Spotlight Stories
Spotlight 1 – The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) looks at how public programs can unlock private co-investment in regenerative agriculture. Read the story, here.
Spotlight 2 – BG Independent News discusses how the Conservation Action Project continues to improve soil health while reducing farm input costs. Check it out, here.
Spotlight 3 – Frontier Group writes about how compost can reduce our dependence on chemical fertilizer. Take a read, here.
Industry Updates
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) announced a $70 million rural climate adaptation bond. The bond was privately placed with Japanese agricultural cooperative insurer Zenkyoren. [link]
U.S. regulators are requiring the makers of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound to include warnings about a rare eye condition. The condition can cause permanent vision loss. [link]
A systematic review finds that evidence on agroforestry mechanization remains fragmented and limited. The review, published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, indicates that current literature does not establish how well existing mechanization can support the scalability of complex, multi-strata, and smallholder-oriented agroforestry systems. [link]
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pitched regenerative agriculture as a way for farmers to earn more while spending less on chemical inputs. Kennedy is framing soil health as a profit question rather than only an environmental one. [link]
A new University of California study finds that growing alfalfa between young almond trees offers promising opportunities for farmers. The intercropping approach lets farmers grow an additional crop without harming the development of the almond trees. [link]
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a publication calling for a shift in how the world grows crops. The guide urges countries to boost productivity and build resilience while using fewer resources and cutting crop losses and pollution. [link]
A new paper published in Frontiers finds that China’s Climate-Resilient Cities Policy (CRCP) is positively associated with increased grain production. The study found increases in per capita grain production in the policy’s pilot areas. [link]
MIT has received $53 million from the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to develop next-generation weed killers. The funding is part of the STREAM (Systems for Tracking and Resilience in Efficient Agricultural-input Management) program, which aims to develop herbicides that help farmers and protect human health. [link]
Nigeria’s National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has set a target of facilitating the planting of one million trees by 2030. The effort aims to promote climate-smart agriculture, restore degraded landscapes, and strengthen Nigeria’s environmental sustainability. [link]
A major new program aims to plant more than 20,000 trees across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin in England. Communities, schools, farmers, landowners, and parish councils can now apply for free trees through the nature recovery scheme. [link]
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture received more than $850,000 from USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. The funding aims to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, defined as fruits, vegetables, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops. [link]
Just Climate has raised $540 million in commitments at the final close of its Natural Climate Solutions I (NCS I) strategy. The strategy directs capital to businesses focused on natural climate solutions to decarbonize the high-emitting agricultural sector. [link]
The Aldi Süd Group and FrieslandCampina are launching a multi-year partnership to support dairy farmers in Germany and the Netherlands. The partnership aims to strengthen farm resilience, improve soil health and biodiversity, and reduce on-farm greenhouse gas emissions. [link]
UC Santa Cruz scientists successfully swapped all fish-derived ingredients in aquafeed for a combination of microalgae and canola oil. In a more than two-month study of rainbow trout, published in the journal Antioxidants, the combination did not reduce growth or digestion, suggesting a viable, sustainable, and economic alternative to current aquafeeds. [link]
In Case You Missed It…
In October, Penn State University announced the launch of a new Regenerative Agriculture Center on 125 acres of college-managed property at Rockview in Centre County. See more, here.