Despite recent news that studies show organic food is worse for the environment due to land-use concerns, real organic farming is based on regenerative principles. Researchers at the Rodale Institute have shown that if all farms and ranches used regenerative organic techniques (practices premised on supporting soil health), global carbon emissions could be captured in the soil. The positive impact this would have on climate change cannot be overstated.

Several companies, including Patagonia and Dr. Bronner’s, have teamed up with other allies from the Regenerative Organic Alliance. The focus of the program and their eventual add-on label, Regenerative Organic Certification, is said to be: soil health, animal welfare, and social fairness for farmers. ROC-certified products are expected to be publicly available by 2020.

Cornucopia will continue to advocate for policies and consumer support of family-scale farmers that use practices that support the health of the planet. Consumers can vote with their forks by choosing organic food from real organic farmers using regenerative practices.

Reckless farming is destroying the planet. This could save it

CNN

by Rose Marcario and David Bronner for CNN Business Perspectives

Editor’s Note: Rose Marcario is the president and CEO of Patagonia. David Bronner is the CEO of Dr. Bronner’s. The opinions expressed in this commentary are their own.

The United Nations released a dire warning recently: Climate change is here and it’s a clear and present danger to our entire planet. Of course, we didn’t need another report to tell us that — we see it in extreme and unusual weather, disappearing wildlife and falling farm yields. But there is one major cause of this global catastrophe that doesn’t get the attention it deserves: industrial-scale chemical agriculture.

Reckless farming practices spurred by mega corporations, like clear-cutting forests and industrial-scale tilling — using machines to mix soil — release massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. They also eliminate one of the best ways the earth naturally captures and stores carbon — sequestering it in plants and soil. This signals disaster for our food supply and our planet.

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