March 30, 2024
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – Columbia Climate School writes about the emerging field of sustainable agriculture. Check out the story, here.
Spotlight 2 – UC Santa Barbara says that small changes can yield big savings in agricultural water use. Check it out, here.
Industry Updates
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is at the forefront of a transformative initiative aiming to democratize access to agricultural research and technology across North Carolina. The Climate-Responsive Opportunities in Plant Science (CROPS) project, powered by a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines, seeks to establish an Agricultural Tech Innovation Corridor stretching from central to eastern North Carolina. The project is poised to lower barriers to market entry for limited-resource farmers and equip them to navigate the challenges posed by climate change. By facilitating access to research-based farming practices and new technologies, CROPS intends to foster entrepreneurial development and sustainable agricultural practices among new, underserved, and small-acreage farmers. [link]
Organizers of the fourth annual Agroforestry Open Weekend are expecting a surge of interest from UK farmers, with agroforestry set to receive targeted payments in England under the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) in 2024. The open weekend takes place from May 17-20, with more than 40 farms in the UK and Ireland expected to open their gates and share knowledge and best practice to those who may be new to agroforestry. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) is promising payments of up to £849/ha for farmers who maintain agroforestry, well above the old Basic Payment Scheme that paid farmers a flat rate of about £250/ha for a wide variety of crops. [link]
Denim manufacturer, Soorty, has launched a regenerative agriculture farming initiative in Pakistan aimed at boosting sustainability practices in the industry. The company's Regenagri Initiative in Pakistan has been developed with the Rural Education & Economic Development Society (REEDS) and is aimed at revitalizing agricultural ecosystems through regenerative farming. With the initiative, Soorty not only seeks to produce cotton in a more environmentally friendly manner that fosters transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain but also aims to uplift local farming communities by providing them with the knowledge and resources needed for sustainable cultivation, creating a sustainable agricultural ecosystem for generations to come. [link]
Microsoft and climate solutions provider, The Next 150, announced that they have signed a 6-year offtake agreement, with Microsoft purchasing 95,000 tons of carbon removal credits generated by a new biochar production facility in Mexico. Biochar, or biological charcoal, is produced by heating biomass, such as forest residue, wood or crop waste, in the absence of oxygen, creating a stable form of carbon, which when buried in soil enables centuries-long carbon sequestration, in addition to leading to improved soil fertility. Founded in 2022, Switzerland-based The Next 150 is a carbon removal venture developer and operator, aimed at investing and scaling climate solutions projects in emerging markets that generate positive environmental and financial outcomes. [link]
New research published in the journal Field Crops Research uncovers how soil fumigation influences soil health across different soil types, with a particular focus on potato fields in Wisconsin, USA. A research team from the University of Wisconsin-Madison collected soil and potato samples from seven commercial potato fields in Wisconsin, with some subjected to fumigation with metam sodium and others left unfumigated. The findings present a nuanced view of soil fumigation’s effects. In central Wisconsin’s sandy soils, fumigated plots not only yielded higher potato outputs but also showcased increased bacterial diversity and microbial-mediated carbon retention compared to their unfumigated counterparts. Conversely, in the northern loamy soils, the results were flipped, with unfumigated plots outperforming the fumigated ones on these fronts. A particularly intriguing discovery was the close association between soil bacterial community diversity and yield responses to fumigation. This suggests that the benefits or drawbacks of fumigation are intricately linked to the microbial life within the soil, highlighting the importance of microbial diversity in agricultural sustainability. [link]
In response to longer and more intense droughts, Indigenous Tolupan farmers in Honduras are turning to agroforestry and agroecology strategies to adapt to the changing climate. The strategies include diversifying their crops, building water storage systems, introducing methods to better conserve water in the soil, and building up banks of native seeds. Although Honduras wasn’t among the 22 countries that declared a drought emergency in 2022 and 2023, severe heat waves and El Niño events are hitting harvests hard, leading to an exodus of young people out of rural areas. Locals participating in the adaptation initiative say it’s starting to bear fruit and give them hope — a precious resource in a dry land. [link]
Farmers in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia will get new support for conservation practices through two grants awarded to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) as part of a historic investment in Bay restoration and community engagement, EPA announced this week. CBF’s projects are among 82 new Bay conservation grants worth $35 million awarded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), a nonprofit that administers several Chesapeake Bay grant programs. The 82 grants will leverage $32 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $67 million, according to a NFWF release. [link]
U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) introduced the Enteric Methane Innovation Tools for Lower Emissions and Sustainable Stock (EMIT LESS) Act to voluntarily reduce methane emissions from dairy and beef cattle across America’s family farms and ranches. Enteric methane is naturally emitted during the digestive process of most livestock species. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide. The EMIT LESS Act aims to address enteric methane by expanding research at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for products (e.g. feed additives) and practices that reduce these emissions while creating voluntary incentives through conservation programs to help get those products into the hands of farmers and ranchers. [link]
UPM Biochemicals is entering the agrochemicals market with the launch of a new range of bio-based plant stimulants, UPM Solargo. UPM Solargo biostimulants offer a sustainable solution for agriculture, providing proven benefits for various crops while reducing their environmental footprint. Unlike conventional fertilizers, UPM Solargo biostimulants enhance plant growth by improving soil microbiome quality and increasing water retention. They do not directly supply nutrients to the plant but instead improve nutrient absorption, utilization efficiency, and stress tolerance. They have the potential to help decrease the demand for classical NPK fertilizers, which contribute up to 80% of CO2 emissions in crop production. [link]
The USDA released its 2024 Prospective Plantings report, showing that American farmers will plant more soybean acres and fewer corn and wheat acres for 2024. Corn acreage is pegged at 90 million acres for 2024, down from 94.6 million acres last year and below analyst estimates of 92.5 million acres. Soybean acreage is pegged at 86.5 million acres for 2024, up from 83.6 million acres last year and slightly below analyst estimates of 87 million acres. The report pegged 2024 wheat acreage at 47.5 million acres, down from 49.6 million acres last year and above analyst estimates of 46.5 million acres. [link]
An event to mark the completion of a China-funded agroforestry project in Myanmar was held in Myanmar's capital Nay Pyi Taw this week, according to a release by the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar. Speaking at the event, Myanmar's Union Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation U Khin Maung Yi said that agroforestry will help develop the economy and protect the forest ecological system in the Southeast Asian country. He added that the project, with pilot zones of nearly 700 acres in three villages in Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon and Bago regions, has benefited nearly 200 villagers. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
Earlier this month, Patagonia Provisions announced the introduction of three new varieties of vegan-friendly Regenerative Organic Certified pasta. See more, here.