Regenerative Agriculture and food quality: you are what you eat

By Dr Dawn Teverson, Technical Manager, LEAF, UK

When it comes to feeding the world, it is often said that regenerative agriculture falls short of producing enough food to sustain the earth’s growing human population. Whilst these criticisms are not to be dismissed, they often overlook the role that food quality and especially nutrient density plays in nourishing our population, and consequently what constitutes a valuable yield in agriculture. So, what is meant by nutrient density? Nutrient density refers to the amount of nutrients you can get from a certain food, compared to the number of calories it contains. It’s a simple way to connect nutrients with calories because nutrient dense foods give you the most nutrients for the least number of calories.

Are all crops equal?

There is research work that suggests lack of a clear relationship between yield and nutrient density. As yields increase, the amount of nutrients contained within the food produced don’t necessarily increase in proportion to the weight (ie yield) of the crop.

Soil health is an important factor influencing the growth of a crop, whether this is wheat to make bread or grass to feed livestock. Regenerative practices such as minimising soil disturbance and keeping the surface of the soil covered encourage soil biology to flourish at the same time as enhancing the physical integrity of the soil. A good example of this is the complex network of worm-holes, fungal hyphae and microscopic air pockets that contribute to integrity of soil aggregates, helping drainage. By minimising disturbance to the soil, these vital attributes of the soil are optimised.

It’s not only people who are affected by what they eat. Research over several decades has also shown that grass-fed beef has a significantly improved fatty acid composition compared to grain-fed beef, and antioxidant content is also affected. This directly affects eating quality, both in terms of nutrient density and eating experience.

So why is this important?  If we only judge the value of a yield by weight, as we generally do in agriculture, the other qualities of the harvest, such as the nutrient density of crop, can be overlooked. However, although nutrient density is rarely measured or monitored directly there are vast quantities of research relating to food quality, which can be used as an indirect way of inferring nutrient density.

How do we demonstrate food quality to the consumer?

Food labelling to indicate nutrient density would be difficult to achieve, as there are multitudes of rules and regulations in place in the UK, EU and worldwide, to say nothing of the variability of the product when grown in different soil types and climates.  Whilst regulation helps to prevent inaccurate claims, it does mean that it would be very expensive to fulfil the necessary requirements to suggest that one food was more nutrient dense than another. However, there are assurance systems in place which set standards for food production.

LEAF Marque is a leading global assurance system recognising more sustainably farmed products, and LEAF Marque certified businesses have been independently verified against the robust LEAF Marque standard which promotes Integrated Farm Management, a system of managing the land which has much in common with Regenerative agriculture.

The importance of food choice

It goes without saying that we need a food system that provides sufficient healthy accessible food for everyone. Sustainable farming, in all its forms and whatever the label, is vital to retain and improve the health of our soils and ensure positive action for the climate. Consumers need to be well informed so that they can make good choices for the food that they eat, both for their own health and the health of the planet.

AgriCaptureCO2 is working to find solutions to the growing threat of climate change and improve farmers’ resilience by encouraging Regenerative agriculture. Educating consumers, so that they can choose quality food which has been produced in a way that supports a healthy resilient ecosystem is part of that solution.