Catherine Hunter’s Post

The future of our #foodsystem depends on the health of our #soil, and right now the indications are not favorable. 🍂 Two-thirds of the world is experiencing #desertification, the process where fertile land becomes desert (UN Food & Ag Org) 🍂 By 2050 it is estimated that there will be 1 billion refugees as a result of soil desertification (UN Food & Ag Org) 🍂 95% of our food is grown in the uppermost layer of soil, called #topsoil. At current soil loss rates, some estimates say we could run out of topsoil in 60 years (Kiss the Ground) 🙈 I.F. is working hard to do our part. Our firm continually collects data, runs tests, and proactively monitors nutrient levels and other dynamic soil properties to help optimize productivity, while promoting #BMPs that maintain or increase #soilhealth over time. These best management practices include #CoverCrops, #CropRotation, and #ConservationTillage. We also educate farmers about these practices and monitor the soil regularly to test for indicators of soil health. Cover Crops: (green manures) support the biology that keeps nutrients, water, and gases cycling through the soil profile and increase the potential for the long-term deposition of carbon. Crop Rotation: one of the most effective ways to maintain and build a resilient soil is to maintain a continuous year-round growing cycle (cash and cover crops). By growing crops year-round, roots continue to produce exudates that improve soil physical characteristics, increasing water-holding capacity while reducing the potential for erosion and strengthening the soil #microbiome. Conservation Tillage: repeated conventional tillage degrades soil structures and increases soil compaction, preventing roots from penetrating various depths in the soil profile and limiting access to nutrients and water. Reduced tillage or no tillage must be selected whenever possible to improve soil structure, conserve energy, and promote a healthier soil ecosystem. Top TrialsTM: We partner with #growers, industry professionals, and other collaborators to evaluate the latest product and technology advances via our Top Trials program. These Trials span a broad range of technologies, from new seed and genetic potential to pre-commercial herbicide and technology evaluations. Soil Testing: Our firm has implemented a biennial soil testing protocol across all farmland properties to evaluate nutrient levels, pH, and organic matter content. In cases where there is degradation, I.F.'s #Agronomy team works with growers to implement a remediation plan to preserve and improve soil health. To learn more about our efforts to keep soil healthy, we invite you to download our 2023 Sustainability Report here: https://lnkd.in/eUjhHgk4 #foodandagriculture #foodsystem #sustainability #sustainablefarming #foodandagriculture #agriculture #sustainableagriculture #sustainableag #assetmanagement #foodeconomy #ESG #esginvesting

🐄 There's a lot to love about regenerative farming and its well known the US has lead the way in many aspects of it...but it's clearly not the solution to all our environmental woes 🌾 In a country where on average a person eats beef 5 times a week....the smartest solution is pronably a lot more simple than changing how cows are reared. Not necessarily all going vegan or even veggie, but even if we can bring that down to 1 or 2 times a week, imagine the impact! 🥩🥦🌽 With so many good meat substitutes now excuses are falling. No we can't quite mimic a barbecued steak but I personally can barely tell the difference between a Burger King plant-based whopper and original beef one 🍔🍟 (they are both a bit rubbish) This is also a good reminder to not get tunnel vision on carbon and remember these other greenhouse gases. This often gets missed in the conversation around regen farming where the value of carbon storage in grasslands is often the headline. 🌎🌡 Cows are great and we need them, but the more we can use them to help manage the landscape rather than managing the landscape to help them the better 🐂 🐃 #regenerativeagriculture #biden #biodiversity https://lnkd.in/eP-dEfDH

Is farming bad for the planet? Does farming make climate change worse? No, farming is not inherently bad for the planet. Humanity has partnered with nature throughout history to reliably cultivate nutritious food. Many cultures continue this reciprocity with nature, including Indigenous Peoples and local communities across the globe.  But the way the world is currently producing most of its food—by extracting more resources than we are giving back—is degrading the planet. The global food system is responsible for one-third of greenhouse gas emissions, 70% of freshwater use and 80% of land degradation. We now have a vicious feedback loop between food production and the degradation of nature. Conventional farming practices degrade soil health over time, making the land less and less productive. Farmers might then clear more natural habitat or compensate for these reduced nutrients by adding fertilizers. If too much fertilizer is added at the wrong time, it can wash into nearby waterways, harming freshwater and marine ecosystems by creating algal blooms and dead zones.  What is regenerative agriculture? Regenerative agriculture is any method of growing food that actively restores nature in the process. Regenerative production practices go a step beyond sustainability—they don’t just sustain the planet’s health by reducing harm, they improve that level of health. For instance, farmers using regenerative practices that nurture living soil give back resources to nature—like water, nutrients and biodiversity—so the land can continue producing year after year. Many of these methods help stabilize our climate and some can grow more food than conventional farming while using fewer resources. Since agriculture often refers only to how we produce food on land, we use terms like regenerative food production to include the nature-friendly ways of producing food from our oceans and freshwater. 

Changing the way rice is grown is a significant way to reduce the impact of one of the most important foods in global diets. Reducing water is an important first step. And using drones for fertilizing or doing anything else that would be done by hand makes a lot of sense. A new piece by the AP mentions that most of the rice is started intensively and then transplanted by hand to the right spacing. That is how rice has been planted for millennia. However, increasingly, rice in the US is planted from airplanes. This works better for heavier clay soils that take longer to dry out. The rice is soaked for a day or so, dried for a day to let it sprout and then planted by airplane, where pressure is used to push it out and give it some momentum to help the heavier seeds penetrate the soil. When there is time, and the soil is dry, no-till planting can also be used. All these methods can reduce both the environmental and social impacts of producing rice. The drone application of fertilizer or other chemicals also affords the opportunity to ensure that the right amounts are applied, thereby reducing pollution.

Half the world relies on rice as a staple food, but it takes a tremendous amount of natural resources to grow. Imagine if farmers around the world could grow rice with up to 40% less water and up to 45% fewer greenhouse gas emissions. This #WorldFoodDay, we don't have to imagine. Bayer is introducing a transformational rice cultivation system to help millions of smallholder farmers move from flooding their fields to sowing rice directly in the soil -- all while becoming part of the #climatechange solution. #TeamBayer #regenerativeagriculture

Securing regional forecasts for 12 countries with 260-305 million farming families exposed to the Asian monsoon and similar weather systems in Africa is projected to incur a cost of USD 23 million. However, the benefits for farmers are anticipated to exceed this investment by more than a hundred times. Climate change extends its impact beyond weather, influencing factors such as pests, soil salinity, agricultural markets, and the optimal selection of seeds and other inputs. https://lnkd.in/gt2VVD67

At present, agriculture provides enough food for the world’s 8 billion people, although many do not have adequate access. But to feed a global population of 10 billion in 2050, croplands would need to expand by 660,000 to 1.2 million square miles (171 million to 301 million hectare) relative to 2010. That would lead to more deforestation, which contributes to climate change. Further, some practices widely relied on to produce sufficient food, such as using synthetic fertilizers, also contribute to climate change. #landbou #agriculture #farming

Seaweed is rapidly making waves as the next "future-proof" feedstock. Not only is it a rich source of protein, but its potential uses span biofuel, bioplastics, and a plethora of consumer goods. As highlighted in a recent article by Modern Farmer, "The World Bank said raising this versatile crop in just 5 percent of U.S. territorial waters would produce as much protein as 2.3 trillion hamburgers and sequester the carbon emissions of 20 million cars." However, with growth comes responsibility. As seaweed farmers note, with a booming market there's a dire need for policies and regulation to ensure that while we harness the benefits, we protect our marine ecosystems in the process. Moreover, decisions need to be made to favor farms to be owned by local communities as opposed to massive corporations, allowing the seaweed economy to create a more equitable and sustainable food sector. Full article here: https://lnkd.in/gMiEGW-Y #Seaweed #Algae #Bioeconomy

The #Netherlands is the globe’s number two exporter of food as measured by value, second only to the United States (which has 270 times its landmass), and is also the world’s top exporter of potatoes and onions. The #Dutch almost completely eliminated the use of chemical #pesticides on plants in greenhouses. Each kilogram of tomatoes from the fiber-rooted plants requires less than 1/4 of the #water used for plants in open fields. The creativity and #innovation of the Dutch can help tackle hunger and devastating famine in the world. BUT: peat generates more #CO2 #emissions than normal soil, and the European Commission could eventually manage to limit these practices. All this triggers an enormous debate between protecting the soil, feeding growing populations, finding new ways of limiting the use of pesticides and reducing the CO2 emissions. These are the challenges of the future. These are the challenges of the present. #Nederland #NL #EU #politics #farming #environment #food #agriculture #science #sustainability #sustainable #technology #ClimateChange #AgricultureAndFarming #ScienceAndEnvironment #debate #ideas

As climate change impacts worsen, California's dominance in specialty crop production is unsustainable. WWF's report suggests transitioning some crops to the Mid-Mississippi Delta region. Foodwise, a project in the Delta, aims to create a more nutritious, farmer-friendly, and climate-conscious rice industry. By shifting to specialty crops, small farmers, especially Black farmers, can access more profitable markets. The report outlines progress and challenges, with plans for future phases.