The Regeneration Renovation: How Nature-Driven Technology Could Save Our World and Wealth

Part I: Regenerative Agriculture

By: Malina Gallmeyer, Market Research Intern at We Grow Green Tech

Pollution. Climate Change. Water Scarcity. These are several of the main issues plaguing the planet right now, and, each day, they get worse. Whether it is the approximate 800,000 tons of plastic produced per day, the near 28 pounds of CO2 produced daily from a typical passenger vehicle or the 100 plus gallons of water Americans use per day, the need for a sustainable future intensifies every second [1,2,3]. Fortunately, there has been a global increase in attention and concern for the natural environment and all its resources. Just in the past five years, there has been a significant increase in searches relating to eco-friendly, according to Google Trends. Within this surge of interest, the range of solutions has also grown significantly. Among the plethora of solutions for the environmental difficulties the world faces, regenerative solutions often do not get the exposure they deserve. Regenerative studies, according to the California State Polytechnic University, are “support systems which are capable of being restored, renewed, revitalized or regenerated through the integration of natural processes, community action and human behavior,” [4]. This ultimately means that regenerative solutions are nature-based solutions that seek to restore nature to a purer state and maintain a sustainable level of technological use. This is the first of a series of articles that will address the three main types of regenerative studies growing in popularity: agricultural, air and water. The focus of this first installment is regenerative agriculture.

The overall result of regenerative agricultural practices is a more healthy and resilient soil. The higher degree of soil health can result in greater biodiversity above and below the soil. When the soil is in this condition, erosion is decreased, and the ecosystem becomes more resilient to climate changes. The increased biodiversity below the soil creates greater porosity in the soil and lets water percolate more easily to replenish groundwater supply. Additionally, it has been proven that regenerative agriculture decreases the amount of pests present compared to traditional farming practices with use of pesticides. This is ideal for the health of the overall ecosystem, as well as those who ingest the crops since there would be an absence of chemical residue [5].

Regenerative agriculture can also have a great impact on the lives of everyone on the planet, as it mitigates the progression of climate change. In January 2020, the global land and ocean temperature was the highest it has been in 141 years, 2.05 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the average for the 20th century [6]. Climate change can and will have devastating effects, and agriculture has the potential to have a major impact on climate change through changing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air.

“Most farmers in the United States are actually producing many tons of CO2 per acre. They’re not sequestering anything, they are actually producing it,” expressed James Sinton, a well renowned professional in the regenerative agriculture industry, during an interview.

Regenerative agriculture can have a major impact on the levels of carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere, and, therefore, it can have a major impact on climate change. Studies have shown that if regenerative practices are used on the 3.6 billion acres of land that is tillable, it could absorb up to 40% of the CO2 in the air [7]. The healthier soil would reduce the chance of drought, which is currently predicted to increase due to increased water stress and scarcity throughout the world. The decrease in drought also has direct consequences for the lifestyle of people, as it changes the food availability and quality.

Due to the rise in environmental awareness within society, regenerative agriculture has become less of a concept and more of an opportunity for investors. In the US alone, there is $47.5 billion under the control of 70 investment strategies all focused on regenerative agriculture. Over the next thirty years, these types of investments are expected to see 14.3 times return on investment [8]. The economic benefits of regenerative agriculture are not felt immediately, but as Larry Kanderian, a mechanical engineer turned Regenerative agriculturalist, expressed in an interview, “The road to economic stability is a long one, but is certainly worth it…knowing it can be scaled gives me lots of hope.” The prosperity that is often overlooked within the field is proved in a study, conducted by Jonathan G. Lundgren and Claire E LaCanne. It demonstrates that regenerative systems in agriculture can experience up to a 70% increase in profit compared to their non-regenerative counterparts [9].

There is an increasing number of businesses and organizations joining the regenerative agriculture movement, and many of them are taking large steps to commit to a more sustainable future. First, there is Regeneration International, a nonprofit organization that promotes the switch from traditional to regenerative agriculture. They work to educate the public, connect people within the sector and encourage policy change [10]. Regeneration International compiled a large list of investors and incubators for regenerative agriculture businesses so that they have a chance to survive as a small startup. On the list from Regeneration International, there were several incubators that had been recognized elsewhere by other parties for their work, and those were Farmland LP, Dirt Capital Partners, Iroquois Valley and Cienega Capital Farmland [11,12]. All of these incubators work to keep practices sustainable and investments profitable. As this topic grows in popularity, so does the list of companies involved. As of now, there is a lack of large names associated, yet there is one big brand name involved: General Mills. General Mills has paired with a regenerative agriculture consulting firm, named Understanding Ag, in order to commit to create 1 million acres of regenerative agriculture by the year 2030 [13].

References

[1]“Facts . About Plastic . Help — Plastic Oceans Foundation,” Plastic Oceans International, 28-Sep-2019. [Online]. Available: https://plasticoceans.org/the-facts/#:~:text=The Facts Are Overwhelming&text=We are producing over 300,into our oceans every year. [Accessed: 23-Jul-2020].

[2]“Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle,” EPA, 10-May-2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle#:~:text=typical passenger vehicle?-,A typical passenger vehicle emits%[7]20about 4.6 metric tons of,8,887 grams of CO2. [Accessed: 23-Jul-2020].

[3]The World Counts. [Online]. Available: https://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/average-daily-water-usage. [Accessed: 23-Jul-2020].

[4]“About Regeneration,” College of Environmental Design. [Online]. Available: https://env.cpp.edu/rs/about-regeneration#:~:text=While closely aligned with environmental,processes, community action and human. [Accessed: 23-Jul-2020].

[5]Regeneration International, “What is Regenerative Agriculture?,” Regeneration International, 24-Feb-2017. [Online]. Available: https://regenerationinternational.org/2017/02/24/what-is-regenerative-agriculture/. [Accessed: 23-Jul-2020].

[6]Sanchez-Lugo, “Global Climate Report — January 2020,” National Climatic Data Center. [Online]. Available: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/202001.

[7]L. O. Montemayor, “Regeneration: The new Impact Investing imperative!,” Medium, 10-Jun-2020. [Online]. Available:https://medium.com/@lauraom/regeneration-the-new-impact-investing-imperative-bc0f1ef11a67.

[8]“Regenerative Agriculture Investing: 70 Investment Groups Worth $47.5bn,” AgFunderNews, 11-Jul-2019. [Online]. Available: https://agfundernews.com/regenerative-agriculture-investing.html.

[9]C. E. Lacanne and J. G. Lundgren, “Regenerative agriculture: merging farming and natural resource conservation profitably,” 2017.

[10]“Our Mission,” Home Page — Understanding Ag, LLC. [Online]. Available: https://understandingag.com/.

[11]“Farm Incubator Program,” Springfield Community Gardens. [Online]. Available: https://www.springfieldcommunitygardens.org/farm-incubator.

[12]“Funding Resources,” Regeneration International, 11-May-2018. [Online]. Available: https://regenerationinternational.org/funding-resources/.

[13]“Ecosia’s Regenerative Agriculture Incubator: apply for funding by Dec 15th 2019,” Ecosia. [Online]. Available: https://www.ecosia-regenerative-agriculture.com/.

[14]“Regenerative Agriculture 2020,” 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.generalmills.com/Responsibility/Sustainability/Regenerative-agriculture.

[15]R. Pera, L. Brooks, D. Nierenberg, S. Endicott, J. Kaufman, K. Howell, and E. Nink, “30 Incubators and Funding Resources for Farms and Food,” Food Tank, 13-Nov-2016. [Online]. Available:https://foodtank.com/news/2015/07/thirty-incubators-and-funding-resources-for-farms-and-food/.

[16]“So, You’re Thinking of Investing in Regenerative Food Systems…,” Conservation Finance Network, 08-Apr-2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.conservationfinancenetwork.org/2020/04/08/so-youre-thinking-of-investing-in-regenerative-food-systems.