Title: Pesticide makers are corrupting the regenerative agriculture movement
[Cary Gillam - The Defender April 30, 2025] -- Corporations that sell pesticides are entwined with the regenerative agriculture movement, luring farmers with financial incentives to adopt some regenerative practices, while continuing to use toxic weedkillers and pesticides, according to a report released by Friends of the Earth.
Touted as a type of food system that works in harmony with nature, “regenerative” agriculture is gaining popularity in U.S. farm country, garnering praise in books and films and as one of the goals of the "Make America Healthy Again" movement associated with new U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Proponents of regenerative farming say the practice can mitigate harmful climate change, reduce water pollution and make foods more nutritious as farmers focus on improving the health of soil, water and ecosystems.
A growing number of farms around the U.S. and Australia are achieving certification to let consumers know their grains, beef, eggs and other products are regeneratively grown. World-wide, the regenerative agriculture market has been forecast to see double-digit growth between 2023 and 2030.
But all that momentum comes with a dirty dark side, according to FOE's report that highlights an increasingly contentious debate over the merits of regenerative agriculture.
The report issued on April 29 asserts that regenerative programs, which generally allow for the use of weedkillers and other chemicals, are being used to “greenwash” routine use of several dangerous pesticides on farm fields. Corporations that sell such pesticides are entwined with the movement, incentivising farmers financially to adopt regenerative practices, the report notes.
“With billions of dollars — and the future of our food system — at stake, we must ensure that the practice of regenerative agriculture is robust and is guarded against greenwashing,” states the report issued by Friends of the Earth (FOE), an environmental advocacy group.
Article: WeedsNews6867 (permalink) Categories: :WeedsNews:greenwashing, :WeedsNews:no-tillage Date: 1 May 2025; 9:00:08 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time
