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Regenerative ag as the next big thing
Story Date: 3/14/2018
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Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 3/13/18
The buzziest topic at Expo West - the massive natural and organics trade show that just wrapped up in Anaheim, Calif. - was regenerative agriculture, of all things. For a sector that's growing like crazy and attracting loads of new capital, it's sorta wonky.
There are several burgeoning efforts to define and establish certifications around regenerative agriculture, an approach to farming aimed at rebuilding topsoil and boosting biodiversity. The one that's getting the most attention right now is the Regenerative Organic Alliance, a confab led by Rodale Institute, Patagonia (yes, the clothing company) and Dr. Bronner's (yes, the company best known for its soap). The alliance is cooking up a Regenerative Organic Certification, which it officially launched at Expo West.
The basics: Details of the Regenerative Organic Certification are still fluid, but the basic idea is that USDA organic certification would be the baseline and requirements would be added on from there. The certification would also expand beyond agricultural practices to include animal welfare and worker standards.
All the buzz: Just to give you a sense of how much interest there is in the topic: There was a panel on Saturday at Expo West to discuss the Regenerative Organic Certification and it was so packed people were sitting on the floor and dozens of people were blocked from entering (fire marshal's orders!).
Why another certification: "We had concern that the word regenerative was being used without the word organic - we thought that was a big issue," said Rose Marcario, CEO of Patagonia, during a chat with MA at Expo. Marcario said the idea was sparked last year at Expo when she and David Bronner, CEO of Dr. Bronner's, were on a panel together. They were worried the term regenerative could be rendered meaningless and be used for greenwashing unless strict standards were developed to back it up.
"There's a whole spectrum ... and, unfortunately, you'll get really weak sauce, minimal efforts being called regenerative," Bronner said.
What's next: Standards for ROC are still in the works, and a number of companies are going to be taking part in a pilot to test various systems. DanoneWave, the largest public benefit corporation in the U.S., has pledged to have its Vega One Organic line and its Horizon Organic grass-fed offerings take part in the pilot. A number of other brands are also "allies" of the concept, including Maple Hill Creamery, Justin's (a fast-growing nut butter brand) and Patagonia Provisions (Patagonia's food line). More here.
Capital flow Expo: It was clear at the trade show that investor interest in the sector is surging. MA popped into one session where slides touted the fact that conventional food brands lost $19.1 billion in revenue between 2009 and 2014. The natural and organic food and beverage sector, on the other hand, is expected to grow by 75 percent to reach $107.7 billion in sales by 2019. Investment in the nutrition biotech and agtech space shot up more than 1200 percent between 2014 and 2017.
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