We asked Max Fern from The Rodale Institute to be our guest writer in honor of Earth Month this year! The word “regenerative” has been thrown around a lot these days and has become a trendy buzz word. As one of the first to use the term to describe ancient farming practices that rebuild the soil, having someone from Rodale Institute write on the topic seemed like the most direct way to get to the bottom of what “regenerative” really means. More importantly we wanted to highlight how to be a regenerative organic consumer in a world that needs it more than ever…

By Max Fern

We’ve all bought or seen food with the green USDA Certified Organic label. Organic food is always grown without synthetic chemicals, like pesticides or fertilizers; non-GMO; and animals raised organically are hormone-free, antibiotic-free, and raised with access to the outdoors.

At Rodale Institute, a nonprofit that has been researching and teaching about regenerative organic farming for 75 years, we’re seeing firsthand the ways in which what we eat, and how it’s grown, can affect the health of people and the planet. As we face tough situations in our world today, like climate change, disease, and social change, Rodale Institute knows we can take a big leap forward in our food system.

Regenerative organic farming is the new frontier
Regenerative organic farming goes one step further than USDA Organic to emphasize soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness. In addition to prohibiting chemicals that can harm the soil, regenerative farmers use practices like:

• Crop rotation
• Cover cropping
• Composting
• Reduced tillage
• Integrated livestock management strategies

These practices bring nutrients back to the soil – fixing more carbon in the ground and increasing the nutrient density of the harvest.

Yoga is all about consciousness, nature, and finding balance. Regenerative organic agriculture seeks to be a bridge between the current state of environmental degradation and the restorative, regenerative state we believe we can achieve.

Some history of the word “regenerative”
While the term “organic” has been officially around since the 1990s, the word “regenerative” – as it relates to farming – started with Bob Rodale, son of Rodale Institute founder J.I. Rodale.

In the 1980s, Bob realized that people were talking about “sustainability” as a cure for our planet’s problems, but he didn’t think it went far enough. “Sustainable,” he thought, meant staying the same. Instead, we should be aiming for “regenerative,” where our resources are actively improved or regenerated as we use them.

The Power of the Labels
Although the USDA Certified Organic label is a critical foundation for a food system built on soil and human health, in the spirit of Bob Rodale, we believe we can go even further—that’s where regenerative organic comes in.

Regenerative Organic Certified™, or ROC, is a new gold-level standard in food labeling. ROC brings together the two movements of organic and regenerative farming – setting a high standard not just for soil health but for people and animals as well.

That means that you, the consumer, can feel confident that what you’re buying was grown with people and the planet in mind.

Here are 3 tips to help you become a regenerative organic consumer:

Tip 1: Buy organic and regenerative organic products whenever possible.
Supporting regenerative organic and organic farmers with your dollars makes a huge difference. The U.S. does about $60 billion annually in organic sales – mostly, for organic food – but $5 billion also comes from household products, clothing, and pet food.

When shopping, look for the USDA Certified Organic label or the ROC label and, whenever possible, ask your local farmer about their practices. Keep prices down by joining a regenerative organic CSA. Farmers need money in advance of their production season to help them finance their work. This also helps keep your dollars in the local economy.

Tip 2: Transform your household.

a. Grow your own food as another way to eat regeneratively!
Even if you only have a windowsill, rooftop, or container garden, growing food at home offers so many benefits.  These include physical and mental health as well as learning more about how your food is produced. If you’re fortunate enough to grow more food than you need, you can give some of it away to a local food bank.  How awesome would that be?

Organic gardening also helps reduce your carbon footprint since food from the grocery store usually travels thousands of miles before it hits your plate. You can even grow native plants to support local pollinators, increasing biodiversity in your community.

b. Consider replacing your lawn with a regenerative meadow.
Always use natural methods to deal with weeds.

c. Get into composting!
Food waste contributes 20% of what gets sent to landfills, however we could be using food scraps to help bring nutrients back to the soil. You can even compost indoors, using worms, if you don’t have outdoor space. It’s easier than you think.

d. Whatever you’re growing, always skip the chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers
U.S. homeowners currently use even more pesticides than farmers, and many of these chemicals have been linked to negative health impacts.

Tip 3: Raise your voice.
You have power as a consumer, but we need to make systematic changes to our public policies. Contact your local representative and teach them about regenerative organic agriculture and how it supports rural communities, improves our health, and helps mitigate the climate crisis. Demand more funding for organic research, resources to help farmers transition to organic, and subsidies to support healthy soil and nutrient-dense food. Get in touch with brands you love and encourage them to make their supply chains more organic, regenerative, and transparent. Spread the word to your friends and family!

Access to organic food remains a privilege that isn’t accessible to everyone, but we can all raise our voices until it is.

For more information about regenerative organic agriculture and why it matters, visit Rodale Institute’s website at RodaleInstitute.org.

Max Fern is a Content & PR Intern at Rodale Institute. He is also a senior at Lehigh University, where he is pursuing a major in journalism and minors in economics and environmental studies. His passion for sustainability and regenerative agriculture is inspired by his love of skiing and all things outdoors.