Transforming Farming Practices from Degenerative to Regenerative: A Surge in Investment Bodes Hope for Topsoil, Reefs, and Ocean Dead Zones

January 5, 2021

Regenerative agriculture is a smart, new grassroots movement addressing solutions to prevent topsoil depletion, greenhouse gas emissions, ocean dead zones, food insecurity, and more. Although transforming farming practices from degenerative to regenerative are underway, many proponents question the potential for regenerative agriculture to become universally adopted. Based on a new report, titled Soil Wealth, the level of investment pouring into regenerative agriculture projects leaves reason to believe regenerative agriculture is not a passing trend. In fact, healing the planet’s soil may become one of humanity’s most exciting, innovative tools supporting systems change in the coming years.

When it comes to feeding the world, the conversation tends to dominate between GMO conventional versus organic farming practices. It’s a myth that high yield production using synthetic chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and antibiotics provides food security if it degrades the natural environment and the soil. Likewise its a myth that organic farming is any better without adapting no-till methods, cover cropping, and complex rotations to their particular soil, environmental and socioeconomic conditions. The United Nations estimates the world only has about 60 years of topsoil left. Chemical fertilizer runoff contributes to massive dead zones (low oxygen hypoxia) in the ocean, affecting dozens of coral reefs around the world. According to the World Economic Forum, intensified monoculture farming is responsible for almost 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 80% of tropical deforestation. Therefore, shifting focus to restoring soil health makes a lot of sense.

Regenerative agriculture is a relatively new buzz phrase with varying definitions. Broadly speaking, it’s a system of “beyond sustainable” farming and grazing principles and practices that aim to enrich the land farmers use with a particular focus on soil health and carbon sequestration. Furthermore, regenerative agriculture claims to improve watersheds/ water conservation, reduce deforestation, and diversify production while restoring degraded soil biodiversity, ecosystem services, and the farmer’s overall productivity. Although its a stretch in theory that regenerative agriculture has the potential to reverse climate change, drawing down more carbon into our soils is undoubtedly a profound benefit.

In one of my first jobs out of college, I worked in watershed management for a pineapple company in Hawai’i, partnered with The Nature Conservancy. As much as I respected the company’s conservation ethic and growing proportion of organic pineapples, there were inherent contradictions–as there usually are in agriculture. A wide majority of green sea turtles in the reefs below our pineapple ahupua’a land were covered in tumors. Might the turtle tumors have had something to do with the amount of exposed, tilled soil in the pineapple fields (and cane fields), leaching topsoil and synthetic farming chemicals into the ocean? Very likely there was correlation.

Because of its potential to create long-lasting social and environmental benefits, a growing number of organizations, entrepreneurs, investors, consumers and farmers are adopting regenerative products and agricultural practices. Countless ranchers and farmers vouch the regenerative benefits and productivity. I personally admire that regenerative agriculture builds on The Nature Conservancy’s good work in “nutrient stewardship” within the Mississippi Basin, helping to stop the cycle of dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico.

A pathway to mainstreaming regenerative agriculture is to inform and invest in farmers and ranchers. The Croatan Institute’s Soil Wealth report indicates there are some 70 investment strategies with assets under management of over $47.5 billion in regenerative agriculture, and that’s just in the US. The report’s authors estimate that some $700 billion of investment in regenerative agriculture in the next 30 years could not only return $10 trillion, a return on investment of 14.3 times but could mitigate nearly 170 Gigatons of CO2 emissions (GtCO2e)–which equates to limiting global warming by roughly 1.5 degrees centigrade.

As farmers struggle with economic pressures and global warming, this climate-smart use of the land enables sustainable and more profitable production, improves farmers’ livelihoods and enhances food security for growing populations. Plus, the environment matters to consumers, it’s good for our ocean planet, and creates opportunities for startups to provide regenerative products. When it comes to consumer demand, we all vote with our forks. Everyone of us can support local farmers and policies favoring regenerative agriculture practices.