Regenerative Agriculture: What is it and Why You Should Support It
Regenerative agriculture is a movement dedicated to reversing the damage caused by industrial farming practices. It’s a “longtermism” approach to lessening our reliance on pharmaceuticals, securing a healthy food supply, improving the financial health of family farmers, and fulfilling our obligation to combat global climate change.
“Pharmaceutical chemicals and drugs are now the main ingredients in our foods.” (Zach Bush, MD)
A Longtermism Solution to Restore Soil Health and Food Independence
Longtermism, coined by the Forethought Foundation, says that “the primary determinant of the differences in the value of the actions we take today is the effect those actions have on the very long-term future.” The regenerative agriculture movement is a long, long-term strategy to reverse decades of flawed theories that have resulted in a catastrophic loss of farmland and healthy produce.
Enabling Landscapes to Renew Themselves
In a TEDxCanberra lecture given by Charles Massey in November 2018, he spoke about “enabling landscapes to renew themselves. Enabling and not dominating.” Industrial farming has led to plant addiction, he said. The soil lacks nutrients leading to plants that can’t resist natural elements. The only way to secure the crop is by applying chemicals, creating an endless cycle of soil crisis and diminished yields, and a growing global health emergency.
According to data on the Farmer’s Footprint website, the average farmer using conventional methods loses between 3–4 tons of topsoil per acre every year. Scientists predict that we have roughly 50 harvests left if we continue with global chemical, agricultural practices.
“The world cannot be fed unless the soil is fed.” Farmer’s Footprint
A Short-term Approach to a Flawed Theory
GMO and synthetic fertilizers became popular due to a flawed theory that traditional agricultural practices cannot produce enough food to sustain the planet. The shift to chemical-based pesticides and insecticides, combined with hormones and antibiotics that farmers felt compelled to employ to remain competitive, created a worse situation. Today’s harvest is heavily degraded. Chemical-based agricultural practices produce food that is deficient in the nutrients necessary to maintain a healthy immune system. The result is an increase in neurological disorders and other illnesses that cause long-term negative consequences for society.
A well-known example is the explosion of cancer rates and environmental injury between 1996 and 2007. This spike tracks the time glyphosate, an ingredient used in weed killer, began to be used as an antibiotic and sprayed over agriculture fields.
What Can We Do as Effective Altruists?
Effective altruism is about supporting movements that are doing good in the world. Farmer’s Footprint is a growing network of family farmers committed to preserving the family farm. By returning to non-chemical agricultural practices, Farmer’s Footprint growers restore biodiversity to the soil, leading to more nutrient-rich foods. Because the earth is preserved, farmlands are better able to serve as carbon sinks, reversing the damaging impact of climate change.
The Farmer’s Footprint network is experiencing remarkable results. Crop productivity has increased, promising a future for farming generations to come. We can support the regenerative agriculture movement by becoming consumer-conscious. Seek out foods, cosmetics, and other goods produced without chemical-based pesticides and insecticides. Learn more about regenerative agriculture and how you can incorporate these practices in your private gardens.
Contributing to a movement that tackles a large-scale problem with measurable results is a classic example of effective altruism.
