A new report from Friends of the Earth (FOE) challenges the positioning of conventional no-till agriculture as “regenerative”, concluding instead that it is often heavily dependent on toxic pesticides. 

The report’s findings have prompted calls for the regenerative agriculture movement to take a stand on “degenerative practices”. One leading organic industry commentator called the report a “wake up call for the regen movement”. 

The new report, based on detailed analysis of US Department of Agriculture (USDA) data, finds that a one-third of the US’s total annual pesticide use (a term that includes herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides) can be attributed to no- and minimum-till corn and soy production alone.

Friends of the Earth says that chemical-intensive agriculture predominates in the US “not through the fault of farmers, but because that is what public policies and markets support”. Farmers have widely adopted no-till to minimize soil erosion and now, the group says, must be supported to reduce agrochemical inputs.

Highly hazardous
The report finds that the vast majority (93%) of acreage of the top two no- and minimum-till crops, corn and soy, use toxic herbicides that “have devastating consequences for soil life and human health”. These chemicals, being broadcast across nearly 100 million acres nationwide, predominantly in the Heartland and Great Plains, have been linked to cancer, birth defects, infertility, neurotoxicity, disruption of the gut microbiome, endocrine disruption, and more, Friends of the Earth says. The majority (61%) of use is chemicals that are classified as highly hazardous.

The report argues that heavy use of pesticides is entirely at odds with claims that conventional regenerative agriculture supports soil health. Instead, chemical pesticides “devastate soil health”, harming the soil microbiome and invertebrates as well as essential pollinators and other wildlife.

‘Faulty assumption’
The report also challenges the “faulty assumption” that conventional no-till is a climate solution, summarizing extensive scientific research showing there is not a clear relationship between no-till and soil carbon sequestration. It adds that the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the fossil-fuel-based synthetic pesticides and fertilizers used in no- and minimum-till corn and soy are equivalent to that of 11.4 million cars on the road over an entire year — about the number of cars in the top 9 no-till states combined.

“As regenerative agriculture takes centre stage in national conversations about how to make America healthy, it’s crucial that we advance truly regenerative agriculture,” said Dr. Kendra Klein, deputy director of science at Friends of the Earth. “Conventional no-till, soaked in toxic pesticides that threaten our children’s health, ravage soil, and exacerbate climate change, is taking us in the wrong direction.”

Friends of the Earth says the ascendance of no-till is directly linked to the chemical industry’s attempt to deepen farmers’ dependence on their toxic products. “Major food companies investing in regenerative agriculture need to avoid greenwashed conventional no-till and instead support the transition to legitimately regenerative agriculture that will protect soil health, human health — and their future bottom line,” said Sarah Starman, Senior Campaigner of Food & Agriculture with Friends of the Earth.

The group says that a central tenet of truly regenerative agriculture should be a dramatic reduction of harmful agrochemicals. It says research already exists to show that reducing use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers in conventional agriculture is not only possible, but that it can increase yields by fostering beneficial insects and healthy soil and can increase profitability by reducing farmers’ input costs.

Organic IS regenerative
Friends of the Earth points put that a “truly regenerative” form of agriculture already exists – organic. It says that decades of research shows that organic farms, on average, improve soil health, climate resilience, and soil carbon sequestration; reduce emissions; and protect biodiversity, human health, and community wellbeing. Additionally, unlike the term ‘regenerative,’ organic – in the US and around the world – is enforced through a rigorous legal standards.

Commenting on the report, the prominent Danish organic commentator, Paul Holmbeck, wrote on LinekIn: “It’s time to call out regen greenwashing. As a friend of serious actors in the regenerative movement, I have to say that this report on the extent of pesticide use in so-called “regenerative” no-till farming should be a wake-up call for the regen movement.

“It is time that the regenerative movement to take a stand on degenerative practices passing as “regenerative agriculture.”

Organic business owner and environment activist, Ronald van Marlen, denounced regenerative agriculture as “mainly corporate marketing and communication” and “a new fake fairytale in agriculture where the old system is at the brink of a collapse”.

Key findings of the Friends of the Earth report

• At least 93% of no-till and minimum-till corn and soy acreage in the US uses synthetic herbicides, representing an area the size of California (99.5 million acres).
• Herbicide use in no-till corn and soy can be associated with 33% of total annual pesticide use in the U.S. — 285 million out of 851 million pounds of pesticides.
• The majority of use (61%) is herbicides classified as highly hazardous to human health and/or the environment — 173 million pounds.
• Glyphosate accounts for an estimated 40% of the total use of herbicides in no-till corn and soy.
• At least 26 million pounds of additional herbicides are used annually due to conventional no- and minimum-till management in corn and soy.
• At least 89% of conventional no- and minimum-till corn and soy acres rely on seeds genetically engineered to be herbicide tolerant.
• Neonicotinoid seed coatings are used on up to 100% of conventional no-till corn acreage.
• Fossil-fuel-based inputs to no- and minimum-till corn and soy in the form of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers can be associated with ~49.3 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions.
• Conventional no-till production does not increase soil carbon and in some cases has been found to reduce it.
• Tillage is not universally detrimental to soil health and can be incorporated into regenerative farming systems.

Photo by Gabriel Jimenez on Unsplash