THE European Alliance of Regenerative Agriculture (EARA) has presented a white paper “Together for Regenerative Agrifood Ecosystems” at the Food Systems Pavilion at COP28 in Dubai.
Two weeks after their foundation, the Founding Farmers of EARA are presenting their vision of Regenerative Agrifood Ecosystems and how high level decision-makers can learn to steward towards them with the launch of their White Paper at the Food Systems Pavilion at COP28 in Dubai.
An EARA spokesperson said, “In the context of fading ecological resilience, fragile agronomic performance and misguided paradigms of agricultural practice that over-rely on technical solutions, the current agrifood governance system produces compounding negative feedback loops, locking the current system dynamics in a path towards collapse.
“EARA’s White Paper advocates for turning our governance systems into positive agents, fostering economic, social and ecological prosperity and health, by positively co-stewarding the regeneration of our agrifood ecosystems.
“Multiple regenerative farming operations, scientific case studies and proof of concepts developed by farmers across Europe and globally, successfully demonstrate that plenty of economically sound farming systems exist on the ground which reverse environmental damage, promoting biodiversity, soil health, plentiful nutritious food and also ecological and economic resilience.”
EARA says that its Founding Farmers are stepping up to co-steward the transformation of agrifood ecosystem governance so that economic and regulatory environments are created in order to promote on-farm, rapid and systemic regeneration based on the following Defining Principles for Stewarding Regenerative Agriculture (each with sub-principles that are outlined in the paper):
- Regeneration is a life-enhancing process, rather than a permanent state
- Regeneration is outcome-oriented regarding social, ecological and economic health
- Regeneration is context-specific
- Regeneration is systemic
EARA said, “Farmers cannot bear the sole responsibility for this transformation. By stewarding the transformation along these principles, rapid systemic changes are possible, which can foster an environment of trans-disciplinary and -sectoral cooperation between all levels and actors. Further, pluralism in governance and knowledge systems is required to enable up-to-date, context-specific and evidence-based policy-making, derived from on-farm research and analyses.”
The paper gives clear guidance along which keystones agrifood system governance must be re-envisioned to foster regeneration.
EARA invites everyone to continue working towards practical and political changes aimed at creating communities in economic and regulatory environments conducive to on-farm and systemic health.