Regenerative Organic Agriculture Combats Climate Change Starting from the Soil

"Forgetting how to dig the earth and care for the soil is forgetting ourselves."
Mahatma Gandhi

As humans, we've sent people to the moon and deciphered the human genome, but only now are we beginning to understand the complexity of the soil. For too long, we've looked at soil as merely something where we put plants, not as a crucial living component for human and ecosystem health. Healthy soils produce more food, retain more water, and capture a significant amount of carbon from the atmosphere. In fact, a third of the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere results from the oxidation of organic matter in depleted soils from poorly managed farms and exhausted pastures.

Industrial agriculture contributes significantly to the production of greenhouse gases. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides kill soil organisms responsible for producing organic matter. Monocultures, landscape changes, deforestation, waste, and transportation are all parts of the food chain that generate significant emissions.

Fortunately, regenerative organic agriculture, when applied to fields and pastures, can recover significant amounts of excess carbon from the atmosphere and return it to healthy soil in the form of organic matter. This is how soil was created and is one of the most important steps we can take to reverse climate change, along with reforestation and not burning fossil fuels.

Photo of Rapunzel Naturkost

Dr. Bronner's is proud to work with suppliers and farmers around the world—in Ghana, India, Samoa, and Sri Lanka—to improve their living conditions while simultaneously regenerating the soil. Our Special Operations team focuses on education and practices that contribute to increased soil fertility and organic matter, boosting income and profits for smallholder farmers, and helping local communities withstand heat waves and storms. These techniques include crop rotation, cover crops, and composting. like that practiced by our peppermint oil supplier in India —and dynamic agroforestry like that practiced by our palm oil supplier in Ghana.

Along with the Rodale Institute, Patagonia, and other advocates, Dr. Bronner's is at the forefront of developing certified regenerative organic agriculture standards that manufacturers and producers can use to certify their ingredients and products as regenerative organic .

On a personal level, We can all adopt a "regenerative" diet by consuming smaller portions of higher-quality meat and food from regenerative farming practices , and by joining organizations that embrace these values. And we can improve the health of our soils and their ability to capture carbon from the atmosphere by composting instead of throwing food scraps in the trash—and inspire our friends and family to do the same.