The transition to regenerative agriculture is accelerating across the global farming landscape, certification body Regenagri found.
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The group, which supports farms and organizations in transitioning to holistic farming practices , recently launched its inaugural impact report. The data revealed that regenerative farming practices continued to gain momentum during 2023, bolstered by international producers’ “widespread recognition” of its economic and environmental benefits. This translated into a fivefold increase in the number of farms and supply chain operators applying the program’s standards, with an additional 640 supply chain companies coming on board.
“As extreme weather events become more frequent and the urgency of climate action intensifies, Regenagri’s work in promoting regenerative agriculture is more critical than ever,” said Franco Costantini , the company’s CEO. “2023 was a year of remarkable progress for Regenagri, with the area of land under its certification tripling from 487,000 hectares in 2022 to over 1.46 million hectares in 2023.”
The program now supports more than 230,000 farms and 855 supply chain operators globally, per Costantini.
“Regenagri’s standards are fast becoming the industry benchmark, especially within the textiles and food sectors,” he continued. “We’ve continued to see growth in the textiles sector with brands such as J.Crew Group , Gap [and] PVH .”
In 2021, J.Crew Group began investing in and piloting regenerative agriculture programs with growers and strategic partners globally, choosing Regenagri to support the firm’s goals to reduce the environmental impact of the cotton used in its garments. J.Crew works directly with farms in Texas and Louisiana to improve their farming practices, with the aim of achieving Regenagri certification. The supported regenerative practices include no-till or minimum till, cover cropping and diverse crop rotations, as well as integrating livestock when possible. These practices resulted in increased soil biodiversity and overall species biodiversity on the farm as well.
2021 also marked the beginning of the partnership between Regenagri and J.Crew Group supplier Arvind Ltd. to support farmers in India transitioning to regenerative practices. Through the partnership, the retailer invested in converting 2,400 acres across hundreds of smallholder farms in India to regenerative farming practices, all certified to the Regenagri standard, the report said. Within a year, the Madewell parent was ready to launch its first Regenagri-certified cotton collection.
“We are excited by Regenagri’s program and are exploring ways to expand it to more farmers and more fabrics in the future,” said Doug Forster , chief sourcing officer at J.Crew Group. “Regenerative agriculture is a priority for us at J.Crew Group, and sourcing fibers that may actively mitigate the effects of climate change is especially exciting.”
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The report breaks down the environmental and economic benefits of implementing the UK-based community interest company’s framework as well.
“Regenagri certified farms have achieved a remarkable positive impact,” Costantini said. “Representative examples are the annual greenhouse gas reduction of 4.44 tons of CO2 equivalent per hectare for cotton farms and 5.34 for coffee farms.”
The increase of soil carbon sequestration (about 5 million tons of carbon) and the reduction in water use are other notable achievements.
“Certified farms in Brazil have also made significant strides in resource efficiency , reducing water use by 95,410 liters per hectare,” Costantini said.
Looking ahead, the international program aims to double its impact in 2024 by expanding its program to cover 2 million hectares of land, supporting 500,000 farms globally.
“As the Regenagri initiative grows, we keep learning; from understanding the needs of farms and supply chains to technologies and systems that support the integrity and scalability of the program,” Costantini said. “I’m excited about how much more we can achieve in the coming years. We have ambitious goals to keep moving at a pace toward our vision of a world in which regenerative farming is the norm.”
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