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-Editorial
In order to establish that the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development promote regenerative agriculture and also provide information on programs, support, and rights for those involved in agricultural processes, the Plenary of the XXIV Legislature approved the reforms proposed by Deputies Daylín García Ruvalcaba and César Adrián González García, respectively.
Deputy García Ruvalcaba explained that regenerative agriculture rehabilitates the soil to maintain its long-term productivity, thus avoiding expansion into new areas. It improves the performance and health of natural resources and supports both social welfare and the economic security of farmers. “Regenerative practices enhance productivity and food quality, restore and maintain ecosystem services in balance, enriching the livelihoods of communities with better economic incomes and participatory processes.”
This proposal determines that the Secretariat of Agriculture will promote regenerative agriculture as an alternative for conserving agricultural soils, benefiting the environment, mitigating climate change, and saving water. Additionally, it will encourage the use of organic biofertilizers, plant nutrients, and natural substances for crop biosimulation, as well as the implementation of agronomic practices that improve soil health.
On the other hand, Deputy César Adrián González’s position is that the same department should implement permanent campaigns to inform the rural population about their rights, support, and services available to them, such as public programs and requirements to be beneficiaries, guidance on how to file complaints and reports to the relevant authorities to defend their rights, as well as information on labor conditions established by current regulations.
Under these two approaches from both legislators, the Law on Agricultural Development of the State is amended in Articles 5 and 13, and Articles 35 TER and 35 QUARTER are added.
Regenerative agriculture is not a specific practice. It combines a variety of sustainable agriculture techniques. Practices include maximal recycling of farm waste and adding composted material from non-farm sources.
Regenerative agriculture on small farms and gardens is based on permaculture, agroecology, agroforestry, restoration ecology, keyline design, and holistic management. Large farms are also increasingly adopting regenerative techniques, using “no-till” and/or “reduced till” practices.
As soil health improves, input requirements may decrease, and crop yields may increase as soils become more resilient to extreme weather and harbor fewer pests and pathogens.
Regenerative agriculture mitigates climate change through the removal and sequestration of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Along with reducing carbon emissions, carbon sequestration is gaining popularity in agriculture, and both individuals and groups are taking action to combat climate change.
Some members of the scientific community have criticized certain claims made by proponents of regenerative agriculture as exaggerated and unsupported by evidence. One prominent proponent, Allan Savory, claimed in his TED talk that holistic grazing could reduce carbon dioxide levels to pre-industrial levels within 40 years. According to Skeptical Science: “It is not possible to increase productivity, increase the number of cattle, and store carbon using any grazing strategy, much less Holistic Management. Long-term studies on the effect of grazing on soil carbon storage have been done before, and the results are not promising. Due to the complex nature of carbon storage in soils, the increase in global temperature, the risk of desertification, and methane emissions from livestock, it is unlikely that Holistic Management, or any management technique, can reverse climate change.”
Commenting on his TED talk “How to Fight Desertification and Reverse Climate Change,” Savory has since denied claiming that holistic grazing can reverse climate change, stating that “I have only used the words address climate change… although I have written and spoken about reversing man-made desertification.” Savory has faced criticism for claiming that the carbon sequestration potential of holistic grazing is immune to empirical scientific study. For instance, in 2000, Savory stated that “the scientific method never discovers anything” and “the scientific method protects us from cranks like me.” A 2017 factsheet authored by Savory claimed that “every study of holistic planned grazing that has been done has provided results that are rejected by range scientists because there was no replication.” Debates summarize this by saying “Savory argues that standardization, replication, and therefore experimental testing of HPG [Holistic Planned Grazing] as a whole (rather than just the associated grazing system) is not possible, and that therefore, it is incapable of study by experimental science,” but “he does not explain how HPG can make causal knowledge claims with regard to combating desertification and climate mitigation, without recourse to science demonstrating such connections.”
According to a 2016 study published by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the actual rate at which improved grazing management could contribute to carbon sequestration is seven times lower than the claims made by Savory. The study concludes that holistic management cannot reverse climate change. A 2017 study by the Food and Climate Research Network concluded that Savory’s claims about carbon sequestration are “unrealistic” and very different from those issued by peer-reviewed studies.
Tim Searchinger and Janet Ranganathan have expressed concerns about the emphasis on “Practices That Increase Soil Carbon at the Field Level” because “overestimating potential soil carbon gains could undermine efforts to advance effective climate mitigation in the agriculture sector.” Instead, Tim Searchinger and Janet Ranganathan argue that “preserving the huge, existing reservoirs of vegetative and soil carbon in the world’s remaining forests and woody savannas by boosting productivity on existing agricultural land (a land sparing strategy) is the largest potential climate mitigation prize of regenerative and other agricultural practices. Realizing these benefits requires implementing practices in ways that boost productivity and then linking those gains to governance and finance to protect natural ecosystems. In short, produce, protect, and prosper are the most important opportunities for agriculture.”
