Regenerative agriculture, intended to preserve soil health and protect biodiversity, is a growing response to the climate crisis. Yet no-till farming – the practice of not removing crop remnants from fields after harvesting – when done in conjunction with the high usage of synthetic inputs, contradicts regenerative agriculture principles. A recent report from an environmental nongovernmental organization has analyzed whether these no-till practices are truly regenerative.
Friends of the Earth’s new report, Rethinking No-Till, evaluated the environmental impacts of no-till practices and identified several concerns:
- The top two no-till crops – corn and soy – comprise 93% of the 107 million acres of U.S. farms. Corn and soy grown in no-till systems use toxic herbicides to manage weeds, and 90% of no-till corn and soy acres rely on seeds genetically engineered to withstand herbicides, driving increased herbicide use.
- These toxic herbicides made from fossil-fuel based synthetic chemicals harm the soil microbiome and invertebrates that help build healthy soils. These chemicals have also been linked to negative health impacts including cancer, birth defects and infertility.
- The report concludes that a narrow focus on single practices like tillage is not regenerative and can contribute to greenwashing, or falsely identifying practices as environmentally friendly. Truly regenerative agriculture is holistic and tailored to the specific farming system.
Caroline Boden, director of shareholder advocacy, co-authored an op-ed in conjunction with the report’s launch, as Mercy Investment Services and its partners engage several companies on the financial benefits of transitioning to regenerative practices. Engagements encourage chemical/pesticide producers such as Bayer and Corteva, food & beverage manufacturers like General Mills and Kraft Heinz, and major U.S. retailers such as Target and Walmart to ensure the resilience of their food supply chains and business models by transitioning away from hazardous chemicals and supporting holistic regenerative practices.