Regenerative Agriculture. The most discussed topic on the planet in relation to agricultural production today.
Regenerative agriculture is a holistic approach to agricultural activity, which focuses on maintaining soil fertility and its continuous rejuvenation. It is a broader concept than organic farming and sets goals such as regenerating ecosystems and biodiversity, restoring natural balance and at the same time, ensuring economic sustainability for producers.
The idea and applications of regenerative agriculture are attracting significant investment, thanks to their potential for long-term solutions to issues such as harmonizing agricultural technology with the environment and the adequacy and quality of food resources, which are a global priority.
An application that facilitates and encourages the spread of regenerative agriculture practices is found in innovative supply chain solutions (logistics). Logistics networks that support rational agricultural practices, promote and transport the product, from the selected producer, maintaining its brand and visibility, to the informed consumer, contributing to his accessibility to quality food.
They facilitate the process, minimizing the costs of transportation, storage and timely supply with the help of technological solutions and economies of scale. In this way, satisfactory purchase and sale prices are ensured as well as a sustainable profit for the maintenance of the system. Consumer Cooperatives and businesses that target responsible producers and mature clientele, while utilizing information technology, increasing the speed and efficiency of supplies, are an example of this function.
Οn the occasion of our collaboration with one of those innovative businesses, Amfora, that applies those logistics solutions and the crowdfunding campaign it currently runs, we had the chance to talk to Agfunder institution, a global venture capital that makes technology investments in business projects aimed at solving global issues in fields such as agri-food, artificial intelligence, biology and climate.
Τhe topics that arise though this interview are two and very important especially for Greece. The first, is about understanding the essence of regenerative agriculture and its impact. Despite the commercialization of the "trend" that is regenerative agriculture in the markets, it important to understand that its practices, are essentially the inherent principles of traditional agriculture, still implemented in our country, especially with regard to olive cultivation.
Small lots, geomorphology and biodiversity in semi- mountainous terrains in most of the cases and especially in Crete, have always favored practices that are considered regenerative by the theory today. For example, preserving native aromatic flora of the Cretan land as thyme, sage, and oregano, preserving natural fences as oleanders, artichokes, mastic trees, or carob trees and the stone fences used also as borders, helped to create islands of life in the grove.
The simultaneous livestock farming within the cultivated field was usual as well, as was the cultivation of barley, oats and legumes, without tillage. Deep plowing destroying ground structure, was anyway too difficult in this terrain and with the means available. Therefore, minimal processing was applied and controlled grazing took care of the natural cutting of grass and weeds.
These methods where needed to preserve household economy and self-sufficiency. At the same time, they fulfilled the purposes of the ecosystem rejuvenation, enriching the ground with nitrogen, protecting it from erosion, loss of moisture and overheating, increased the organic matter and recycling of nutritional substances with the use of manure, and organic residues, also shielded the trees from the wind. The microclimate in the olive grove, attracted beneficial insects, natural enemies of the fruit fly, pollinators and microorganisms.
«(Traditional Olive oil Production) works with the terms of regenerative agriculture by default, by definition,” says Erica Christodoulou of Zakros, an agricultural cooperative in the Sitia region of Crete that produces extra virgin olive oil.
The lifestyle change and the intensity of farming have tempered the conscious approach to these practices, but knowledge is power and when the ancient knowledge is backed up by science, we consciously return to the need of protection of the ecosystems and their biodiversity, as this is the only long-term investment in productivity.
The unpredictable weather phenomena of recent years, have demonstrated how dangerous soil stripping in monocultures is, making it vulnerable to «flash» floods and droughts.
In the Agricultural Cooperative of Zakros, much of the above are vastly implemented in a targeted and strategic manner. Rational water management, enriching the soil with organic matter, using crop residues, using lawn mowers instead of tillers and the protection of the tree from the fruit fly with natural methods so that there is the least possible impact on the health of the tree and the fruit quality are a few common measures. After all, those methods are an integral part of the specifications of the Protected Designation of Origin product, which is a signature product for the place and community that produces it and cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world.
In the small rural communities, households, continue to function with a self – sufficiency mentality so the cases that the grove co- exists with the vine, the vegetable garden and livestock are quite a few. It is a lifestyle that belongs to our ancestors, yet we owe it to ourselves to preserve.
“Many definitions of “regenerative agriculture” are one or zero. You are either regenerative or not. Our approach is very different: everyone’s on a journey at a different speed, they have a different context, they have different soil, they have different landscapes, they have different water needs, and there’s no one size fits all.” Amfora founder Eurof Uppington
The other important issue highlighted, is the cost required to ensure that the quality of a product gains a place in the consumer's perception through appropriate promotion and long-term placement on retail store shelves. A cost that often wipes out the producer's profit and when not systematically invested, fails to consolidate the message of quality and its connection to a brand.
The olive oil industry still has a long way to go in properly informing consumers. For the family-owned businesses and Cooperatives, of which the spine of olive making in our country consists of, this often is an unbearable cost of investment, as much as necessary. On the other hand, misinformation and the distance between the public and the producers are exploited in cases where there is enormous visibility, with inversely proportional quality standards or even controversial methods of managing the product, the land and commercial relations with the producers.
“Markets are mostly interested in price, regardless of quality. The problem is that this has created a lot of room for certain practices we are very much against. There is a lot of adulteration of the product.” says Mr Pierrakos from the brand: Gold Metamorphosis
The story is old, but it does not need to be repeated, as a wave of consumer consciousness is emerging on the planet that is directly linked to supporting local communities, sustainability and the search for quality food with all its positive impact on human health.
Smaller producers “are forced to sell into the food system at commodity prices which they have no influence over,” says Eurof Uppington, CEO and founder of Switzerland-based olive oil offtaker and marketer Amfora.
A solution may lie in more efficient supply chain networks that, by leveraging technology and organizing mass supply, take care of the difficult task of managing the flow of products from the point of origin to the appropriate consumer, in the right way and at the right time, storage and cost. When these networks identify and connect quality supply with conscious demand, a new consumption channel is created that has the power to change things.
It can motivate producers to dedicate themselves to the regeneration of ecosystems, but also consumers to claim their health through food, as Hippocrates urged us to do thousands of years ago. It is a journey. And like every journey begins with the first step. A good choice, with many ethical and tangible implications for the lives of millions of people and their relationship with our earth.
You will find the full article here:
How Amfora is preserving ancient olive oil traditions—and bringing profit—to regenerative producers
