Kutztown, PA—A global switch to regenerative crop and pasture systems could drawdown more than 100% of annual CO2emissions, and regenerative can feed the world while stabilizing the climate, regenerating ecosystems, restoring biodiversity, and enhancing rural communities. Those are the major takeaways from a newwhite paperreleased by Rodale Institute, which analyzed the data on soil carbon sequestration potential from the past decade.

The white paper, titled “Regenerative Agriculture and the Soil Carbon Solution,” makes the case for regenerative agriculture as a tool to combat the climate crisis. The paper builds on claims made byRodaleInstitute in the 2014 white paper“Regenerative Organic Agriculture and Climate Change: A Down-to-Earth Solution to Global Warming.”The latest paper integrates the most recent research data while providing actionable steps for consumers, policymakers, farmers, and more, according to a press release.
Key findings, as outlined in the release:
  • The combined shift of both crop and pasture management globally to regenerative systems could drawdown more than 100% of annual CO2 emissions, pulling carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in the soil.
  • With appropriate grazing management, livestock can increase carbon sequestered in the soil that more than offsets their greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Crop yields in regenerative systems outcompete conventional yields for almost all food crops, which the institute says proves that regenerative can feed the world while stabilizing the climate, regenerating ecosystems, restoring biodiversity, and enhancing rural communities.
  • Eaters, farmers, and policymakers can help fight the climate crisis by:
    • Supporting and implementing regenerative practices
    • Encouraging adoption of regenerative systems by peers and governments
    • Divesting from systems that destroy soil health
“Humans broke the planet with grave agricultural malpractice,” said Tom Newmark, Chairman of The Carbon Underground, a contributor to the paper, in the release. “With this white paper,Rodale Institute shows us how regenerative agriculture has the potential to repair that damage and actually reverse some of the threatening impacts of our climate crisis. This is a compelling call to action!”
Related: Regenerative Agriculture in the Age of COVID-19 & Beyond #NaturallyInformed: Saving the Planet, Soil First #NaturallyInformed: From Farm to Conference
Available for download atRodaleInstitute.org/Climate2020: The full paper; a fact sheet, social media graphics; and an action toolkit that includes a guide to buying regenerative products, tools to support regenerative farming policy.RodaleInstitute's hope: to invite those in the food, farming, and health spaces to rethink the future they want to see for both people and the planet, and what steps can be taken to achieve it.
For More on Regenerative Agriculture

Watch Newmark's keynote presentation, as well as a panel discussion featuring Rodale Institute's Diana Martin, at Driving Value Through Sustainability Across the Supply Chain, available on demand.