Sustainable
Fundamentally, the basis of global organic regulation is that you have to work with nature’s systems and cycles, and you can’t take out more than you put in. Some might say, it’s renewable!
That means businesses, consumers — and, increasingly, governments and policymakers — have ways to support environmentally friendly and socially progressive farming systems, backed by copper-backed legal safeguards.
This is smart because creating organic market mechanisms can support better practices, even in our current broken economic system, that would otherwise not properly value people and the planet.
You could call organic food a shining example of an “oven-ready” approach that has accelerated many of the increasingly urgent environmental and social changes needed to address the climate and ecological crises. In this regard, standards and certifications are excellent tools for bringing about change.
Many people have realized this.This European Commission calls As part of the European Green Deal, 25% of farmland will be certified organic by 2030, while Germany has just Officially recognized organic as a model for sustainable agriculture.
greening
But regulation isn’t the only tool in the box, and it doesn’t cover everything the organic movement craves. This is the floor, not the ceiling.
Many organic farmers and food businesses know this and go far beyond the official “rules”, innovating and blazing trails over the years, guided by organic principles.
Most people are involved because they believe in its efficacy as a production system, and the evidence is right in front of their eyes, felt by them and their communities.
More and more organic farmers, food and fashion businesses are starting to describe what they are doing as renewable, which makes sense as the word means ‘over’ and helps convey a sense of being proactive , progressive and engaging actions. But fundamentally, they are also organic.
In fact, while organic enjoys legal safeguards preventing the term from being greened, as a regulated term, there are challenges for newcomers and veterans alike.
Improve
Farmers who start out with organic practices, but aren’t ready to go all out, may be left out of the word “organic.”
Conversely, farmers beyond organic regulation felt that the term organic was insufficient to convey what they were doing and the progress they were making in principle. Somewhat counterintuitively, regeneration appeals to both ends of the spectrum.
This is good news, we need a broad church and we won’t make the changes we need to see by making perfect the enemy of good.
But we also need to ensure that regeneration drives real and meaningful change and that it is not hijacked by those seeking to green. As such, it must be grounded in a clear vision and direction to make the impact it seeks. Recognizing that organic farmers are renewable is a good place to start.
Likewise, organic can learn a lot from regeneration. While the organic-focused market has already had a clear benefit and impact – it is now worth over €120 billion and 75 million hectares are cultivated in 190 countries around the world, it is driving continuous improvement and influencing other agricultural Progress has been slow.
reshape
The bureaucracy of legislation has somewhat hindered incremental progress towards a better realization of organic principles. This is where innovations from the regenerative agriculture movement can give organic a rocket boost.
Using metrics and monitoring as tools to help improve and optimize everything from carbon storage in soils to cropland biodiversity offers organic farmers the opportunity to not only measure the impact of what they do, but to improve it further.
There is much to be gained from recognizing the shared values and trajectories of organic and regenerative. Truly renewable means organic, but equally truly organic also means renewable. They are interconnected, stronger and more meaningful together.
Many forward-thinking companies and organizations have come to this conclusion themselves. Many of the UK’s leading advocates of regenerative agriculture also support organic farming.
The Renewable Organic Alliance in the United States has developed an organic-based renewable certification program. Closer to home, Yeo Valley’s recently launched regenerative organic farming program centers on organic practices.
Regenerative and organic must go hand in hand to bring about the world change we need to see and effectively address the crises of our time. Rather than reinventing the wheel, stand on the shoulders of giants.
this author
Sarah Compson is the Soil Institute’s International Development Manager.
