The relationship between agriculture and the climate has been intimate since the inception of agriculture. Our society today is, unfortunately, designed in a way that is disrupting this relationship in so many ways (e.g. increased pressure to grow more food faster, human-caused climate change and less predictability of crop yields, downward pressure on farmers’ margins, corporate purchase and takeover of land, a younger generation leaving agriculture and more). These conditions are threatening the resilience of rural and small towns and put pressure on us to act now and together.
Agriculture players have not been standing idle. Many initiatives are underway and are creating a positive impact in addressing this opportunity. There is a well-spring of great work underway that can continue to inspire Albertans and offer depth of knowledge to learn from. As public- and commercial-interest in regenerative agriculture rises, there is an opportunity to bring together these actors in a way that can further coordinate action towards the agricultural system that the future requires of us. This is an activity that we can’t do alone and can only do together.
The Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL) aims to convene ~20 committed producers and industry leaders to work together to learn and take action on initiatives that respond to the question:
How might we accelerate widespread adoption of regenerative agriculture in Alberta to create profitability, sustainability, and long-term resilience for Alberta farmers and communities?
The initiative aims to respond to the timely opportunity to…
- Create a forum for innovation and collaboration for a network of committed regenerative agriculture actors in Alberta
- Celebrate, learn from, and widely share the stories of Albertans who have been putting regenerative solutions into action on farms and ranches
- Work on collaborative initiatives that enable regenerative agriculture to accelerate its awareness and impact across all players in the agriculture system
- Co-create a shared vision of a regenerative agriculture system that the future requires of us
- Generate and exemplify narratives of regenerative agriculture that bridge the polarization on the topic and invites interest from other agriculture players
The RAL working with ~20 individuals that are committed to both learning and acting to advance regenerative agriculture in different ways and with different parts of the agriculture system.
For more information, please contact Brenda Barritt at bbarritt @ stettlerlearning.com.
