Regenerative Organic Alliance

Why Regenerative Organic? Industrial agriculture and factory farming of animals are top contributors to climate change, and these methods have devastated our soils. In turn, climate change is making it harder to farm. Our conventional farming system has degraded the soil to dangerous levels around the world. But there is hope. ROC™ was created because regenerative organic agriculture has the potential to address many of today’s pressing problems, including the climate crisis, factory farming, and fractured rural economies. With regenerative organic agriculture, we can rehabilitate soil, respect animal welfare, and improve the lives of farmers. We can sequester carbon, build healthier communities, and reap more nutritious and abundant yields. Photo courtesy of Regenerative Organic Certified® Tablas Creek Vineyard

Regenerative Organic Certified® — an umbrella certification covering environmental protection, animal welfare, and fair trade — represents the highest standard for organic agriculture in the world. By purchasing Regenerative Organic Certified® products, individuals can connect with a full suite of important values and know at-a-glance that their purchase makes a positive impact at every level: environmentally, ethically, and socially.

🎉The Regenerative Organic Alliance is celebrating a tremendous milestone in the regenerative organic movement as we have just reached 300 Regenerative Organic Certified® farm operations.🎉 We started off 2024 with 185 Regenerative Organic Certified® farms, and in the last 12 months our certification team has issued 115 new certificates, taking us to over 300 Regenerative Organic Certified® farm and ranches! This milestone represents 300 farming operations that are building a more resilient future through regenerative organic practices that improve soil health, sequester more carbon from the atmosphere, empower farm worker fairness, ensure the highest standards of animal welfare, and support local economies. As we celebrate this impact to close out the year, we want to thank all of the dedicated farmers and ranchers, suppliers, brands, educators, and supporters who advocate for regenerative organic agriculture, we can’t wait to see what we collectively achieve in 2025 💚

Friends of the Earth just released a shocking new report finding that U.S. food retailers face $219 billion in financial risks if they continue allowing toxic pesticides in their supply chains. Read the full report here: US$ 219 billion risk from pesticides for US food retailers Key Findings:  - The US food retail sector faces up to US$ 219 billion in financial, climate, and biodiversity costs and risks for the period 2024-2050 stemming from the use of pesticides in the domestic production of just four crops — soy, corn, apples, and almonds. - This represents 32% of US food retailers’ current equity value. In the high-end scenario, a value equal to nearly one-third of the total stock available to shareholders would be lost if food retailers were held fully accountable for all risks associated with pesticide use in the domestic production of soy, corn, apples, and almonds. - The use of pollinator-harming pesticides on the four target commodities is associated with biodiversity risk valued at a staggering US$ 34.3 billion for the US food retail sector between now and 2050. This is a conservative estimate, as it is impossible to account fully for the damage done to ecosystem services and nature’s intrinsic value by toxic pesticides. - Climate damage costs for US food retailer sales of products containing soy, corn, apples, and almonds can be associated with US$ 4.5 billion for the period 2024-2050. This is based on CO2 equivalent emissions associated with the production and use of pesticides used on these crops. This is a significant underestimate. It does not account for GHG emissions associated with agricultural production (e.g., fuel for farm machinery and volatilization of applied pesticides, which can create potent GHGs), nor does it account for pesticides’ harm to soil ecosystems, which are the basis of soil carbon sequestration as well as farmers’ resilience to climate change. - Pesticides used on these four crops account for approximately 50% (484 million pounds) of all pesticides used in agriculture in the US annually. Soy and corn account for the bulk of the volume, with approximately 465 million pounds or 46% of all pesticides used. - A significant amount of these pesticides are chemicals classified as highly hazardous to human health and/or the environment. The highly hazardous pesticides applied to corn, soybeans, almonds, and apples account for 29% of total US pesticide use or 293 million pounds annually. Read the full report, US$ 219 billion risk from pesticides for US food retailers, here: https://lnkd.in/g6H6qzcy

Regenerative Organic Certified® farms and products meet the highest standards in the world for soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness. The Regenerative Organic Certified® seal uses the USDA Certified Organic standard as a baseline. From there, it adds important criteria and benchmarks that incorporate the three major pillars of regenerative organic agriculture into one certification. 🌱Soil Heath What we do to the soil, we do to ourselves, as soil is the bedrock of our food system and, ultimately, our culture and civilization. Regenerative organic farming methods restore and build soil, protect ecosystems, and protect people by increasing soil organic matter, fertility, and biodiversity. 🐄Animal Welfare High welfare farming addresses the needs and nature of animals first, ensuring livestock experience a pasture-based stress-free environment that protects them from extremes of temperature, thirst, hunger, and fear, allowing them to exhibit natural behaviors such as ranging, foraging, and rooting. 🧑🌾Farmworker Fairness To be truly regenerative, we must consider all players in the farm system — from the soil to the people working the soil. Ethical treatment of our land stewards is fundamental to a thriving agricultural system, and the Farmer & Worker Fairness module seeks to empower people and restore communities by ensuring fair conditions for farmers, ranchers, and workers at all levels of the farm. Photos of Regenerative Organic Certified® Farms: 1. Rodale Institute 2. Burroughs Family Farms 3. Dr. Bronner's mint supplier PAVITRAMENTHE FAIR ORGANIC PVT LTD

To kick off 2025, the ROAs Program Director, Paul Alvarez, will join other industry leaders at the Sustainable Food Summit in San Francisco. Since 2009, the Sustainable Foods Summit has been covering major sustainability developments in the food industry. And this year a big focus of the summit will be on organic and regenerative systems in agriculture and the supply chain. Paul will be presenting on the ROC™ framework and core principles in securing a sustainable future, as well as participating in two panel discussions: Taking Regenerative Agriculture Mainstream. - There is growing recognition of the sustainability merits of regenerative agriculture, however adoption rates remain low. The panel will discuss approaches to increase adoption rates of regenerative agriculture. The ROA will join a panel alongside representatives from, Soil & Climate Alliance and the Soil & Climate Initiative (SCI). Future Direction of Organic Labels. -The USDA organic label is well-established in the organic food industry, however new labels are emerging. The ROA will join a panel alongside our friends at the Organic Trade Association, Rodale Institute, CIRANDA Inc., Friends of the Earth U.S., and Patagonia Provisions. #SFSNA25

Discover how Regenerative Organic Certified® Sol Organica is working to support farmers, empower a thriving food system, and protect our planet through regenerative organic agriculture! Read their 2023 impact report linked below. 🌱 As a consumer, a great way to support companies that are helping to shape a restorative future for all is by voting with your dollar by purchasing their products in the marketplace. You can find Sol Organica's delicious dried fruit snacks along with other Regenerative Organic Certified® brands at many retailers across the nation (and globe!) such as Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Jimbo's, and your local Co-op!

Free webinar! This Friday, 12/20, we will be hosting a free virtual field day with Oatman Flats Ranch as part of our Regenerative Organic Learning Center program, led by Benjamin Fahrer. The virtual field day will bring together members of the ROA, experts in regenerative organic farming under the ROC™ framework at Oatman Flats, and guest speakers in the region. 🕑9am PT  📅December 20th, 2024 📍Virtual | Zoom- registration required To learn more and register at this link: https://lnkd.in/g-xHruaH About the speakers:  Benjamin Fahrer, brings over 25 years of organic farming experience, specializing in designing and building integrated ecological farming systems as a consultant. He has brought innovation to urban agriculture by designing, building and operating highly productive urban rooftop farming systems in the SF Bay area. He is deeply committed to building these ecosystems in service to nature and community. Yadi Wang, PhD. Inspired by the farming lifestyle of his extended family, Yadi was determined to become a farmer after receiving his doctoral degree in environmental science. Throughout his farming journey, he rediscovered his own roots being Chinese, which allows him to celebrate life of all kinds and embrace the culture and his ancestral views of focusing on the health of people and land within his touch.  Dax Hansen. Dax is the owner of Oatman Flats Ranch and founder of Oatman Farms. He is a visionary farmer who is leveraging his blockchain expertise to bring transparency to the food supply chain. Dax is committed to reimagining agriculture based on a view of the farmer as steward and the farm as an integral part of a shared and evolving landscape. Jesús M. García. Jesús is a Desert Ecologist and Ethnobotanist and serves as a Conservation Research Associate, teaching natural history and cultural programs throughout southern Arizona and northern Mexico. He has been the Director of the Kino Heritage Fruit Trees Project for almost 20 years, while also serving as the vice-chair board member of Friends of Tucson’s Birthplace and the Mission Garden for over a decade. Iris Tirado. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Iris obtained a Nutrition and Dietetics degree from University of Puerto Rico. She worked with the Madison Metropolitan School District for 20 years in school nutrition, always exploring locally procured foods and flavors. Iris joined Concordia Charter School in 2019 where she enjoys serving as Concordia’s School Food and Nutrition Director. Jonathan Buford is the CEO and founder of Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company, which is renowned for its environmental initiatives, including water conservation and sustainable sourcing. Jonathan continues to focus on improving the brewery’s community impact.

✨ Reflections on the Berlin Tea Festival 🌱 I just returned from an incredible 3-day trip to Germany for the Berlin Tea Festival, and I’m feeling inspired and energized! It was such a joy to connect with Europe’s vibrant tea community in a historic and intimate setting. This trip was about more than just attending the festival—it was an opportunity to: 💡 Meet with the Wild Orchard community in Berlin ahead of the festival. We welcomed new members and began planning an even larger gathering for next year—complete with more tea tastings! 🤝 Build relationships with passionate tea professionals from around the world, including producers, distributors, researchers, sommeliers, tea room owners, and other advocates dedicated to elevating tea culture. 🌱 Present on regenerative organic tea cultivation and share how it improves soil health, mitigates climate change, and fosters personal well-being. Seeing the audience’s enthusiasm was incredibly rewarding—over a dozen attendees even expressed interest in joining our Jeju Island tea festival next May. How exciting would that be to meet on Jeju Island? 🍵 Introduce Wild Orchard teas to a new audience and receive such encouraging feedback on the flavors and the meaningful story behind our teas. This trip reaffirmed my belief in the power of tea to connect us all and drive positive change. Looking ahead, I’m confident that 2025 will be a breakout year for Wild Orchard as we grow, expand our impact, and continue spreading the message of regenerative organic agriculture throughout the tea industry. 🌟 A heartfelt thank-you to everyone, especially our European partner Peter Fuchs, who made this trip so impactful. If you share a passion for tea, sustainability, and health, let’s connect! Together, we can create lasting change for both people and the planet. #Tea #RegenerativeAgriculture #Sustainability #Community #BerlinTeaFestival

Applications for Top 50 Farmers are open! Top 50 Farmers is committed to recognizing and celebrating the achievements of leading regenerative farmers across Europe. The organization promotes regenerative farming practices, fosters innovation, and supports the growth of the farming community by connecting farmers with funders, corporations, academics, chefs, and nonprofits. Through this collaboration, T50F highlights the inspiring stories of agricultural leaders and advances the global regenerative agriculture movement. Benefits of the program include storytelling, access to new markets, financing, mentorship, and peer-to-peer support. As an exemplary leader and voice for regenerative organic agriculture in Europe, the ROA has nominated Ludovic du Plessis 🍾🌱🌏 of Champagne Telmont for the T50F incentive! Ludovic’s own cultivating commitments to regenerative organic agriculture and advocacy for widespread adoption of regenerative organic practices across European farmland makes him a commendable choice for the T50F program. Learn more or nominate a standout regenerative farmer in Europe here: www.top50farmers.org.