20240412 Regenerative Agriculture_share.pdf

Regenerative Farming

1. Master-Headline
7 May 2024
Regenerative Farming and
Agricultural Technologies

2. Regenerative
Farming is a holistic
outcome-based
approach to farming
that aims for both
economic and
environmental
benefits by
combining
exploitative and
restorative phases
within crop and
livestock rotations
WHAT IS REGENERATIVE FARMING?
2
Regenerative Farming
Organic Farming
Conventional Farming
Restoration ecology
(ecosystem recovery)
Keyline design
(water management)
Permaculture
(symbiotic ecology)
Agroecology &
Agroforestry

3. Regenerative
Farming is setting
additional goals
when defining
modern farming
beyond productivity
gains
WHY REGENERATIVE FARMING?
3
Ever improve
sustainable supply of
nutritious food
Focus on practices that
enhance soil quality & health
Promote the use of organic
amendments & microbes
Sequester carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere
Reduce carbon emissions by
utilizing renewable energy
Enhance biodiversity
and ecosystem
resilience

4. To create incentives
for regenerative
farming a new value
system including
long-term success
measures needs to
be established
HOW TO MEASURE SUCCESS IN THE FUTURE?
4
Economic Performance
1.
Soil Organic Matter
& Carbon (SOM &
SOC)
2.
Carbon Sequestration
3.
Carbon Emissions 4.
Biodiversity Monitoring5.
Setting up the next generation to succeed
Staggering value effects of regenerative farming are invisible on traditional
accounting frameworks and need to be brought into the equation*
*SuparakGibson, Aislin. 2022. The Underground Economy: Regenerative Farming’s Hidden Economic, Ecological, and Social Value. Master'sthesis, Harvard University

5. Advancements in precision
agriculture
Optimize soil impact and health with
tailored management practices and smart
machines
1.
3.Novel biotechnology tools Advances in genetic engineering and
marker-assisted breeding to enhance
nutrient efficiency, pest and disease
resistance as well as stress tolerance
Apply precision and drip irrigation as well
as techniques like hydrological design
and forms of agroforestry
Modern irrigation methods5.
Leaps in technology
paired with regulatory
pressure, carbon
markets and climate
change impacts form
the basis for growing
interest in methods of
regenerative farming
WHY IS IT POSSIBLE NOW? – SIX SIGNIFICANT TECHNOLOGY DRIVERS
5
Minimize impact by efficient use of
synthetic fertilizers/CPs, complementing
biologicals and resistance management
Spot-application of inputs
4.
Affordable renewable energy Reduce carbon footprint of farming
6.
2.Powerful data analytics and
machine learning
Monitor soil organic carbon (SOC),
weather patterns, and crop performance

6. Governments and
NGOs perceive
regenerative farming
as support-worthy
and entertain various
measures to support
Examples on
selected regenerative
farming measures
demonstrate the
width of activities as
well as potential
issues
EU INITIATIVES AND EXAMPLES
6
“Carbon farming initiative” announced in the EU Farm to Fork (F2F) Strategy is relevant to regenerative agriculture:
-Promote “carbon sequestration by farmers” as a “green business model” to be publicly and privately financed (2021)
-Commission agreed to regulatory framework for certification of carbon removals also related to land management (2022)
-Expert Group to assist in developing the certification methodologies (expected in 2025)
EU Measures
*https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167198723000107, ***https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652622038987,
**https://literatur.thuenen.de/digbib_extern/dn067182.pdf
Example 2: Gene-Edited Plants
Gene-editedplantscanproducehigher
yieldsandbetterresistpestsaswellas
tolerateheat,droughtorsalinity.Superior
cropsenableregenerativefarmerstomeet
environmentaltargetswhilenotrisking
economicgains:
✓Equalorbetteryield
✓Lesspesticides
✓Lessfertilizers
✓Lessirrigation
✓Lesstillage
→PotentialGHGsavingsof13-23%**
Example 1: Low-to No-tillage
Low-tillagricultureminimizessoil
disturbanceallowingsometillingfor
weedcontrolandplanting,keeping
plantresiduesinthesoil.
No-tillfarminginvolvescovercrops
tobegrown,cutandleftasa
decaying,nutrient-dense,protective
matovertheplantedsoil:
✓Keepingsoilstructureintact
✓Protectingsoilfromerosion
✓Preservingmoisture&soilbiome
→PotentialGHGsavingsof>15%*
Example 3: SOC Measurement
Incentivesforregenerativefarmingalso
resultfromcompensatingfarmersthrough
carboncreditsforsoilorganiccarbon
(SOC).Costefficientmeasurementof
SOCistheprerequisiteformanagingit:
✓Useofsatellitedataandsoilsampling
✓AnalyticsbasedonSOCmapping
✓Norm-basedcarboncrediting
✓Significantincentiveforsequestration
✓Strongpublicsupport(ESA,EUetc.)
?ButquestionofSOCpermanence***
→Howtoeffectivelyincentivizefarmers?

7. STARTUPS IN REGENERATIVE FARMING (>€500M RAISED)

8. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION