Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) is a revolutionary new label for food, fiber, and botanical ingredients and products. ROC is based on three pillars that require farmers to use practices that ensure healthy soil, pasture-based animal welfare, and fairness for farmers and workers. ROC is overseen by the 501(c)3 nonprofit Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA), a group of experts in farming, ranching, soil health, animal welfare, and farmer and worker fairness. Led by Rodale Institute and spearheaded by Dr. Bronner’s and Patagonia, other founding members of the Alliance include Compassion in World Farming, Fair World Project, White Oak Pastures, and the Textile Exchange. The ROA has been established to continuously review and update the certification guidelines. At the Regenerative Organic Alliance, we envision a world free of poisonous chemicals, factory farming, exploitation, soil degradation, habitat destruction, pollution, short-term thinking, corporate bullies, greenwashing, and fake food. Instead, we imagine a world in which farmers, brands, policymakers, educators, researchers, and individuals come together to create a healthy food system that respects land and animals, empowers people, and restores communities and ecosystems through regenerative organic farming. Farm like the world depends on it
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Regenerative Organic agriculture encompasses organic farming and then raises the bar, prioritizing building soil health as a way to fight climate change. A holistic system, regenerative organic sees the well-being of earth, humans and animals as interconnected. High standards for animal and worker welfare are critical.
Growing food and fiber with industrial techniques has devastated our climate. Conventional agriculture contributes up to 25% of the emissions driving the climate crisis. But there’s another way. Regenerative Organic methods can build healthy soil which helps draw carbon back in the ground.
Because healthy soil traps carbon, many believe that Regenerative Organic farming methods have the potential to change the way we grow food and fiber and restore the health of our soil and climate. These practices help build healthy soil that could help draw down more carbon from the atmosphere than conventional methods.
Regenerative Organic agriculture could be a viable way to help stop climate change before it’s too late. In 1996, Patagonia decided to exclusively use organic cotton and recycled cotton. Now we’re taking our commitment even further by growing the cotton in our clothes with Regenerative Organic methods. The highest organic standard, this farming method supports people and animals working together to restore the health of our planet to create a brighter future.
Regenerative organic agriculture certification, an introduction to the topic and an explanation of the importance of regenerative agriculture.
In this film, organic market gardeners Frank and Josje talk about why the supermarket system doesn’t work and how Community Supported Agriculture fits into a new story for food growing. CSA members help farmers to grow the best quality vegetables and to nurture healthy soils by committing to receive a vegetable box every week for a season. That way, the farmer can get on with growing great food and sending it direct to their customers, without having to accommodate the profit-geared demands of the supermarket chains, which drive conventional growers to produce less nutritious vegetables in ways that damage the soil. This is the future of food, a future in which both people and planet are healthier! Wairarapa Eco Farm: http://wefs.co.nz
