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We hypothesize that Fashion brands' demand for organic agroforestry cotton (OAC) may foster more sustainable supply chains in the cotton industry. However, to realize the potential of the OAC market, a better understanding of the market demand for OAC, as well as the quality and production standards under which the brands operate, the institutional frameworks, and the market mechanisms that underpin its commercialization, is needed. We evaluated the existing organic markets in Brazil using an interview-based methodology with key stakeholders throughout the organic cotton supply chain in 2022. Our study revealed that some brands are willing to pay prices ranging from USD$ 2.57 to USD$ 4.61 per kg of cotton lint depending on the brand. These brands require suppliers to meet quality specifications for the cotton fiber; for example, they require average to long fibers and specify harvesting practices that influence fiber quality. There are also social and environmental criteria that prioritize vulnerable communities of family farmers and women groups planting cotton based on established sustainable practices. The institutional framework includes different stakeholders throughout the organic cotton supply chain, which is fundamentally driven by private demand for cotton, counts on the support of agents connecting brands to farmers, and is indirectly supported by public policies. Existing markets for organic cotton are established via contracts that provide farmers with guarantees to invest in planting cotton and have different certification systems used by the brands that monitor and verify adherence to the standards. Market demand for OAC may, therefore, potentially lead to new markets that promote sustainable supply chains and farming practices. However, existing markets for organic cotton reveal complex requirements that must be addressed, such as the need for supporting agents connecting brands to farmers, and market mechanisms, such as complex contracts and certification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding soil–plant–microbe inter- and intra- interactions are essential for ensuring proper soil health, quality, and soil-mediated ecosystem services (e.g., nutrient cycling) required for human–plant–animal life. Intensive and unsustainable farming practices can decrease soil microbial biodiversity, fertility, and quality leading to soil degradation, impaired nutrient cycling, and the incapability of soil to support plant growth. Under such a context, soil biological fertility can appear as a regenerative component that has the potential to harmonize and improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological parameters. This study defines and discusses the microbiome in the rhizosphere, microbial nutrient cycling, and biological soil crusts as the major components of soil biological fertility, and explores the answers to the following questions: (i) how does the rhizosphere promote plant growth, development, and nutrient cycling through soil microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, fungi)? (ii) How can soil microorganisms regulate macronutrient cycling and facilitate biocrust formation? This review reveals that soil biological fertility is crucial for increasing crop resilience and productivity as well as sustainability in agriculture. Additionally, the reintroduction of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, a quantitative estimation of the root exudate's composition, identifying the spatiotemporal dynamics of potassium solubilizing bacteria and establishing biological soil crusts in agricultural lands remain the major tasks for improving soil biological fertility and the transition towards regenerative agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If we are to attain a sustainable future, humanity will need to make drastic changes towards a life based on sustainability in all areas, especially in the economic sector, including food production. The task of educating for sustainability needs to include food producers (farmers and livestock breeders). This article describes an educational experience carried out within the framework of a proposal presented in the “Second Call for Grants to Promote University-Company Projects” at the Technological Campus of Algeciras (Spain). It consisted of conducting in-depth interviews with farmers and livestock breeders, identifying the practices in the daily management of their farms, and having them participate in an education and training event in which they shared their knowledge. It was not an easy task because food producers have systematically been attacked by currents of opinion that blame them for causing greenhouse gas emissions. We adopted an approach based on empathy and on encouraging sustainable food production practices.

• On-farm evaluation of physico-chemical and microbial pathways of SOC accrual. • Comparison of 21 conventional and conservation farming systems at various soil types. • Conservation farming systems moderate microbially-mediated ('in-vivo') SOC dynamics. • Management practices influence biochemical parameters intrinsic to accrual pathways. Increasing pressure on arable land related to climate change mitigation and adaptation within recent policy frameworks has generated widespread interest in the effect of sustainable agricultural management practices on soil organic carbon (SOC) storage. Current frameworks point to soil microorganisms and their functioning as the key drivers of SOC accrual. This study provides a comprehensive on-farm assessment of changes in SOC formation pathways (physico-chemical and microbial) and the underlying drivers comparing three soil use systems: conservation and conventional farming systems as well as permanently vegetated adjacent reference soils (i.e., field margins) without agricultural land-use. Overall, our results indicated substantial increases in extractable organic carbon (+22 %), microbial biomass carbon (+29 %) and necromass carbon stocks (+11 %) in soils of conservation farming systems as compared to conventional farming systems. Differences between all three soil use systems were strongly pronounced in the surface soil (0–5 cm) and declined in deeper soil layers. Structural equation modelling revealed a varying influence of SOC storage pathways among soil use systems, with microbial-mediated ('in-vivo') turnover and direct sorption being the most dominant pathways. Moreover, diversity of crop rotation and tillage intensity were identified as the most important factors influencing extractable organic carbon and carbon-liberating enzyme activity within conservation farming management. Our on-farm approach demonstrates that enhanced bioavailable carbon inputs and reduced soil disturbance are the key drivers for microbially-controlled SOC accrual in arable soils and that conservation farming systems with extended plant coverage and increased crop diversity can substantially advance the restoration of soil health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soils are major reservoirs of plastic particles, an issue that agricultural activities have aggravated. Thus, devising eco-friendly, safe, and cost-effective strategies for enhanced degradation of plastic particles in soil and arable land has been a landmark over the last couple of years. Rot fungi are being used as cleaning agents for plastic-laden soils due to their ability to recycle organic matter and degrade toxic compounds. This article systematizes and outlines the metabolic and biochemical processes of rot fungi in the degradation of plastic particles. It provides a framework for soil policies addressing microbiota's role in soil resilience, emphasizes the potential accumulation of plastic particles on plants' edible parts, and frames the role of rot fungi in this pertinent issue. It also highlights the potential boost that advanced computational tools may provide to this research field. • The metabolic and biochemical processes of rot fungi during degradation of plastic particles are outlined. • Soil policies and the sources of nano(micro)plastics on soil were addressed. • Hydrophobins allow rot fungi to colonize nano(micro)plastic particles. • The rot fungi secretome promotes the breakdown of polymer homo-or heteroatom backbone structures. • Membrane-bound proteins (P450's) play a role in the assimilation and mineralization of plastic degradation products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regenerative agricultural practice adoption on conventionally managed fields has gained momentum as a climate mitigation strategy, given the ability of these practices to sequester carbon or reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the geospatial and temporal variability of the impact of specific practices, such as cover cropping or no-till, pose challenges for scalable quantification of emissions reduction and deploying incentives to drive increased adoption. To quantify impact while accounting for variability and uncertainty at scale, Indigo Ag created a monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) pipeline to produce agricultural soil carbon credits produced at large scales (hundreds of thousands of hectares). The pipeline ingests field data from enrolled farmers, checks data quality, uses hybrid soil sampling and biogeochemical modeling to produce estimates of emissions reduction and uncertainty, and then applies deductions based on calculated uncertainty and leakage to quantify total project-wide carbon credits and monitor for durability of carbon. The implementation of a carbon project (CAR1459) from 2018 to 2022 on 553,743 ha of U.S. cropland utilizing the pipeline is estimated to have reduced emissions by 398,408.5 tCO 2 e, amounting to 296,662 tCO2e of soil carbon credits after uncertainty deductions. This paper explores the effect sizes associated with specific regenerative practice changes across the project domain. Cover cropping consistently resulted in a net positive climate impact and reduced emissions by 1.29 tCO 2 e per hectare per year, on average. Introduction of no-till was more common in the project, but it had a lower average emissions reduction of 0.38 tCO 2 e per hectare per year. Effect sizes for no-till vary spatiotemporally and are typically low in the first several years after adoption but increase in subsequent years. Agricultural carbon programs that capture and incentivize the nuance of outcomes of practices rather than the implementation of practices, can promote adoption of the right management practice to be deployed on the right field for maximum environmental benefit. • Deploying MRV pipeline on 553,743 ha reduced emissions by 398,408.5 tCO 2 e. • Cover crop introduction consistently decreased emissions across our U.S. project. • Cover crop intensification had low adoption rates, but high net climate impacts. • Tillage intensity reduction had spatially and temporally variable emissions impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Colorado potato beetle (CPB) is an exceptionally challenging potato pest. Some regenerative farmers have reported that the use of transferred green manure mulch can considerably reduce CBP damage. Previous studies confirm this observation, but mainly with straw mulch, which is rarely used in Central Europe, and not embedded in the new regenerative cropping approach. For this, six trials conducted between 2014 and 2019 were evaluated, comparing CPB infestation in potatoes with and without transferred mulch as well as under a plough as a minimum till regime. In three out of six experiments, compost application was an additional factor. (I) Over all experiments, mulch significantly reduced initial infestation (−24%), egg masses (−27%) and larvae (−75%). Compost and reduced tillage added to these effects; (II) Mulch mainly resulted in delayed CPB infestation; (III) In a particularly warm season, when a second generation of CPB managed to emerge, regulatory effects of the mulch were not sufficient; (IV) Combination of transferred nutrient rich green manure mulch with reduced tillage, compost and other regenerative or agro-ecological techniques is recommended to achieve maximum regulation of CPB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soil microbiome contributes to several ecosystem processes. It plays a key role in sustainable agriculture, horticulture and forestry. In contrast to the vast number of studies focusing on soil bacteria, the amount of research concerning soil fungal communities is limited. This is despite the fact that fungi play a crucial role in the cycling of matter and energy on Earth. Fungi constitute a significant part of the pathobiome of plants. Moreover, many of them are indispensable to plant health. This group includes mycorrhizal fungi, superparasites of pathogens, and generalists; they stabilize the soil mycobiome and play a key role in biogeochemical cycles. Several fungal species also contribute to soil bioremediation through their uptake of high amounts of contaminants from the environment. Moreover, fungal mycelia stretch below the ground like blood vessels in the human body, transferring water and nutrients to and from various plants. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing combined with bioinformatic tools have facilitated detailed studies of the soil mycobiome. This review discusses the beneficial effects of soil mycobiomes and their interactions with other microbes and hosts in both healthy and unhealthy ecosystems. It may be argued that studying the soil mycobiome in such a fashion is an essential step in promoting sustainable and regenerative agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A range of content analyses have recently sought to define the term "regenerative agriculture", which has gained a surge of attention in the last few years. However, these studies have not incorporated the voices of those using the term to define their work: the farmers, private companies, researchers, and NGOs giving energy to the movement. In this study, we conducted qualitative interviews with 19 stakeholders from across the United States. Key points of consensus were that regenerative agriculture moves beyond sustainability, is outcomes-based, and, as such, is context-specific: focusing on outcomes provides opportunities to be adaptive to a specific context and that, depending on one's context, different practices may be used to achieve target outcomes. We identified three categories of outcomes: climate adaptation and mitigation, socio-economic benefits, and integrated systems. We also found several opportunities within the energy of the movement. First, regenerative agriculture remains a "big tent" that is still accessible to a broad range of farmers. Participants also underscore the need to move toward systems-based research as opposed to reductionist research. Finally, we present participants' mixed perspectives on the role of government, the private sector, and third parties in moving regenerative agriculture forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial farming contributes significantly to feeding and clothing the world's population of nearly eight billion people. While the use of mechanized, chemical and scaled-up farming practices have enabled increased food and fiber production, the practices associated with industrial agriculture also have the potential to adversely impact soils, environment and climate. Organic agriculture began as a movement to counter industrial farming, and organic certification has played a significant role in expanding organic agriculture worldwide. Regenerative agriculture is a fast-developing industry that also offers an alternative to industrial farming. It has been dubbed as going 'beyond organic' to take a more holistic view of agricultural production and practices. Based on 15 key-informant interviews with experts in the Australian organic and regenerative agricultural industries, this case study presents insight into the challenges that the organic industry has faced in its relationship with certification, thus offering a guide to the regenerative agricultural industry in developing its own approaches to labeling or certification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A trait-based approach is adopted to understand the responses of the soil nematode food web following cover crops incorporated into the soil, i.e., afterlife effect of plant. We conducted an in situ microcosm experiment with two cover crops including leguminous Astragalus sinicus L. (A. sinicus), characterized by high nutrient content, and gramineous Lolium multiflorum Lam (L. multiflorum), characterized by high C and lignin content, representing the acquisitive and conservative side of the economic spectrum, respectively. Furthermore, two incorporation rates were set to represent low and high biomass production of cover crops that could be incorporated into the soil. Soil main microbial groups, nematode food web, and physicochemical properties were analyzed at weeks 4 and 18 after cover crops incorporated into the soil. Results showed that, regardless of time, cover crops affected the abundance and composition of the soil nematode food web. L. multiflorum supported higher nematode abundance and more complex nematode food web than A. sinicus, charactering with higher fungivore/bacterivore, predator/prey, maturity index, and structure index, particularly under the high incorporation rates. In addition, A. sinicus improved much more resource availability (mineral N and dissolved organic C) than L. multiflorum. Together, the quantity and quality of plant residues jointly drive soil food web structure, and a trait-based framework facilitates the mechanical understanding of afterlife effect of plant on soil ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarises the historical perspective on the birth of planted forests in Malaysia and the various fertiliser use studies which have been carried out from 1977 to 2019 on Malaysian forest soils. It also aims to recommend a guideline on forest fertilisation based on past research and explores the possibilities of alternatives to fertilisers such as organic soil amendments and agroforestry systems that may advocate a sustainable solution in the long run to complement a circular bio-economy. It further highlights the requirement for smart silvicultural practices, in line with current trends and a changing climate, to boost forest plantation to meet the global demand for wood supply. Past researches and current needs will assist the development of a suitable framework on tree nutrient management for the future of planted forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature-based solutions are gaining momentum as approaches to address major environmental challenges, including markets for soil carbon (C) sequestration for mitigating climate change. This special collection of papers, stemming from a symposium of the 2021 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, poses several tough questions about the practical potential for significant C sequestration resulting from farmer participation in carbon markets. A common theme among these papers is that promotion of soil C sequestration through carbon markets has likely gotten ahead of the agronomic and biogeochemical science and especially the social science. We know a great deal about soil C dynamics and stabilization, but we know less about translating that knowledge to market-based solutions that have inherent challenges of validating sequestration rates and other potential pitfalls. Scientists can help provide rigor to carbon markets, although they must maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interests with well-intended evolving markets. Even when there is strong scientific support for the feasibility and the virtues of best management practices that provide numerous co-benefits while building soil organic matter, socio-economic barriers to farmer adoption remain poorly understood. Although soil markets currently focus almost exclusively on C, mitigation of methane and nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture could offer several advantages as well as challenges. The papers in this special collection offer a needed perspective urging soil scientists, biogeochemists, and social scientists to step up and offer honest appraisals of what is most likely to work, or not, and why. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent discourse on food sovereignty places much emphasis on democracy in determining localized food systems, and whether the food is culturally appropriate while leaning heavily on sustainable agricultural practices such as organic agriculture, ecological intensification, agroecology, nature-based solutions, and regenerative agriculture. Sustainable agricultural practices are intended to ensure that the land is managed without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, while going further by focusing on improvements on soil and land health. However, what are the practicalities of food activism and relying entirely on nature while yields are still very low in much of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)? We attempt to answer this question in four main sections: (a) we start by defining the concept of food sovereignty and the associated practices, (b) we highlight some of the main socio-ecological conditions that are common in SSA, and (c) we present evidence of some of the limitations of food sovereignty due to the diversity in ecological, political, cultural, and socio-economic contexts that characterize SSA; finally, (d) we focus on food preferences, marketing and certification aspects. We conclude that agroecology alone cannot solve the multiple objectives of increasing crop productivity and replenishing soil nutrients especially on small farms and relying on natural rainfall. There is an urgent need to combine superior crop varieties and judicious use of external inputs in tandem with the manipulation of the agroecological processes to increase the efficiency of input use and achieve higher food productivity, resilience to climate change, and preservation of the natural resource base in specific locations.

Conventional agriculture currently relies on the intensive and expansive growth of a small number of monocultures, this is both risky for food security and is causing substantial environmental degradation. Crops are typically grown far from their native origins, enduring climates, pests, and diseases that they have little evolutionary adaptation to. As a result, farming practices involve modifying the environment to suit the crop, often via practices including vegetation clearing, drainage, irrigation, tilling, and the application of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. One avenue for improvement, however, is the diversification of monoculture agricultural systems with traditional foods native to the area. Native foods benefit from evolutionary history, enabling adaptation to local environmental conditions, reducing the need for environmental modifications and external inputs. Traditional use of native foods in Australia has a rich history, yet the commercial production of native foods remains small compared with conventional crops, such as wheat, barley and sugarcane. Identifying what native crops can grow where would be a first step in scoping potential native food industries and supporting farmers seeking to diversify their cropping. In this study, I modeled the potentially suitable distributions of 177 native food and forage species across Australia, given their climate and soil preferences. The coastal areas of Queensland's wet tropics, south-east Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria were predicted to support the greatest diversity of native food and forage species (as high 80–120 species). These areas also correspond to the nation's most agriculturally intensive areas, including much of the Murray-Darling Basin, suggesting high potential for the diversification of existing intensive monocultures. Native crops with the most expansive potential distribution include Acacia trees, Maloga bean, bush plum, Emu apple, native millet, and bush tomatoes, with these crops largely being tolerant of vast areas of semi-arid conditions. In addition to greater food security, if diverse native cropping results in greater ecosystem service provisioning, through carbon storage, reduced water usage, reduced nutrient runoff, or greater habitat provision, then payment for ecosystem service schemes could also provide supplemental farm income.

Cell-cultured protein technology has become increasingly attractive due to its sustainability and climate benefits. The aim of this study is to determine the nutritional quality of the human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-cultured proteins in an advanced 3D peptide hydrogel system for the highly efficient production of cell-cultured proteins. Our previous study demonstrated a PGmatrix peptide hydrogel for the 3D embedded culture of long-term hiPSC maintenance and expansion (PGmatrix-hiPSC (PG-3D)), which showed significantly superior pluripotency when compared with traditional 2D cell culture on Matrigel and/or Vitronectin and other existing 3D scaffolding systems such as Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based hydrogels. In this study, we designed a PGmatrix 3D suspension (PG-3DSUSP) system from the PG-3D embedded system that allows scaling up a hiPSC 3D culture volume by 20 times (e.g., from 0.5 mL to 10 mL). The results indicated that the PG-3DSUSP was a competitive system compared to the well-established PG-3D embedded method in terms of cell growth performance and cell pluripotency. hiPSCs cultured in PG-3DSUSP consistently presented a 15–20-fold increase in growth and a 95–99% increase in viability across multiple passages with spheroids with a size range of 30–50 μm. The expression of pluripotency-related genes, including NANOG, OCT4, hTERT, REX1, and UTF1, in PG-3DSUSP-cultured hiPSCs was similar to or higher than that observed in a PG-3D system, suggesting continuous pluripotent maintenance. The nutritional value of the hiPSC-generated proteins from the PG-3DSUSP system was further evaluated for amino acid composition and in vitro protein digestibility. The amino acid composition of the hiPSC-generated proteins demonstrated a significantly higher essential amino acid content (39.0%) than human skeletal muscle protein (31.8%). In vitro protein digestibility of hiPSC-generated proteins was significantly higher (78.0 ± 0.7%) than that of the commercial beef protein isolate (75.7 ± 0.6%). Taken together, this is the first study to report an advanced PG-3DSUSP culture system to produce highly efficient hiPSC-generated proteins that possess more essential amino acids and better digestibility. The hiPSC-generated proteins with superior nutrition quality may be of particular significance as novel alternative proteins in food engineering and industries for future food, beverage, and supplement applications.

In recent years, the need for profound changes in agricultural practices has become increasingly acknowledged, and it has given rise to an intense, and rapidly intensifying, debate among experts and in the media. Before the general framework under which this debate currently unfolds become too set in stone, it would seem useful to devote some time to a reflexion on how discussions should be approached in order to have the best chance to result in practically workable, sustainable solutions. In a recent, provocative article, Amundson (2022) voiced very strong opinions in this respect. In particular, he criticizes the emergence in the general public of "we" visions about alternate forms of agriculture, he argues that key current stakeholders (i.e. farmers) imperatively have to be included in the discussions, and he opines that the debate should not attempt to solve "social wicked problems", which tend to remain long-standing because no one can manage to solve them. In the present article, I propose an in-depth reflexion on these three aspects of the debate, and adopt very different perspectives than Amundson's (2022). After decades of laboriously trying to get members of the general public engaged with soils and agricultural issues, "we" visions with which members of the public may come up need to be resolutely welcomed, carefully analyzed, and responded to, soon after they emerge. Furthermore, I argue that stakeholders who are currently in the agricultural sector may not necessarily be the most likely to eventually implement changes and therefore should not be allowed to sway the debate in a direction that suits them in the short run. Finally, I contend that the lack of willingness, or the reluctance, of decision-makers and the private sector to envisage fundamental changes, thereby giving the impression that some problems cannot be readily solved, should not constrain in any way the scope of the reflexion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regenerative agriculture is a potential alternative to conventional agricultural systems. It integrates the components of zero-tillage, permanent soil cover, diverse crop rotations and rotational or mob-grazing by ruminant livestock. Earthworms are beneficial soil macrofauna and function as indicators of soil health. A need exists to identify how earthworm populations are affected when all four regenerative agriculture components are implemented simultaneously. This study investigates earthworm abundance in three split-plot treatments located on adjacent land within the same farm: (1) ungrazed permanent grassland, (2) a three-year grass-clover ley within an arable zero tillage system without grazing and (3) identical to treatment 2 but with mob-grazing. Earthworms were sampled using soil pits and classified into four functional groups: epigeic (surface dwellers), endogeic (sub-surface), anecic (deep soil) and juveniles. The total earthworm count, epigeic and juvenile functional groups were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher in treatment (3), the arable zero tillage system with mob-grazing. Mob-grazing increases the diversity of carbon sources available to earthworms and has a positive impact on earthworm abundance and functional group diversity within the arable rotation under evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of modern, industrial agriculture and its high input–high output carbon energy model is rendering agricultural landscapes less resilient. The expected continued increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, in conjunction with declining soil health and biodiversity losses, could make food more expensive to produce. The United Nations has called for global action by establishing 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), four of which are linked to food production and security: declining biodiversity (SDG 15), loss of ecosystem services and agroecosystem stability caused by increasing stress from food production intensification and climate change (SDG 13), declining soil health caused by agricultural practices (SDGs 2 and 6), and dependence on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides to maintain high productivity (SDG 2). To achieve these SDGs, the agriculture sector must take a leading role in reversing the many negative environmental trends apparent in today's agricultural landscapes to ensure that they will adapt and be resilient to climate change in 2030 and beyond. This will demand fundamental changes in how we practice agriculture from an environmental standpoint. Here, we present a perspective focused on the implementation of an agrosystem approach, which we define to promote regenerative agriculture, an integrative approach that provides greater resilience to a changing climate, reverses biodiversity loss, and improves soil health; honors Indigenous ways of knowing and a holistic approach to living off and learning from the land; and supports the establishment of emerging circular economies and community well‐being. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:1199–1205. © 2021 SETAC Key Points: The agrosystem approach promotes regenerative agriculture, an integrative approach that can provide greater resilience to a changing climate, reverse biodiversity loss, and improve soil health.The agrosystem approach honors Indigenous ways of knowing and a holistic approach to living off and learning from the landThe agrosystem approach supports the establishment of emerging circular economies and community well‐being [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land is a limited resource and essential to the provision of livelihoods. The per capita availability of cropland is constantly being reduced while the pressure for food and other raw materials increases. Therefore, agricultural land use must pursue cropping systems with higher levels of return per hectare. Since monetary return is one of the primary criteria for farmers' decision-making but other returns exist, the present study compares the financial returns per hectare on farms using organic farming system (OFS) and conventional farming system (CFS), discussing returns beyond the financial ones (social, economic, environmental). The financial flows of two farms were monitored for 4 (OFS) and 5 (CFS) years, and financial return indicators were calculated. In addition, other social, economic, and environmental returns were discussed based on the primary data and literature. The main results show that OFS has higher costs, revenues, and profits per hectare than CFS. Although both systems had positive financial returns, the average net profit of OFS (R$49,217 ha−1) was 21 times higher than that of CFS (R$2,329 ha−1). In addition, the OFS profitability index was 64% higher than CFS. OFS also presented better returns for the number of direct jobs, income distribution, food for healthy diets, value-added to GDP, risks, crop (bio)diversity, and land footprint, among others. In general, we concluded that OFS provided higher financial, social, economic, and environmental returns per unit of land despite only 0.5% of the Brazilian agricultural area is used for organic production. Highlights: 1. Organic and conventional systems present positive financial returns per hectare. 2. Costs, revenues, and profit are 9, 13, and 22 times higher in organic systems, respectively. 3. Organic system profitability was 64% higher than conventional. 4. Organic system is beneficial for other social, economic, and environmental returns. 5. Both systems are important, but policies should optimize the returns of organic-like systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regenerative agriculture (RegenAg) can help landholders attune their agricultural practices to the natural design of the earth's cycles and support systems. The adoption of RegenAg, however, hinges not only on a good understanding of biophysical processes but perhaps more importantly on deep-seated values and beliefs which can become an obstacle for triggering widespread transitions towards synergistic relationships with the land. We designed and facilitated a Participatory Modelling exercise with RegenAg stakeholders in Australia—the aim was to provide a blueprint of how challenges and opportunities could be collaboratively explored in alignment with landholders' personal views and perspectives. Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCM) were used to unpack and formalise landholder perspectives into a semi-quantitative shared 'mental model' of the barriers and enablers for adoption of RegenAg practices and to subsequently identify actions that might close the gap between the two. Five dominant narratives which encode the key drivers and pain points in the system were identified and extracted from the FCM as a way to promote the internalisation of outcomes and lessons from the engagement. The Participatory Modelling exercise revealed some of the key drivers of RegenAg in Australia, highlighting the complex forces at work and the need for coordinated actions at the institutional, social, and individual levels, across long timescales (decades). Such actions are necessary for RegenAg to play a greater role in local and regional economies and to embed balancing relationships within systems currently reliant on conventional agriculture with few internal incentives to change. Our methods and findings are relevant not only for those seeking to promote the adoption of RegenAg in Australia but also for governments and agriculturalists seeking to take a behaviorally attuned stance to engage with landholders on issues of sustainable and resilient agriculture. More broadly, the participatory process reported here demonstrates the use of bespoke virtual elicitation methods that were designed to collaborate with stakeholders under COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat yields have plateaued in the UK over the last 25 years, during which time most arable land has been annually cropped continuously with short rotations dominated by cereals. Arable intensification has depleted soil organic matter and biology, including mycorrhizas, which are affected by tillage, herbicides, and crop genotype. Here, we test whether winter wheat yields, mycorrhization, and shoot health can be improved simply by adopting less intensive tillage and adding commercial mycorrhizal inoculum to long-term arable fields, or if 3-year grass-clover leys followed direct drilling is more effective for biological regeneration of soil with reduced N fertiliser. We report a trial of mycorrhization, ear pathology, and yield performance of the parents and four double haploid lines from the Avalon x Cadenza winter wheat population in a long-term arable field that is divided into replicated treatment plots. These plots comprised wheat lines grown using ploughing or disc cultivation for 3 years, half of which received annual additions of commercial arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) inoculum, compared to 3-year mown grass-clover ley plots treated with glyphosate and direct-drilled. All plots annually received 35 kg of N ha−1 fertiliser without fungicides. The wheat lines did not differ in mycorrhization, which averaged only 34% and 40% of root length colonised (RLC) in the ploughed and disc-cultivated plots, respectively, and decreased with inoculation. In the ley, RLC increased to 52%. Two wheat lines were very susceptible to a sooty ear mould, which was lowest in the ley, and highest with disc cultivation. AM inoculation reduced ear infections by >50% in the susceptible lines. In the ley, yields ranged from 7.2 to 8.3 t ha−1, achieving 92 to 106% of UK average wheat yield in 2018 (7.8 t ha−1) but using only 25% of average N fertiliser. Yields with ploughing and disc cultivation averaged only 3.9 and 3.4 t ha−1, respectively, with AM inoculum reducing yields from 4.3 to 3.5 t ha−1 in ploughed plots, with no effect of disc cultivation. The findings reveal multiple benefits of reintegrating legume-rich leys into arable rotations as part of a strategy to regenerate soil quality and wheat crop health, reduce dependence on nitrogen fertilisers, enhance mycorrhization, and achieve good yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What occurs when virus infection is spreading within a mixed plant species population? This question is important not only for economically significant, mixed species managed systems but also for environmentally significant mixed wild species populations. It received attention in recently published ecological studies on wild plant species, but these, and recent general pasture research publications, rarely mention earlier virus studies involving mixed species managed pasture. This review seeks to rectify that situation. It describes 10 diverse examples of past research on mixed species managed pasture done over two decades on three continents that demonstrated plant species balance changes arising from virus infection. These examples showed that plants belonging to susceptible pasture cultivars sensitive to systemic virus infection are sufficiently weakened that their ability to withstand competition from nonhost plants of other pasture species, or weed species, was diminished sufficiently to alter the plant species balance. Also, a similar alteration occurred when they were competing with virus‐resistant or virus‐tolerant host plants of the same or other pasture species, or a virus‐resistant weed species. Such competition also diminished seed production, which decreased their ability to regenerate. Notably, as reported subsequently with wild plant species populations, when two different pasture species infected by the same virus compete with each other, growth of the more sensitive species is suppressed. Because managed mixed species pastures constitute an important component of regenerative agriculture, retaining an optimal balance of pasture species and delaying pasture decline from weed invasion both require effective management of virus diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple bird species-at-risk nest on the ground in hayfields and pastures, making nests susceptible to inadvertent destruction from agricultural activity (e.g., trampling by livestock). To better understand the impact of Domestic Cattle (Bos taurus) grazing, we assessed the distribution and breeding status of nesting grassland birds in 2019 and 2020 at the Grey Dufferin Community Pasture, a ~234 ha pasture in southern Ontario, Canada. We estimated there were 86 male Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) in the community pasture in 2019 and 100 in 2020 before grazing began; observed abundance decreased by 73% in fields after grazing in 2020. Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) maintained territories after grazing and fledged young in 67% (n = 21) of territories. Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) was common across the community pasture before and after grazing occurred. We detected evidence of nesting more frequently in Bobolink and Savannah Sparrow territories in ungrazed than in grazed fields. Our results support previous research indicating nesting Bobolink often disperse from moderately to heavily grazed fields, whereas Eastern Meadowlark and Savannah Sparrow largely remain and renest. Despite the inadvertent negative impacts of cattle stepping or laying on nests and consuming vegetative cover, the community pasture provides areas for successful nesting, with Eastern Meadowlark faring better than Bobolink. Flexibility in the timing and duration of grazing in rotational grazing systems may enable strategic management in target fields (e.g., maintaining enough vegetation for nesting Bobolink). Information about the distribution and abundance of birds can be used to target particular fields for conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much effort has been spent on promoting conservation agriculture (CA) in Northern Benin to sustain the transition of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cropping systems toward agroecology. However, its limited adoption by farmers is often ascribed to initial yield penalties during the transition to CA and to trade-offs around crop biomass use. Here, we assess the effect of different CA-based cropping systems promoted in the region on water productivity and cotton yield in a three-year cotton/maize (Zea mays L.) crop rotation during the initial transition phase to CA. Three CA options were assessed combining different levels of soil disturbance and cover, and introducing cover crops to alleviate the biomass trade-offs. Direct seeding (DS), strip tillage (ST), and direct seeding mulched-based cropping systems (DMC) were compared with conventional tillage (CT) from 2017 to 2019 under a dominant soil type in the region, Haplic Lixisols. Two legume species, Stylosanthes guianensis (Aubl.) Sw. and Crotalaria retusa L. were grown as cover crops with maize under ST and DMC. The experiment followed a randomized block design comprising six replicates. After 2–3 years of DMC, the cotton yield advantage with respect to CT increased from 5 % to 7 %. Cotton yield penalties of respectively 11 % in 2018 and 26 % in 2019 were found for DS. ST treatment went from a yield advantage of 8 % in 2017 to a yield penalty of 20 % in 2019. The DMC and CT treatments gave similar and highest boll weights compared to the ST and DS treatments. The treatments had no significant difference regarding the number of bolls per plant. Soil water storage in the upper 30 cm depth and water use efficiency (WUE) were the highest in the plots with the DMC treatment compared to CT, ST, and DS. At 28 days of active vegetative stage (between 34 and 62 days after sowing), the WUE of seed cotton was 0.11 kg ha−1 mm−1 under DMC, while it was 0.08, 0.07, and 0.04 kg ha−1 mm−1 under DS, CT, and ST, respectively. The performance of DMC at increasing water productivity could be an argument to improve adoptability by farmers in northern Benin who are facing increased weather variability, given that the yield penalties often associated with early transitions to CA were not observed here with full DMC. • After 3 years of DMC, the cotton yield increases of 5–7 % compared to CT. • DMC exhibited no yield penalties in a transition to conservation agriculture. • Soil water storage use efficiency were the highest in the DMC treatment. • For maize yields, no significant differences were observed between treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interplay between soil microbial anabolism and metabolism has recently been postulated as an important lever for carbon sequestration in soils. Theoretical considerations suggest that high microbial growth rates and a high carbon-use efficiency (CUE) are associated with increased soil organic carbon (SOC) build-up in arable soils. Nature-oriented conservation agricultural practices are believed to facilitate this microbial-driven process of SOC accrual; a practical validation of this postulation is however missing. Against this background, we evaluated the effect of agricultural management and site-specific soil chemical and physical properties on microbial physiology (i.e., respiration, bacterial and fungal growth rates, and microbial biomass turnover) and CUE by an on-farm comparison of conventional farming, conservation farming and unmanaged reference soil systems (i.e., adjacent field margins) at twenty-one sites across three soil depths. We show that a change in agricultural management towards soil health regeneration has a significant impact on microbial physiology. Bacterial growth, respiration and microbial biomass turnover increased from conventional farming towards conservation farming systems to reference soils. The opposite trend however was found for fungal growth and microbial CUE, with highest values observed in conventional farming systems. This clearly contradicts the prevailing idea that higher microbial CUE in conservation farming systems may be associated with higher SOC contents. Our results further show that soil physical and chemical parameters such as soil pH, texture and dissolved carbon compounds strongly predict microbial CUE. In line with these results, functional pore domains showed specific optima for microbial growth and CUE. For example, a high share of small pore domains hampered fungal growth and reduced microbial CUE but facilitated microbial biomass turnover at the same time. Thus, we suggest that – superimposed upon agricultural management effects – habitat structural conditions and microbial carbon limitation mainly shape microbial physiology and CUE in arable soil systems. • Evaluation of soil microbial physiology (growth rates and mineralization) and CUE. • Pairwise on-farm comparison of 21 conservation and conventional farming systems. • Fungal growth and CUE were highest in conventional farming systems. • Bacterial growth and respiration were highest under conservation farming. • Soil habitat conditions and microbial carbon limitation shape microbial physiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat yields have plateaued in the UK over the last 25 years, during which time most arable land has been annually cropped continuously with short rotations dominated by cereals. Arable intensification has depleted soil organic matter and biology, including mycorrhizas, which are affected by tillage, herbicides, and crop genotype. Here, we test whether winter wheat yields, mycorrhization, and shoot health can be improved simply by adopting less intensive tillage and adding commercial mycorrhizal inoculum to long-term arable fields, or if 3-year grass-clover leys followed direct drilling is more effective for biological regeneration of soil with reduced N fertiliser. We report a trial of mycorrhization, ear pathology, and yield performance of the parents and four double haploid lines from the Avalon x Cadenza winter wheat population in a long-term arable field that is divided into replicated treatment plots. These plots comprised wheat lines grown using ploughing or disc cultivation for 3 years, half of which received annual additions of commercial arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) inoculum, compared to 3-year mown grass-clover ley plots treated with glyphosate and direct-drilled. All plots annually received 35 kg of N ha−1 fertiliser without fungicides. The wheat lines did not differ in mycorrhization, which averaged only 34% and 40% of root length colonised (RLC) in the ploughed and disc-cultivated plots, respectively, and decreased with inoculation. In the ley, RLC increased to 52%. Two wheat lines were very susceptible to a sooty ear mould, which was lowest in the ley, and highest with disc cultivation. AM inoculation reduced ear infections by >50% in the susceptible lines. In the ley, yields ranged from 7.2 to 8.3 t ha−1, achieving 92 to 106% of UK average wheat yield in 2018 (7.8 t ha−1) but using only 25% of average N fertiliser. Yields with ploughing and disc cultivation averaged only 3.9 and 3.4 t ha−1, respectively, with AM inoculum reducing yields from 4.3 to 3.5 t ha−1 in ploughed plots, with no effect of disc cultivation. The findings reveal multiple benefits of reintegrating legume-rich leys into arable rotations as part of a strategy to regenerate soil quality and wheat crop health, reduce dependence on nitrogen fertilisers, enhance mycorrhization, and achieve good yields.

First paragraph: At a time when regenerative agriculture has come under increasing scrutiny for murky definitions (Newton et al., 2020), corporate dilution (Nargi, 2020), and a lack of attention to racial justice and land access (Fassler, 2021), Liz Carlisle’s Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming (2022) offers an expansive, justice-oriented understanding of regenerative agriculture. In Healing Grounds, Carlisle makes the case that the regenerative farming practices gaining popular traction are not new but are instead deeply rooted in the agricultural traditions of Black, Indig­e­nous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities across the globe. To unearth these deep roots, Carlisle features the stories and work of several BIPOC women leaders in regenerative agriculture, weaving in a wealth of interviews, archival research, and historical data to examine structural agricul­tural injustices and the multitude of regenerative farming practices sustained by BIPOC commu­nities. . . .

Soil health has been highlighted as a key dimension of regenerative agriculture, given its critical importance for food production, carbon sequestration, water filtration, and nutrient cycling. Microorganisms are critical components of soil health, as they are responsible for mediating 90% of soil functions. Multi-species rotational grazing (MSRG) is a promising strategy for maintaining and improving soil health, yet the potential effects of MSRG on soil microbiomes are poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we collected soil microbial samples at three timepoints during the 2020 grazing season for 12 total paddocks, which were equally split into four different grazing treatments—cattle only, sheep only, swine only, or multi-species. Shallow shotgun metagenomic sequencing was used to characterize soil microbial community taxonomy and antibiotic resistome. Results demonstrated broad microbial diversity in all paddock soil microbiomes. Samples collected early in the season tended to have greater archaeal and bacterial alpha diversity than samples collected later for all grazing treatments, while no effect was observed for fungi or viruses. Beta diversity, however, was strongly influenced by both grazing treatment and month for all microbial kingdoms, suggesting a pronounced effect of different livestock on microbial composition. Cattle-only and swine-only paddocks were more dissimilar from multi-species paddocks than those grazed by sheep. We identified a large number of differentially abundant taxa driving community dissimilarities, including Methanosarcina spp., Candidatus Nitrocosmicus oleophilus, Streptomyces spp., Pyricularia spp., Fusarium spp., and Tunggulvirus Pseudomonas virus ϕ-2. In addition, a wide variety of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were present in all samples, regardless of grazing treatment; the majority of these encoded efflux pumps and antibiotic modification enzymes (e.g., transferases). This novel study demonstrates that grazing different species of livestock, either separately or together, can impact soil microbial community structure and antibiotic resistance capacity, though further research is needed to fully characterize these impacts. Increasing the knowledge base about soil microbial community structure and function under real-world grazing conditions will help to construct metrics that can be incorporated into traditional soil health tests and allow producers to manage livestock operations for optimal soil microbiomes.

Long-term experiments (LTEs) are critical for evaluating strategies that can maintain or increase crop yields, soil fertility and soil organic carbon (SOC), and help adapt to climate change. Yet, scientific knowledge is advancing and research questions are evolving. Therefore, it is important to review the objectives of LTEs over time. A change in their design may be necessary to keep the experimental treatments scientifically interesting, innovative, and relevant in the context of evolving agricultural challenges. Here, we describe the process of redesigning four LTEs in Kenya. These LTEs are unique in that they represent four different pedoclimatic conditions but with identical experimental treatments across sites. Initially, they focused on investigating how to maintain or increase SOC and maize yields over time by applying a combination of mineral nitrogen (N) and external organic resources. Specifically, the experimental treatments consisted of maize monoculture with different rates (1.2 and 4 t C ha−1 yr−1) and qualities of organic resources, either with or without mineral N fertilizer input. After about 20 years, it became clear that SOC was lost in most treatments. Therefore, continuing with the current experimental design was not an option. Taking advantage of the fact that the different former treatments led to different levels of soil degradation, we redesigned the LTEs to study the effectiveness of regenerative cropping strategies in rebuilding SOC and increasing crop yields starting from the different levels of soil degradation. The focus shifted from external to in situ organic inputs by increasing the root biomass of the cultivated crops. The newly established cropping system treatments are maize-legume rotation, maize-legume intercropping (double row configuration) and relay intercropping of maize with forage grass. A key finding from the previous phase of the experiments, namely, that external organic inputs with low C:N ratios are most efficient in building SOC, has been incorporated into the redesign. The relative contribution of external versus in situ organic resources is tested by splitting the cropping system treatments into those receiving either farmyard manure or green manure in the form of Tithonia diversifolia prunings and those receiving no external inputs. Split-plot treatments with and without mineral N were retained. The overall objective of studying mechanisms of tropical soil fertility maintenance and, more specifically, SOC formation, remained unchanged. However, the redesign aligned the LTEs with the current state of knowledge and pressing research questions, specifically focusing on the relative effectiveness of in-situ versus external organic inputs in SOC formation. • We present the process of redesigning four LTEs in Kenya with the same setup in pedoclimatically contrasting conditions. • The goal to increase soil fertility remained but the focus shifted from external organic resource to in-situ root inputs. • Maize monocropping was replaced by intercropping, crop rotation with legumes, and relay cropping with grasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil process models such as RothC typically assume soil organic carbon (SOC) is in equilibrium at the beginning of each simulation run. This is not likely to be true in the real world, since recalcitrant SOC pools (notably, humified material) take many decades to re-stabilize after a land use change. The equilibrium assumption stems from a spinup method in which the model is run under a single land use until all SOC pools stabilize. To overcome this, we demonstrate an alternative spinup procedure that accounts for historical land use changes. The “steady-state” and “historical” spinup methods both impute unknown C inputs such that the modeled SOC matches empirical measurements at the beginning of the simulation and set initial SOC fractions. Holding all other parameters equal, we evaluated how each spinup affects SOC projections in simulations of agricultural land use change in the U.S. state of Vermont. We found that projected SOC trajectories for all land use scenarios are sensitive to the spinup procedure. These differences are due to disparities in imputed below-ground plant-derived carbon between the two procedures. Compared to the steady-state, imputed C in the historical spinup is higher for land uses that increase SOC (e.g., adoption of regenerative practices) and lower for land uses that decrease SOC (e.g., a transition from pasture to crops), due to the time window within which land use changes are assumed to have occurred. The novel historical spinup procedure captures important dynamics commonly missing in previous studies, representing an advancement in soil process modeling.

Increased tolerance to competition for soil resources of modern maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids increases soil resource use efficiency and yield. Yet little information is available on the relationship between maize population density and yield under no-tillage in semi-arid environments. A 2-year field trial was conducted in South Africa during the 2017/2018 (Season 1) and 2018/2019 (Season 2) production seasons to evaluate growth and water use productivity of rainfed maize established at seven diverse plant population (20,000–60,000 plants ha−1) and row spacing (0.52 and 0.76 m) configurations. In Season 1, light interception was 6.8% greater at 0.76 m row spacing compared to 0.52 m row spacing (p < 0.05). In Season 2, despite dry and hot growing conditions, a well-developed leaf canopy cover was present at 0.52 m row spacing indicating a 10.4% greater intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (IPAR) compared to 0.76 m row spacing. In Season 1, with more uniform rainfall distribution, no biomass or yield benefits were found with increased plant population, except at 50,000 plants ha−1 at 0.76 m row spacing. In Season 2, plant populations at 0.76 m row spacing out-yielded any given plant population at 0.52 m row spacing. The optimal plant population and row spacing will ultimately be a compromise between obtaining high maize grain yield and minimizing the potential for crop failure in semi-arid environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is the primary limiting factor in dryland crop production, therefore emerging approaches for preserving rainwater to be more accessible to plants, for extended periods of time, can significantly improve agricultural system efficiency. Furrow diking, a method involving compartmentalizing micro-basins to increase infiltration and soil water storage is one of the most promising water conservation solutions, particularly for sloping terrain. Moreover, furrow diking is associated with water conservation practices and regenerative agriculture as adaptive to dryland crop production. The present research study aims at improving the process of building soil compartmentalized segments using furrow diking technology, by designing and testing optimal geometries for the active soil modeling component. Three new constructive designs of a furrow diking active subassembly were built and tested in comparison with the standard version. In accordance with the considered quality indicators, the most efficient constructive shape was the curved rotor blade due to the higher volume of managed soil and fewer soil losses. Furthermore, the technology applied on three non-irrigated sunflower experimental crops grown on sloping land showed very good effectiveness with respect to the studied climatic and pedological conditions in southern Romania. When compared with non-compartmentalized crops, the most efficient rotor geometry design increased seed production by 11–13%. Water storage efficiency contributed the most to the yield increase, with moisture retention from the root zone improving by an average of 20%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, interest has increased in regenerative practices as a strategy for transforming food systems and solving major environmental problems such as biodiversity loss and climate change. However, debates persist regarding these practices and how they ought to be defined. This paper presents a framework for exploring the regenerative potential of food systems, focusing on how food systems activities and technologies are organized rather than the specific technologies or practices being employed. The paper begins with a brief review of debates over sustainable food systems and the varying ways that regenerative food systems have been defined and theorized. Then, it provides the theoretical backing of the framework—the conservation of change principle—which is an interpretation of the laws of thermodynamics and theories of adaptive change as relevant to the regenerative capacity of living systems. Next, the paper introduces the framework itself, which comprises two independent but intersecting dimensions of food systems organization: resource diversity and livelihood flexibility. These two dimensions result in four archetypical regimes for food systems: degenerative, regenerative, impoverished, and coerced. The paper defines each and offers real-world examples. Finally, the paper concludes with a discussion of pathways for transforming food systems and opportunities for additional research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]