November 9, 2024
Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – The Maryland State Department of Natural Resources details how food forests enable fruit harvests and deeper connections to the land. Read about it, here.
Spotlight 2 – Earth.org says that in order to save our soil, we should invest in smallholder farmers. Check out the story, here.
Spotlight 3 – An article in Nature shows us how to climate-proof our crops. Check it out, here.
Industry Updates
A new study from Dartmouth College indicates that farmers are increasingly adopting regenerative agriculture practices to decrease their dependence on agrochemical companies. Although farmers can earn money through carbon credits by doing regenerative agriculture, the study's authors were somewhat surprised to learn that this was not what was moving the needle for them. Instead, the farmers were more motivated by a desire to "get off that treadmill of high-input, high yield commodity agriculture," Susanne Freidberg, a professor of geography at Dartmouth and the study's co-lead author, said. [link]
Kiss the Ground, a leading nonprofit in the Regenerative Movement, launched a monthly subscription service for its certified regenerative coffee, Kiss the Ground Coffee, on November 1, 2024. This initiative follows an overwhelmingly successful donation-based beta launch in the summer of 2024, aiming to support regenerative farming practices and raise awareness about regenerative coffee production. After uncovering the harmful effects of conventional coffee production, Kiss the Ground partnered with Buena Vida Specialty Coffee, a Costa Rican company prioritizing farmer prosperity and soil health. Sourced from La Bella Farm, a small regenerative farm in Costa Rica, Kiss the Ground Coffee promises exceptional quality and flavor while supporting responsible production methods. [link]
The Cherokee County Conservation District is partnering with Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, Choctaw Nation Conservation District, the Oklahoma Black Historical Research Project, and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Conservation District to provide $3.2 million in funding to farmers and ranchers to implement conservation practices. Examples of conservation practices that producers may be eligible for include cover cropping, rotational grazing, native grassland planting, brush management, no-till, prescribed grazing and more. Agriculture producers may be eligible for up to $23,000 of financial assistance to help implement conservation practices that create healthy soils, improve rangeland, and protect water quality. [link]
Kenya has launched a new initiative, aimed at promoting the planting of bamboo trees along the Nzoia River basin, in western Busia County. The project is being funded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences through its Sino-Africa Joint Research Center and is designed to control flooding, enhance climate resilience, and improve food security for local communities, as well as restore the ecological health of the Nzoia River, a major tributary of Lake Victoria, Africa's largest freshwater body. The project is being implemented in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Program's affiliated International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP). [link]
A new project spearheaded by researchers at Purdue University and Michigan State University is harnessing solar power to make irrigation more efficient and cost-effective for farmers. By integrating solar energy with IoT (Internet of Things) technology, the project aims to help farmers in rural areas manage energy demands, cut costs, and gain better control over irrigation practices. Solar energy will be used to power irrigation pumps and support “peak shaving” — reducing the strain on power grids during high-demand periods. In addition, IoT sensors in the field will allow farmers to monitor soil moisture, energy use, and other critical data in real-time through cloud storage. [link]
UK-based Sapling Spirits has partnered with chef and farmer Julius Roberts to launch a premium Regenerative Vodka. The new release highlights Sapling’s mission to adopt the latest environmental practices and innovative thinking by offering consumers a vodka that helps regenerate soil. Roberts has supported Sapling with his expertise in regenerative agriculture, ensuring every aspect of the vodka’s production aligns with sustainable practices and supports local farmers. Sapling Spirits’ Regenerative Vodka will launch in retail with Jeroboams and online on the brand’s website and Amazon. It is priced at £55 (US$71) per bottle. [link]
Norway, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States have officially launched a multi-donor “fund of funds”, known as FASA, whose aim is to address the financing challenges faced by agricultural small and medium-sized enterprises (agri-SMEs) across Africa. Over the next 10 years, the “Financing for Agricultural Small and Medium Enterprises in Africa” Fund, or FASA, aims to support 500 agri-SMEs and 1.5 million smallholder farmers across the continent, which together constitute Africa’s largest employer and economic engine, ultimately benefiting 7.5 million people while bolstering nearly 60,000 jobs. Although they produce 80% of Africa’s locally consumed food and generate a quarter of the continent’s rural employment, agri-SMEs face an estimated $100 billion lending gap, according to a recent analysis. FASA Fund aims to address this gap with an ambitious, targeted approach. [link]
Campbell Soup Company and Kind Snacks announced projects that would advance regenerative agriculture practices for key ingredients with financial support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Campbell’s received $3.4 million through USDA’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program to increase adoption of sustainable practices and reduce water consumption among tomato growers in California. Separately, Kind, a subsidiary of Mars Inc., said it will unlock more than $300,000 for regenerative agriculture in almonds through USDA’s Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities Program. More major food companies are relying on the USDA and a collaborative network of nonprofits and suppliers as they make a herculean push to transform their supply chains in order to meet company sustainability goals. [link]
An analysis in the International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews emphasizes the role of biodiversity in agriculture, adding to a wide body of science on its importance. The authors, from Western Illinois University in the United States and Rome Business School in Italy, find that biodiversity supports critical ecosystems and organisms needed for sustainable food production. Research shows that higher plant diversity disrupts pest life cycles and promotes beneficial insects, which prevents farmers from relying on chemical inputs. Crop diversity also improves soil health, reducing the need for chemical inputs while also providing habitats for beneficial organisms that help control pests and diseases. This improves yield stability and further contributes to ecosystem services, such as pollination, nutrient cycling, and soil fertility. [link]
Moldovan winemakers and their stakeholders can monitor, in real time, the level and quality of regenerative agriculture taking place in their vineyards through the new Re.Wine platform - the result of collaboration between Czech Big Terra and the Moldovan National Association of Rural Development (ACSA). The Re-Wine platform was developed through the Czech-UNDP Challenge Fund, an initiative implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), with financial support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. The platform includes key periodical weather events that are essential for ecological adaptability of grape varieties, crop management and crop modelling. Also, essential data are available on the quality of carbon sequestration in a given vineyard, such as start, peak, and end of season, vegetation state at those times, minimum value (relevant to health of vines and characterization of the year), and also rates of ripening and natural degradation, considering loss of texture, flavor, etc. [link]
New research reveals a significant gap for UK businesses between their awareness and action when it comes to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) targets. The findings from Virgin Money highlight that while 68% of decision makers within SMEs are familiar with the concept of ESG targets, more than half (54%) have not yet set targets for their business. This is despite over two-thirds (71%) of them acknowledging that adopting ESG practices is important to their customers. This disconnect shows the challenges businesses face in translating awareness into actionable strategies. Confidence in understanding the necessary steps to meet ESG targets is holding firms back from making necessary changes, with one in four (25%) decision makers within SMEs not being confident about the specific actions required. Concerns about competitiveness and costs are also prevalent, as one in four (26%) who have set ESG targets for their business believe that meeting these goals could make their business uncompetitive, and one in three (34%) think it's too expensive to implement. However, the primary challenge businesses with ESG targets face in meeting their goals is that 51% are waiting for regulatory or government guidance before making the necessary changes. [link]
New Boston Consulting Group research among over 1,000 US farmers shows that more than three-quarters have a positive attitude toward what the US Department of Agriculture calls “climate-smart agriculture.” Yet, despite this willingness and a general consensus on what sustainable practices look like, farmers lack a clear path forward, mainly because they do not have access to the necessary capital. A big part of the problem is measurement—more specifically, the lack of a practical system for measuring, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV) of sustainable agricultural practices. In BCG’s research, more than 75 experts across the entire agrifood value chain agreed that current measurement practices do not provide sufficient transparency and credibility to enable investments, such as insurance and loans, that incentivize farmers to make the transition to new farming practices. Without better measurement, private investment will not play; and without access to increased private funding, farmers are stuck in the mud. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
In late-September, U.S. farmers began increasing pressure on the Biden administration to allow vaccinations for chickens, turkeys, and cows to protect them from bird flu infections that have devastated flocks for three years. See more, here.