Regen ag transformation requires creativity, imagination, courage

In past a few days I was invited joining a research trip on regen ag in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province. Local agriculture and natural resource bureaus joined the final day discussion. Without any surprises, I was in the middle of conflicts and everyone was challenging regen practices. I was prepared ?? embracing all challenges and the reaction from all parties were expected. I have a few reflections from this discussion and visiting.

1. For companies who are in agriculture for very long time, it is cost and time efficient to seek an external resource to support Chinese regional-level or local teams raise the awareness and fill the knowledge gap of regen ag. Because these teams are practicing conventional ag for too long, an outsider can provide an objective evaluation and useful guidance to support local teams think out of the box.

2. Facing this big change, some people choose the shortcuts. It is easier to blindly add a few nature-friendly practices at the field edges, e.g. planting trees and flower plants, but purposely missed the most key part on-farm soil transition. Lacking of landscape mapping, no any on-farm soil health practices and no monitoring plan are very commonly found on so called regen ag farms.

3. Missing the link between regen ag and true challenges faced by farms. Regen ag is a solution and a risk management for your farms or your sourcing farms. Do not just think it as a KPI or extra work from your boss. To avoid it, identifying current and future challenges and linking them with regen ag can help rethink your contribution and meaningful of your work to farms.

4. Talk too much hypothesis and think too much, but not action. Regen ag transformation requires creativity, imagination, courage. We have enough scientific knowledge and data-driven evidence, but still people say no to try. So it is not a management decision, but a system change starting from the mindset.

5. When surrounded by voice of denial, I gave them an example, John Wilkinson, builder of?first iron boat. Before him, no one thought an iron could float in water. So maybe we should be looking for nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit.

#regenerativeagriculture #transformation #soilhealth #mindset #behaviorchange #growpositive #NbS #naturepositive #farmers #sustainability

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