Regenerative agriculture seeks to restore, renew, and enhance natural resources through a range of practices that focus on healthy soils, ecosystems, and farming communities. It’s not just about sustaining our planet, but actively healing it.
Regenerative agriculture is considered a step up from sustainability — a way to shift agriculture from being part of the climate problem to being part of the solution. Examples of regenerative agriculture practices include cover cropping and crop rotations, minimizing inputs, no/limited tillage, and affordability and accessibility of crops.
It differs from organic agriculture in a few notable ways: Regenerative focuses on outcomes and principles, while organic is a labeling term that indicates products were produced by practices verified by the USDA — primarily without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.
This practice is also dedicated to improving the well-being of farmers and creating a future in which farming communities are economically viable and able to invest in practices that support the land. The goal is to create a system where farming is healthy for both the planet and for the people farming it. “It’s sort of the ultimate version of sustainability,” says Dr. Stephen Jones, Director of Washington State University’s Breadlab, an organization committed to grain innovation and research.
While it’s especially critical for today’s planet, regenerative agriculture isn’t new — it embodies principles foundational to longstanding Indigenous land traditions, positioning humans as stewards of the land on which we live.
King Arthur Baking Company’s division, Grains for Good, uses 100% regeneratively grown wheat that promises to restore the soil health while producing a product that is delicious and climate friendly! This new blend went on the market in November of 2023 and contains unique types of wheat including perennial varieties that all grow together in the same field.
Get your own bag of “The Flour of the Future” at Whole Foods or online and try some recipes here: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2023/11/07/the-flour-of-the-future
By Cindy S.
