Image: Tom-Fisk
Can agriculture meet the demands of a growing world population while ensuring environmental sustainability? Daniel Lapidus, Director of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems at RTI International, highlights important trends on both the supply and demand sides that suggest we are heading in the right direction.
It’s easy to look around and see stark challenges facing the agricultural sector – decreased investments, erratic weather, unpredictable commodity prices and thin margins for most farmers. Growth in Total Factor Productivity (TFP), or the metric used to track how efficiently agricultural output is produced, has slowed to its lowest rate in decades. This is occurring at a time when the world not only needs to ramp up production to meet the needs of a growing global population that demands more diverse foods, but also to do so in a way that ensures the health of our planet.
The agricultural sector has overcome challenges in the past. For example, the Green Revolution and subsequent widespread technological advancements brought us unprecedented agricultural production over the last 75 years that has tripled yields, keeping supplies high enough and prices low enough to avoid mass starvation. However, this progress has come at a cost, impacting water availability, leading to biodiversity loss and rising greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite this history, it would be a false choice to think that agriculture has to choose between productivity and sustainability. There is increasing alignment between these two goals on both the supply (farmer) and demand (consumer) sides.
Supply-side Technology Trends
Farmers need to be nimble and resilient to stay profitable, which means investing in solutions that are both efficient and preserve the long-term viability of the land and soil. Three technology areas that are gaining traction and have the potential to transform the future of agricultural sustainability are:
- Agricultural biotechnology: Genetically modified organisms and gene editing, along with biostimulants, biofertilizers and biocontrols, received $1.9 billion in venture capital investment last year, representing the top investment in the farm tech category. Powered by artificial intelligence, there is potential to accelerate even more rapidly, making crops more drought resilient, increasing their nutritional content and combatting emerging pests and diseases.
- Precision agriculture: Enabled by GPS, precision agriculture allows farmers to boost yields while using fewer inputs. However, these technologies have been adopted mainly by large-scale farms and have yet to be successful in reaching smaller, less technologically advanced farms. Growth in precision technologies, including agri-fin tech, remote sensing and blockchain, is expanding opportunities to reach farmers both directly and passively through innovations in track and trace technologies, digital commerce and improved access to finance. They are also showing promise in developing countries.
- Regenerative agriculture: Regenerative agriculture embodies principles and management practices aimed at improving soil health, including minimizing tillage, planting cover crops, leaving residues on the soil and diversifying cropping and livestock systems. These principles have become increasingly sophisticated, and the body of evidence around their benefits is growing. Localized benefits to farmers include reduced input costs, decreased erosion, increased soil moisture content and enhanced soil carbon sequestration.
Demand-side Sustainability Drivers
The success of these innovations relies on markets that incentivize them. As the environmental sustainability movement evolves, consumers are demanding healthier food that doesn’t contribute to deforestation, climate challenges or water quality degradation. This demand and other equally important trends on the demand side continue to incentivize agricultural sustainability:
- Private Sector Sustainability Commitments: More than 600 large commercial food and beverage companies, including Nestlé, Kraft Heinz, Cargill and PepsiCo, have set ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions as part of the Science Based Targets Initiative. Companies are also addressing sustainability issues like food loss and waste and finding alternatives to plastic packaging. If companies stick with these targets, a significant amount of investment currently sitting on the sidelines will need to be deployed.
- Food is Medicine Movement: This movement has grown out of recognition that nutrition-based interventions can be more cost-effective than traditional medical treatments. It is gaining public and private sector support as evidenced by the Make America Healthy Again Initiative in the U.S., and driven by consumer demand for foods that contain less additives, are less processed and are grown using fewer chemical inputs.
- Overcoming Transition Costs. Private sector commitments and consumer demand are necessary, but not sufficient, to finance the initial transition costs associated with the rapid adoption of sustainable technologies. Multiple foundations, multilateral institutions, development banks and national and sub-national governments have set up mechanisms and partnerships to address this challenge. However, scaling these efforts will take time.
Collective Approach
Agriculture sector innovation has been able to overcome fears that our food supply could not meet the rising demands of a growing population. However, looking ahead, it’s unlikely that a single solution will emerge for all productivity and sustainability challenges. Instead, it will require collective and collaborative action and investment in interconnected innovations with environmental, social, and economic sustainability at their core, supporting a healthier population, planet and meeting market demands.
The post Bright Spots for Sustainable Agriculture appeared first on USSA.
Thoreau wrote in Walden that “Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in,” which reminds us that life is short and nature fills it beautifully. What are you looking for that can’t be found during an afternoon in nature?
Earth911 inspirations. Post them, share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day. Click the poster to get a larger image.
The post Earth911 Inspiration: Time Is but the Stream appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/inspire/earth911-inspiration-time-is-but-the-stream/
Green Living
Classic Sustainability In Your Ear: The Ocean River Institute’s Natural Lawn Challenge for Climate Action
Turn back the clock with this classic interview that will get you ready for Spring yard care planning. A lawn may be beautiful but it can take a heavy toll on the environment, accounting for between 30% and 60% of residential water use in the United States. Rob Moir, Ph.D., is president and executive director of the Ocean River Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ORI works with residential lawn owners to heal damaged ecosystems by restoring coastal areas to lessen the destructive impacts of climate change. The benefits of a natural lawn reach far beyond reduced local water pollution, eliminating chemicals that can contribute to cancers, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and other cellular diseases. Natural lawns are also better for local pollinators and store much more carbon than heavily fertilized lawns. If you considered removing your lawn to play a part in the battle against climate change, this interview may change your mind — a healthy lawn is a powerful carbon sink.
The Ocean River Institute is recruiting Massachusetts communities, town by town, to take a pledge to follow natural lawn practices in the Healthy Soils for Climate Restoration Challenge. You don’t need to live in Massachusetts to participate and learn about the alternatives to the traditional, chemical-intensive lawn practices that use Roundup, a source of glyphosates that kills soil-dwelling fungi and local pollinators, and fast-acting nitrogen fertilizers. You can learn more about the Ocean River Institute at www.oceanriver.org.
Rob has contributed many articles about climate change and the history of environmental change since this interview, including:
- Finding a Northwest Passage to the Sea
- Turning the Tide—How Land and Water Shape Our Climate Future
- Learning from Captain Scoresby’s Ten-gallon Fir-Cask
- Earth Savvy?
- Let the Ground Keep Falling Rainwater
- The Sultans of Swag Versus Looking at Clouds from Both Sides Now
- Subscribe to Sustainability in Your Ear on iTunes and Apple Podcasts.
- Follow Sustainability in Your Ear on Spreaker, iHeartRadio, or YouTube
Editor’s Note: This episode originally aired on May 30, 2022.
The post Classic Sustainability In Your Ear: The Ocean River Institute’s Natural Lawn Challenge for Climate Action appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/podcast/earth911-podcast-the-ocean-river-institutes-natural-lawn-challenge-for-climate-action/
Choosing your perfect gown can be one of the most exciting decisions for your special day, but for the eco fashionista, it can be a challenge to find a dress that fits your values and style — but these brands have exceptional sustainable wedding dresses you’ll swoon over!
Using earth-minded materials like hemp, cruelty-free peace silk, deadstock recycled fabrics and vintage lace, and producing consciously, either in small batches or handcrafting each individual piece made-to-order, the brands below meet high standards for transparency, ecological sustainability, and fair labor.
[For more sustainable wedding dresses, check out this guide to secondhand wedding dress sites!]
Note that the guide contains affiliate links. As always, we only feature brands that meet strict criteria for sustainability we love, that we think you’ll love too!
1. Christy Dawn
Dreamy dress brand Christy Dawn does not disappoint with their romantic bridal collection! Each piece is more swoon-worthy than the next.
Their three sustainable bridal gowns are made from regenerative silk charmeuse —sourced through BOMBYX, an innovative silk producer using best practices — and colored in a beautiful pearl silk with non-toxic dyes. Each dress is ethically cut and sewn by makers in Los Angeles earning living wages, as with the rest of Christy Dawn’s collections.
The Britta Dress and Fitzgerald Dress are 1920s inspired while the Athena Dress is a more modern (but equally romantic) option. All of these dresses are made-to-order with an estimated timeline of 4 weeks.
Conscious Qualities: Regenerative silk and organic non-toxic dyes, ethically made-to-order in Los Angeles
Price Range: $2,500 – $3,000
Size Range: XS – XL
2. Pure Magnolia
Blending the traditional with the modern, Pure Magnolia designs classic-inspired sustainable wedding dresses with contemporary touches. And each dress is made in their Canadian studio by seamstresses earning fair wages from eco-fabrics, such as organic cotton and hemp silk.
The brand sources recycled fabrics whenever possible as well, and recycles their scrap fabric through FABCYCLE.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, locally and fairly made, recycles scrap fabrics
Price Range: $845 – $3,300 CAD
Size Range: 0 – 28
3. Lost in Paris
Lost in Paris crafts each of their creatively designed bohemian-inspired gowns ethically in their Sydney, Australia studio. Unconventional yet undeniably striking, Lost in Paris’ dresses are made from vintage lace and cotton.
Investing in a dress from Lost in Paris is seamless — the brand offers at-home sample try-ons, offers train and sleeve adjustments on several styles, ships their dresses worldwide for free, and even accepts returns. Oh, and, if one of their ready-made sizes doesn’t work for you, you can get a dress designed to your measurements.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, uses vintage lace, locally made
Price Range: $950 – $3900 AUD
Size Range: XXS – XXL + custom sizing options
For More Slow Fashion Content:
4. Wear Your Love
Wear Your Love creates feminine, effortless dresses in their Northern California studio that are — in contrast to the majority of wedding dresses on the market — actually comfortable! The brand’s free-spirited designs are made with soft, earth-minded fabrics like organic cotton and each dress is made to order for each bride to their exact measurements.
There are also customizations available for each eco-friendly wedding dress such as train or no train, skirt or sleeve linings, back coverage, skirt style, and more.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, made-to-order model, locally and transparently made
Price Range: $680 – $1,700
Size Range: N/A; dresses are made to your measurements
5. Larimeloom
Based in Reggio Emilia, Italy, Larimeloom crafts exceptional custom-made dresses by hand in their atelier. The brand creates comfortable minimalist dresses from durable natural fabrics and colors them with natural or non-toxic dyes.
Larimeloom has also implemented zero waste design techniques, cutting their patterns strategically in order to minimize fabric waste.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, zero-waste designs, natural fabrics and dyes
Price Range: 650€ – 2,650€
Size Range: XS – XL
6. Sister Organics
Sourcing quality earth-friendly natural fabrics like organic hemp and cotton, Sister Organics creates classic, eco-friendly wedding dresses for UK-based brides.
Each dress is made to order in England, so you can select a pre-defined size, customize the length of a size, or get an entirely different dress made for your measurements.
Conscious Qualities: Eco-friendly fabrics, made-to-order model
Price Range: £125 – £390
Size Range: XXS – XXL + custom sizing
7. Indiebride London
Indiebride’s vintage-inspired sustainable wedding dresses are delicate and romantic yet free-spirited, offering a unique collection for the bride that wants to skip the conventional wedding gown and choose a piece that fits their individual style.
The brand’s conscious wedding dresses are handmade in London using majority natural fibers and can be altered or customized to your specifications.
Conscious Qualities: Made-to-order model, uses many natural fabrics, locally made
Price Range: £1,200 – £1,700
Size Range: 8 – 16 (UK sizes)
More Resources For Your Eco Wedding:
10 Secondhand Wedding Dress Sites for the Eco Bride
7 Ethical Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement and Wedding Rings
17 Brands with Conscious Dresses (great options for bridesmaid dresses in here!)
The post 7 Best Sustainable Wedding Dresses for Your Special Day appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
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