Sustainability Outlook 2025

says Egan of Food for Climate League. While regenerative farming does have additional criteria, she refers to it as “organic plus.” Clare de Boer, chef-owner of Stiss- ing House, a 120-seat fine-dining restaurant in the Hudson Valley town of Pine Plains, New York, says regen- erative practices are built into her op- eration. “We’re smack in the middle of farmland, and the whole reason most people come up here [from New York City] is to experience the beauti - ful countryside, so it's not something we've really ever had to think twice about,” said de Boer. She buys pork from a local farmer who uses his pigs to till and regener- ate the soil and a mill that grows grain as a cover crop. The mill then stone grinds the grain, and de Boer uses it in baked goods. “They rotate the grain crops, so we don’t always know what we’re getting but we buy what they have,” she says. De Boer has also worked with Six Dutchess Farm, purchasing Kouvant’s flower displays and bouquets for Mother’s Day pop-up events earlier this year. While Stissing House is surrounded by rich farmland and a growing num- ber of eco-conscious farmers, not ev- ery restaurant has that advantage. “I’d encourage operators to talk to their distributors and find out if those type of products are available, just like lo- cal and organic products,” says Egan. Demand from buyers can encourage increased supply, she believes. When the supply chain broke

during the pandemic, local and region- al systems stepped in and gained in importance. Now more of those orga - nizations are working to increase the visibility of and access to regenerative farmers. The Common Market is one such organization that connects family farmers with wholesalers around the country; they then sell to restaurants and larger institutions. Direct relation - ships with the farms provide insights into growing practices from the time the seeds go into the ground. Fresh - Point, a division of Sysco, currently has identifiers for local and organic produce sources on its website and is working toward adding regenerative labeling. The Regenerative Organic Alliance is another resource with an ever-expanding database. But food grown regeneratively is usually higher priced. How can opera - tors, running on razor-thin margins as it is, justify paying more—and perhaps get customers to pay more, too? Taste and nutrition are potential selling points, says Egan. The Nutrient Density Alliance, a nonprofit working to advance and educate consumers on the nutritional benefits of foods grown regeneratively, has scientists looking into the taste benefits as well. “The hypothesis is that greater nu - tritional content can translate to great- er flavor,” says Egan. “In my mind, it’s similar to the way peak-season pro- duce tastes better because there’s less time for the nutrients to degrade. It’s just my hunch, but it may link back to soil health. If there are more nutri -

ents in the soil, then the food grown will be more nutritious and tastier.” If scientists can prove this, and restaurants can communicate this, it would be a big win for regenerative ag- riculture, she believes. “If there’s one thing we’ve learned at Food for Cli - mate League, it’s that climate change is not a top driver of food choices. Taste, cost and health come first,” says Egan. NOT A PANACEA Egan also cautions against thinking that regenerative farming on its own can solve the climate crisis. “It’s just one tool in the toolbox … one of a number of related climate solutions. It is an important piece of the puzzle for the huge role food and agriculture must have in addressing the overall climate challenge but it’s not a silver bullet,” she says. There’s still a lot of research be - ing done, and the science shows that the role regenerative farming plays in carbon sequestration is helpful in mitigating climate change, but some scientists warn it’s unclear how much carbon can be captured, how long it stays stored and how to access it. It’s important not to get carbon tunnel vi- sion in terms of how we evaluate po- tential climate solutions, Egan says. Nevertheless, “there’s a ton of oth - er reasons to still go forward with ex- panding regenerative agriculture, from soil health to water conservation, bio- diversity, habitat, nutrition and even flavor,” she says.

SUSTAINABILITY OUTLOOK 2025