Do you even know what this means?

According to a report by Kiss The Ground, consumer understanding of the word “regenerative” has gone up. From 7% to 13%.

Still pretty low, eh? Improvement is good though even if it’s by an inch. The irony is: regenerative just describes “normal” farming.

Farming had gotten so bad over the years since industrialization we had to come up with a new word to describe the old way we farm.

“Regenerative” feels futuristic, complicated, and new. But “regenerative” as an idea is actually historic, simple, and old.

If you ever feel a bit confused or discouraged when the term is flying around, I’d like to take a short moment in this newsletter to explain it by its 3 core pieces.

Regenerative farming has 3 core pieces

Restoration - the term regenerative captures a type of farming that respects nature's law of reciprocity-- giving back what you take out. Industrial practices like chemical fertilizer and pesticide application constantly takes from the soil, never giving back. The plant is the focus, not the soil.

Biodiversity - this term simply means “life diversity”. Just like we can invest in a diverse portfolio of companies with our money, we can invest in soil with a diverse profile of species. These can be micro (invisible) species or macro species. Biodiversity happens naturally.

I had an awesome chance to interview Hugh Kent, one of the last regenerative farming blueberry farmers in Florida (more on that this summer on No Lab Coat Required). His wife is a wildlife biologist. They actively protect all of the animals and diverse life on and near their farm. They are growing one thing, yet their focus on natural processes keeps the land attractive to species that perpetuate the circle of life- allowing the land to thrive from a holistic perspective.

From big rabbits to small earthworms to tiny good bacteria, biodiversity can be quantified simply by the number of species in a given area.

Farmer prosperity - Farmer prosperity observes the farmers capacity to profit in a given farming method.

The picture of farmer prosperity is easily painted when we observe the contrast between conventional corn farmers, for example, and specialty crop farmers, like apple tree growers. It isn’t necessarily what the farmer grows, but it’s the model they exist within.

Conventional corn farmers have many middlemen handle their product, so they have to split their income up with everyone that touches their product before it reaches market shelves. Whether in the form of processed food, animal feed, or biofuels.

Let’s say the apple tree grower from this example is direct-to-consumer (DTC). This farmer, instead of going through middlemen, brings their product straight to the market. You may see a farmer with a big apple stand at your local farmers market this summer. These farmers are capturing greater profit because of their independent approach.

This example is like how old school hip-hop was in the 90s and 2000s. Up and coming artists would pop the trunk in the middle of the neighborhood and play their music loud out of their boomin’ trunk speakers. They’d sell their mixtape right out of their car. They were DTC. On the other side, the industry would sign artists and handle all of their distribution, these were the big company labels that took a share of an artist's music profits- middlemen.

Here at Feed The Land, we’re in talks with farmers that represent all three of these core pieces behind the term “regenerative”.

We believe supporting these farmers is what improves a more central and equitable food system. One that doesn’t just benefit the farmer, but the health and longevity of those interacting with them. Back regenerative farmers, mouths get fed real food!

Thank you for being here, see you again soon. 

Have you checked out our website?FeedTheLand.org