Module 2: Regenerative Agriculture & Local Food Supply Chains

Regenerative Agriculture (RA) is normally addressed in terms of resource management and soil health. This curriculum takes a different approach by focusing on crops moving through a local food supply chain. Different crops have different resource requirements and move in different ways through supply chains. We broaden the definition of RA here to address the effects of the supply chain on resource management, conservation and closed-loop practices as well as equity

Subject area                                                                      Learning Objectives for Trainers                        Activities for trainers                            Resources & References

Module 2: What is a “local food supply chain?”  What is regenerative agriculture (RA) and how do the two connect?    
Defining and describing regenerative agriculture Trainer will learn to “read the farm” and identify regenerative agriculture practices (or lack thereof), and summarize the benefits of doing regenerative agriculture. 

EOS.com, Regenerative Agriculture: Practices For Secure Future, 1/14/21, https://eos.com/blog/regenerative-agriculture/;

Agricultura Regenerativa: Camino A Un Futuro Seguro, 6/8/21, https://eos.com/es/blog/agricultura-regenerativa/;

American Farmland Trust, “Agricultura Regenerativa: La Fertilidad del Suelo y El Manejo de Cultivos,” https://s30428.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/12/Manual-Fertilidad-del-Suelo.pdf

How regenerative agriculture benefits from local food supply chainsTrainer will be able to map out varieties of food supply chains ranging from global and national to local. Stephen Martinez, et al., Local Food Systems: Concepts, Impacts and Issues, USDA Economic Research Report #  ERR-97, May 2010,  https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/46393/7054_err97_1_.pdf?v=8402.1
Tracing a crop through a local supply chain   
Closing the agricultural loop through conservation, recycling and compostingTrainer will be able to describe closed loop agricuture, the activities involved and its relationship to regenerative agriculture Francisco José Castillo Díaz , La conexión sostenible: residuos y economía circular en agricultura intensiva, https://www.plataformatierra.es/innovacion/la-conexion-sostenible-residuos-y-economia-circular-en-agricultura-intensiva/