Environment

Agroforestry, the ancient agricultural system of integrating trees and shrubs with crops and livestock, has seen a revival in recent decades in the U.S. Around the country, agroforestry projects have sprung up, bolstered by federal grants like the Department of Agriculture’s Climate-Smart Commodities program. Federal agencies have also partnered with nonprofits to provide training and resources for farmers interested in diversifying their crops, bolstering their soil, and sequestering carbon.

Since 1987, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) has reported that pollinator numbers have decreased by almost 25%. As we continue to create a world suited for our needs, bees are losing vital habitats they rely on for food and nesting. Lush meadows are replaced with fields upon fields of single crops. Green spaces are traded for steel and concrete. Our wild, messy, species-rich gardens become neat, mown lawns. Slowly, but surely, bees are being squeezed out of the world they have been part of for millions of years. Understanding the impact of their decline is crucial to fully grasping how important bees are and what their loss means for the world around us.

The amount of water stored on lands across Earth’s continents has declined at such staggering levels that changes are likely irreversible while humans are alive, a study published Thursday found. The losses in soil moisture — a result of the planet’s climate conditions and prolonged droughts — already pose issues for farming, irrigation systems and critical water resources for humans. But it also affects sea-level rise and Earth’s rotation — datasets the research team used to better track water storage for decades longer than previous studies.

The post Earth’s Soil Is Drying Up.

The Regeneration International Academy, in collaboration with South Seas University, has conducted its fourth online certificate course in regenerative agriculture, agroecology, and organic farming. Integrating the three major global nature-based agricultural movements—agroecology, regenerative agriculture, and organic farming—is essential as complementary systems.

Zimbabwe and many parts of Southern Africa have long relied on maize as the staple crop. However, the increasing climate variability even in good rainfall years like 2025 and the 2024 El Niño-induced drought have exposed maize's vulnerabilities. Traditional grains such as finger millet, sorghum, and pearl millet are proving to be more resilient and sustainable, both nutritionally and environmentally. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has emphasized the importance of diversifying staple crops to improve food and nutrition security across the region. This piece shares the growing urgency around transitioning from maize to traditional grains such as finger millet, sorghum, and pearl millet, particularly in the context of arid Zimbabwe and broader Southern Africa.  

This Guidance Document is written to assist certifiers and operators in understanding how to comply with the standard. The Regeneration International Standard has been crafted in a format that is more accessible for farmers, rather than adopting a regulatory standard format. The standard is mainly informative rather than normative. It includes the Definition, General Principles, Guidance, and clear Prohibitions.

On December 6, 2024, the General Assembly of IFOAM – Organics International approved the statement «Elevating Truly Regenerative Agriculture – Statement from the Organic Movement» in Taiwan, which provides members, partners and regenerative actors with valuable perspectives from the organic movement on current regenerative initiatives and claims to inspire thought and action.