TRANSITIONING TO SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Videos & Films

John Chester (Laurie David, Erica Messer, and Sandra Keats). “Biggest Little Farm.” 2018.

https://www.biggestlittlefarmmovie.com/

An award-winning documentary about the 8-year journey of John and Molly Chester who transformed 200 acres of degraded farmland into a thriving sustainable farm called Apricot Lane Farm located in Moorpark, California, near Los Angeles.

Arizona State University (Peter Byck). “Soil Carbon Cowboys.” 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDoUDLbg8tg 

This 12-minute video tells the story of three innovative ranchers who transitioned from conventional to adaptive multi-paddock grazing and ended up regenerating their soils, creating a thriving grassland habitat for their cattle, reducing carbon emissions and increasing soil carbon sequestration, and establishing financial security.

Advocacy & Educational NGOs

American Grassfed Association (AGA). https://www.americangrassfed.org

The goal of the AGA is to promote grassfed meat and dairy through government relations, advocacy, research, marketing, and public education. AGA certifies (through independent, third-party review) grassfed animals as those who have eaten only grass and forage from weaning to slaughter, have not been raised in confinement, and have never received antibiotics or growth hormones. All AGA-Certified Producers are American family farms and their livestock is born and raised in the U.S.

CalCAN (California Climate & Agriculture Network). http://calclimateag.org/

CalCAN is a coalition of farmers and ranchers, scientists, and others within California advocating for the transition from environmentally destructive agricultural practices to sustainable and organic practices that build food security, protect our water supply, mitigate climate change (through reduced greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration in the soil), and create community.

Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems (CRARS), California State University, Chico https://www.csuchico.edu/regenerativeagriculture/

The goal of CRARS is to promote regenerative agricultural practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, restore soil resiliency, increase the sustainability of farms and ranches, and address food and water security. CRARS is working to enhance our understanding of regenerative agriculture through applied research, establishment of a national network, educational program (certifications and minors/majors in regenerative agriculture), farmer to farmer networks, and discussion around a peer-reviewed journal in regenerative agriculture.

Kiss the Ground. https://kisstheground.com 

This ground-breaking non-profit focuses on education and awareness of the benefits of healthy soil to the climate, food systems, and the environment through film, soil health education, stewardship, leadership training, advocacy for policy changes, and the Kiss the Ground Farmland Program that supports farmers and ranchers transitioning to regenerative agricultural practices.

Marin Carbon Project (MCP). https://www.marincarbonproject.org/ 

MCP is a group of university researchers, county and federal agencies, nonprofits, and the Nicasio-Native Grass Ranch (John Wick) that researches, demonstrates, and implements practices to enhance carbon sequestration in soils on rangeland, agricultural land, and the forest within Marin County. MCP conducts research through UC Berkeley, UC Cooperative Extension, Colorado State University or other partnering universities, and implements practices through the Marin Resource Conservation District and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). http://sustainableagriculture.net

NSAC is an alliance of grassroots organizations that advocates for federal policy reform to advance the sustainability of agriculture, food systems, natural resources, and rural communities and provides direct representation in Washington DC. NSAC works to support small and mid-size family farms, healthy rural communities, and sustainable and organic farmers normally dominated by big business, and to protect natural resources, promote and ensure access to healthy, and nutritious foods for all. 

Organic Consumers Association (OCA). https://www.organicconsumers.org/usa 

The mission of OCA is to protect consumers' right to safe, healthful food, and to create a just food and farming system and an environment rich in biodiversity and free of pollutants. The “Citizens Regeneration Lobby” campaigns@citizensregenerationlobby.org is their lobbying arm, which advocates for small-scale regenerative organic farmers.

Savory Institute. http://savory.global/ 

The Global Savory Institute is the pioneering organization co-founded by Allan Savory, a Zimbabwean ecologist and livestock farmer, on holistic management of livestock to facilitate the large-scale regeneration of the world’s degraded grasslands to mitigate climate change, address food and water security, and create thriving communities. The Savory Institute offers holistic management training, online resources, and an extensive global network.

Soil Health Academy. https://soilhealthacademy.org/

Soil Health Academy provides hands-on training on how to improve soil health using principles of regenerative agriculture, increase profitability, build resiliency into the land, decrease input costs, and restore the health of our land, the climate, and the food that we eat.

Books

Gabe Brown. Dirt to Soil: One Family’s Journey to Regenerative Agriculture. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2018.

This book tells the story of Farmer Gabe Brown’s 10-year journey from conventional ranching, yielding low profits, to regenerative ranching, creating both profit and healthy product. Using practices of regenerative agriculture, Farmer Gabe Brown describes how he researched and experimented with no-till planting, cover crops, and holistic grazing to repair 5,000 acres of degraded grassland into a thriving ranch full of life in the soil throughout the grassland ecosystem. Today, Farmer Gabe Brown is known as one of the pioneers of soil health practices and an instructor for Soil Health Academy.

Charles Massy. Call of the Reed Warbler: A New Agriculture; A New Earth. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2017.

A revolutionary story of the power of regenerative agriculture to restore our soils, our food supply, our planet, our health, and our communities and the courageous farmers transforming their land. Farmer Massy, an award-winning Australian author, shares the stories of farmers and ranchers, including himself, who have moved beyond the use of destructive industrial farming and ranching practices into a regenerative agricultural system of healing the land and way of life.

Joel Salatin. Folks This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World. Center Street, 2011.

Salatin, a third-generation family farmer in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and agrarian libertarian shares his experiences and thoughts on regenerative agriculture.

Courtney White. Grass, Soil, Hope: A Journey through Carbon Country. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2014.

Founder of The Quivira Coalition https://quiviracoalition.org, Courtney White offers solutions to what we can do about climate change, global hunger, water scarcity, environmental stress, and economic instability. He focuses on ranching practices in the Southwest that restore living soils and revive riparian habitats while producing meat from intensively grazed animals.

Journal Articles

Smith. Regenerating Supply at the Growing Edge of the Natural Products Industry. Terra Genesis International, April 16, 2018. https://medium.com/terra-genesis/regenerating-supply-at-the-growing-edge-of-the-natural-products-industry-e682a17ff0ed 

Regenerative agriculture was the star of the show at the 2018 Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, California, with a host of events exploring regeneration in business and supply and many brands making claims for, and commitments to, the integration of regenerative agriculture in their supply systems. Reviews the history of regenerative agriculture, its potential and the main claims and commitments made to ‘’regenerative’’ at Expo West 2018.