Regenerative Agriculture - A Big Tent
By Charlie Dubbe, Head of Regenerative Partnerships
Recently, I had the privilege of attending EcoFarm Conference in Monterey, California, and immersing myself in a wide tapestry of expertise and insights. Throughout the conference, we explored the worlds of regenerative and organic agriculture: from the intricate workings of soil health, to the deeper philosophies and ontologies that underlie the regenerative movement.
Amidst the chorus of voices and lessons that resonated with me, the message of inclusivity from figures like Cyndi Daley, Tim LaSalle, and Nicole Masters stood out. Their message was clear: embrace regenerative agriculture as a "big tent" that welcomes all who seek to be part of the transformative journey towards being more regenerative. I felt compelled to share my reflections on this essential aspect for forging a regenerative future.
Beyond Practices: Embracing an Outcomes Based Approach
I've long advocated that regenerative agriculture should be defined by outcomes rather than a rigid list of ‘approved’ and ‘unapproved’ practices. It should empower farmers as experts and give them flexibility to experiment and learn. This stand is rooted in my perspective that every farm, and even every field within a farm, possesses a unique context, demanding a tailored approach to regeneration. What works well in one field will yield different results next door. The wide diversity of contexts cannot be addressed effectively through a one-size-fits-all, practice-based approach.
Practice-based approaches that organic certifications have adopted rely on a defined list of practices and inputs, decided on by a deeply political and divisive process.They create lines in the sand, dividing farmers between those who are accepted and those who aren’t. This leads to an "us versus them" mindset, which doesn’t help bring more farmers into the movement. The rigidity of practice based systems also exclude farmers from the decision making process on their own land, failing to account for the farmer's wisdom and experience around the intricacies and specific needs of each individual farm and context. Furthermore, because they are focused on the practices and the inputs, rather than the results, organic certifications unfortunately have loopholes that can be taken advantage of.
Many organic farmers, particularly those operating on a larger scale, find themselves ensnared in a vicious cycle of soil degradation. They resort to practices like heavy tillage not out of choice, but out of a necessity driven by financial pressures and market demands. These farmers should not be vilified. They are operating in a system that demands profit over land and environmental stewardship, and are just following the traditional wisdom in agriculture.
Regenerative agriculture offers an alternative path. By prioritizing outcomes, it allows for flexibility and context-specific decision-making. Speaking from experience, I know that a farmer may employ the same practice or input as their neighbor, but they do it in a completely different way and since each farm is a different context, the ‘same’ practices or practice changes can result in completely different outcomes. For example, "watering in the transplants" could mean countless variations to different farmers - it could be three hours of drip irrigation or twelve hours of overhead irrigation. The same is true of cover cropping, minimized tillage, creating biodiversity corridors, soil health conservation, and every other practice that a farmer could engage in.
In other words, the same practice, applied by different farmers, is not the same practice and will not result in the same outcome
Within the framework of regenerative agriculture, it becomes challenging to cheat the system, as the emphasis shifts from a one-size-fits-all approach to achieving positive ecological results and demonstrating outcomes through clear measurements and metrics. Measured outcomes seamlessly integrate into a regenerative certification scheme through a scoring system, fostering creativity and rewarding progress towards goals, no matter where a farm started their journey. It also makes room for, and even celebrates, the diversity of outcomes.
Regenerative Agriculture: An Inclusive Philosophy
At its core, regenerative agriculture should be a grand tent, encompassing all who wish to be part of this transformative journey. Drawing from my experience of running small and medium-sized regenerative farms for a decade, and now working with regenerative leaders like Braga Fresh and O’Neill Vintners, I've come to understand that being 'regenerative' is more than adhering to a fixed set of practices – it's a process, a mindset, an approach.
There exists no universal formula for regenerative farming. To be regenerative is to rekindle our relationship with nature, to embrace the cycles of life, and to engage in a dialectic relationship with every facet of the farm – from the diversity of flora and fauna to the intricate world of soil microbiology. From the mosaic of human communities to the economic dynamics, market relationships, and even the challenges posed by pests and diseases. Regenerative agriculture is about relocating - or rather reintegrating- ourselves within the intricate web of life. Farmers have always played this crucial role: working in the porous boundary between human civilization and the ecologies that surround and enmesh it.
“Pick the flower on Earth and you move the farthest star” - Paul Dirac
Crucially, the process of ‘becoming regenerative’ is ongoing, with no clearly defined endpoint. The road of regenerative agriculture should be measured in progress and outcomes: improved crop quality, better profit margins for growers, improved soil health, long and short term carbon sequestration, improved watershed health, restabilized local climates and the myriad of other available environmental benefits. There's no definitive line in the sand, no moment when one can claim to have achieved full regenerative status. It's a spectrum, an approach, a holistic endeavor to harmonize a farm's production with the many components of its ecosystem and to commit to a mindset that benefits the health of the land and all of its inhabitants (everything from fungal mycelia to human families).
Unity Over Division
The unmistakable urgency and gravity of the climate crisis and loss of biological diversity and ecological function demand that we put aside divisive thinking and infighting. Our planet is warming at an alarming rate, farmers are struggling, ecosystems are teetering on the brink, and our food system is crying out for change. We simply cannot afford to squabble among ourselves.
It's disheartening to witness critics from the organic camp cast aspersions on the growing prominence of regenerative agriculture. We must rise above this mindset and recognize that we are all on the same team. Humanity as a whole needs to unite in confronting the multifaceted and interconnected crises of our time.
Both organic and regenerative agriculture share a common goal – an agro-ecological approach to growing food sustainably. They focus on different facets but come from the same seed – a return to healthier relations with the ecosystems that sustain us and support our farming communities.
Moreover, these approaches complement each other. Consumers committed to buying organic produce won't stop when they see regenerative products on the shelves. The Regenerative Organic Certification is just one example of the potential of this synergy between organic and regenerative.
Not everyone can or wants to become certified organic, and that's perfectly fine. Those who work toward improving soil health, increasing biodiversity, and enhancing the social and financial equity of their farms deserve recognition, even for small wins.
Small victories matter, especially in regenerative agriculture. Successes build upon each other, creating a momentum of health and abundance. This characteristic has become a personal litmus test for if something is regenerative or not – if it works better over time and builds on its own success, it's likely regenerative; if it degrades or demands more usage, it's likely degenerative.
Moving Beyond Words: An Ontological Transformation
Regenerative agriculture is a worldview that transcends practices and welcomes diversity, celebrating the unique context of each farm and field. Nicole Masters eloquently made the following point in her keynote speech: "We need to stop trying to shape the world to fit into our frameworks of control, and instead, learn how to shape ourselves and our civilization into the framework of our world."
We must move beyond our fixation on words and definitions. There is so clearly an energy, a philosophical core, that unites the regenerative, organic, agroecological, social justice, and environmental justice movements.
As we confront the interrelated meta-crises of our time, we must embrace this big tent approach, uniting our efforts in order to get down to the real work: regenerating the planet and ourselves. When we choose to focus on and celebrate what brings us together and what we have in common, instead of focusing on what divides us, we embark on the journey of internal regeneration. This is where the real work begins. From this point of internal transformation, we create a new ontology: a new way of relating to the nature of being on this planet.
Originally published on LinkedIn.