{"id":3888,"date":"2024-03-24T21:36:48","date_gmt":"2024-03-24T21:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youngreenhub.eu\/?post_type=docs&p=3888"},"modified":"2024-03-24T21:36:48","modified_gmt":"2024-03-24T21:36:48","password":"","slug":"eit-food-farming-for-a-better-climate-five-examples-of-regenerative-farming-practices","status":"publish","type":"docs","link":"https:\/\/www.youngreenhub.eu\/sl\/docs\/eit-food-farming-for-a-better-climate-five-examples-of-regenerative-farming-practices\/","title":{"rendered":"EIT Food: Farming for a better climate: five examples of regenerative farming practices"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: https:\/\/www.eitfood.eu\/blog\/farming-for-a-better-climate-five-examples-of-regenerative-farming-practices<\/a><\/p>\n

Across the world, farmers are putting regenerative farming practices into place. From developing agrifood startups to large scale farms, farming for a better climate is proving to yield positive results.<\/em><\/p>\n

Why do regenerative farming practices matter?<\/h2>\n

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Having to adapt has become the norm for many farmers across the world. Changes to weather patterns, climate unpredictability and the need to protect our natural environment, alongside the fact there could be 9.8 billion people to feed by 2050 (1), means that farmers are now looking for ways to sustainably secure the future of farming.<\/p>\n

Regenerative farming practices\u00a0<\/a>help to enhance the resiliency of farms, boosting sustainability and biodiversity in the process. It takes a holistic approach to farming that considers the entire ecosystem, compared to industrial farming which is more about scheduling inputs and outputs to attain short-term goals. More than a grower of crops, the regenerative farmer is a \u201csteward of the land,\u201d as Spanish farmer Alfonso Chico de Guzman explains. The type of crop is secondary, he says, with soil health the most important consideration.<\/p>\n

While regenerative farmers may have lower yields in the short-term, regenerative farming practices foster healthier soils, improved water infiltration and reduced soil erosion and have been recorded to sustain yields and\/or lead to reduced production costs (2).<\/p>\n

Here are five case study examples of regenerative farming practices done well:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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1. The future of agriculture: General Mills, US<\/h2>\n
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General Mills<\/a>\u00a0is a US-based food company that has committed to deploying regenerative farming practices across one million acres of farmland by 2030. Driven by the notion of moving beyond just \u2018sustaining our planet\u2019,\u00a0General Mills measures the impact of regenerative agriculture<\/a>\u00a0across five goals: economic resiliency, soil health, water use, biodiversity and animal health and wellbeing (3).<\/p>\n

With these in mind, General Mills has launched a series of pilots to observe how regenerative farming works in practice. Understanding that each farm and farmer will have different priorities and limitations, General Mills studies regenerative farms alongside those using conventional methods. This aims to explore the benefits of regenerative practices and demonstrate that farms do not necessarily need to use conventional methods to produce the highest yields.<\/p>\n

The pilot programmes also consist of education workshops, technical support and collective research, as well as access to the\u00a0General Mills Regenerative Agriculture Self-Assessment tool.<\/a>\u00a0This is designed to help farmers understand how their own practices align with recognised principles of regenerative agriculture, allowing scope for change and improvement.<\/p>\n

With the average age of farmers in the US and other developed countries sitting at 60 years old (4), General Mills suggests there is a need to \u2018cultivate the next generation\u2019 by bringing farmers together and providing resources to those who will ultimately be shaping the future of agriculture.<\/p>\n

To do this, the food company supports the\u00a0National Young Farmers Coalition<\/a>, a not for profit advocacy group fighting to change policy, build networks and provide business services for young farmers. However, inspiring enough of the younger generation to move into farming remains an ongoing challenge.<\/p>\n