 emissions. Regenerative agriculture emerges as a powerful tool in helping these manufacturers fulfil their sustainability goals. According to our report, almost two-thirds of retailers and brands are planning to implement a regenerative agriculture programme within the next five years or even sooner. Across the value chain, regenerative agriculture stands as a sustainable and economically viable alternative means of producing food. Its advantages go beyond individual farmers, positively influencing stakeholders downstream, including manufacturers and consumers. By fostering healthier ecosystems, mitigating adverse environmental impacts, and meeting consumer expectations around sustainability, regenerative agriculture emerges as a pivotal solution to help safeguard our planet and enhance the resilience of the food systems we depend on. (The author is country manager of India and
managing director at Oilseeds, India, ADM)
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