Regenerative agriculture

One of the main causes of climate change is agriculture. However, at the same time, agriculture could also be the solution to the climate crisis we are currently facing. If we transition from the conventional, industrial agriculture we practice now, to regenerative agriculture.

Philipe Birker, co-founder of Climate Farmers, whom I met in Bucharest at the Climate Change Summit 2023, explains very well why our current agricultural methods are such a huge problem and what transitioning to regenerative agriculture would entail:

"Many people don't know that 24% of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by agricultural practices. The reason is that soil is one of the main carbon sinks. In nature, every plant takes carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and brings it into the soil through its roots. It's like a bazaar there. The plant exchanges carbon with other plants, receiving phosphorus, nitrogen, glucose, and water. It's the best way to extract carbon from the atmosphere. In conventional agriculture, we plow the land.

This means we dig up the soil and sever these connections. We empty the bazaar and release the carbon. At the same time, because you destroy the life in the soil, you eliminate excess nutrients. We use chemicals, fertilizers, to feed the plant. So the cultivated plants are not those that grow naturally. They don't have the usual nutrients. They fill us, but they don't nourish us. What we consume makes us sick. That's why we have many diseases.

In regenerative agriculture, we try to work with nature.

Instead of focusing only on the harvest, we focus on soil health. We feed the bazaar. We don't plow, we don't use chemicals, we plant diversely, because nature doesn't have monoculture fields. Nature has multiple plants in a small area, all cooperating with each other. In regenerative agriculture, you plant diverse fields and copy natural processes."

Carbon Footprint Offsetting

Climate Farmers is therefore a program for farmers who want to make the transition from traditional to regenerative agriculture or for those who want to start now. Philipe Birker estimates that there are about ten thousand farmers in Europe currently practicing this type of regenerative agriculture. Out of a total of 10 million farmers in Europe. So the potential is immense.

A program that can be a solution not only for paying farmers for the carbon they sequester but also for companies that want to offset their carbon footprint.

Philipe Birker: "Companies have a duty to report carbon emissions. On one hand, for companies that don't work with farmers, we connect them with a nearby farm. They pay the farmer for carbon sequestration. They visit, they see what's happening. We help them reduce Scope 3 emissions. We help them with the carbon produced in the supply chain. We help them with the transition of farmers in the supply chain. Then we report to them so they can say that they have reduced their emissions due to activities with Climate Farmers, to transition farmers to regenerative agriculture."

How ethical this practice is is still a matter of debate.

What is clear, however, is that regenerative agriculture means, among other things, growing plants without chemicals. Which sounds like organic farming. About which we know more, because we, Romanians, have also started to buy more organic vegetables and fruits, which come from this type of agriculture.

But are organic farming and regenerative agriculture one and the same thing? And what exactly is the problem with monocultures? How can I, as a consumer, tell if a potato I buy in a store comes from a regenerative system or not? Can this type of agriculture support a continuously growing global population?

These are questions I sought answers for with Cristina Briziou, agricultural project manager, passionate about soil and everything that comes from it, on the PRO VERDE show on Pro Tv Digital. Which you can watch in the video.