Fwd: [COMFOOD: ] NEW article: MAPPING AGRICULTURAL LANDS: From Conventional to Regenerative

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Seth Itzkan

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Mar 29, 2022, 7:36:36 PM3/29/22
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---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Debbie Hillman <dlhi...@sbcglobal.net>
Date: Tue, Mar 29, 2022 at 5:19 PM
Subject: [COMFOOD: ] NEW article: MAPPING AGRICULTURAL LANDS: From Conventional to Regenerative
To: Comfood <com...@elist.tufts.edu>


Hi, all —

Just published: article (open access) in U. of British Columbia’s Land journal.
Mapping Agricultural Lands: From Conventional to Regenerative

The genesis of this article is described in Rob Wallace’s email below. Rob is the co-director of a 2-year project in 12 Midwest states, Midwest Healthy Ag. This is the first “deliverable” of that grant. The article includes:
—development of an INDEX for comparing counties in terms of REGENERATIVE and CONVENTIONAL agriculture (13 variables were identified, using a variety of databases)
—creation of maps using the total index and other maps based on select variables

I think people will find the maps (comparing 1055 counties) interesting. The article is fairly technical but not hard to understand and not hard to grasp the comparisons in each map.

The 13 variables are described in detail in the article. Briefly, they are:
IntensiveGrazingRatio
SilvopastureRatio
LivestockDiversity
ConservationEasementsRatio
CoverCropsRatio
NoTillRatio
CropDiversity
LocalDirectSalesFarmsRatio
FarmSizeAvgAcres
PesticideRatio
PM2.5_nonurban (particulate matter)
Food_Flow_Over400mi_KTxKm (nonlocal food exports)
CH4_per_km2_ag_area (methane emissions)


As you can see from Rob’s email, this is just Phase 1 of the project. If you are in the Midwest and want to:
-- get involved with the project or provide feedback 
Contact Rob directly

—join the RegenerationMidwest listserv (hosted by Organic Consumers Assn.): 
Contact Kaare Melby <ka...@organicconsumers.org>

The 12 Midwest states are: 
IL IN IA KS MI MN MO NE ND OH SD WI

— Debbie




Begin forwarded message:

From: Rob Wallace <rwall...@gmail.com>
Subject: [RMW] Midwest Healthy Ag's First Paper
Date: March 28, 2022 at 11:04:44 AM CDT

Hi Regeneration Midwest!

Two-and-a-half years ago, Regeneration Midwest joined up with the Agroecology and Rural Economics Research Corps to apply for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funding. We got the Health and Climate Solutions grant and the resulting Midwest Health Ag project has been conducting Midwest-wide analyses as well as on-the-ground interviews with farmers and community members in six Midwest states.

Phase 1 of the project is nearing completion. Our first product is now published in Land, a peer-reviewed journal. We introduced an agricultural index by which all 1055 Midwest counties could be characterized by the kind of agricultural production--from conventional to regenerative and all combos in-between--taking place as defined at the county level. We also introduced a way of identifying clusters of Midwest counties that converge on the same mix of agriculture.

The index was used to help select the counties in which we interviewed our study farmers and focus groups, work we are starting to write up. The index will also be used in Phase 2 analysis to determine whether agricultural production impacts climate mitigation, population health, and health equity. But we also encourage members of Regeneration Midwest to look through the various maps we published. We find them extremely evocative as to the nature of ag in the Midwest and think you will too. 

In the months to come we will be reporting back our preliminary results--the index only one of them--to the farmers and community members who participated in our interviews.

If you are interested in helping with those efforts and/or planning a meeting to discuss what Regeneration Midwest can do with these results, please let us know.

Cheers,
Rob

Robert G. Wallace, Ph.D.
Agroecology and Rural Economics Research Corps
St Paul, MN





Debbie Hillman
Evanston, Illinois

FOOD, FARMS & DEMOCRACY
Getting specific about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
www.FoodFarmsDemocracy.net




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--
Seth J. Itzkan

Cofounder, Soil4Climate Inc.
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