Regenuary: A Growing Movement
You’ve no doubt heard of Veganuary. But have you heard of Regenuary?
What is Regenuary?
Unlike the self-explanatory rules of Veganuary, Regenuary is a more nuanced approach to thinking about the impact of our food choices. It is a movement that began as a response to Veganuary by Glen Burrows, co-founder of The Ethical Butcher. It is borne out of the concept of regenerative agriculture.
So what is regenerative agriculture?
Regenerative agriculture is a set of alternative farming principles and practices that seek to rehabilitate and enhance the entire ecosystem by rebuilding organic soil matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity. Improving soil health leads to more resilient soils that can better withstand climate change impacts like flooding and drought. They beget strong yields and nutrient rich crops to effectively feed people and animals. Regenerative agriculture practices also work to fight – or even reverse – climate change by pulling carbon from the atmosphere and sequestering it in the ground.
How does Regenuary compare to Veganuary?
Regenuary challenges the narrative that an entirely plant-based approach is the most sustainable option. It instead focuses on how we can eat more seasonal, local, ethical produce from farms that have lower, or even beneficial, environmental or social impacts.
Why now, in January?
While this an issue in a country that offers unseasonal imported produce year-round, if someone in Northern Europe decides to avoid all animal products for the month of January (or winter more generally), there is a chance they will be consuming a larger number of imported and processed foods than their omnivorous counterpart. This in itself isn’t inherently problematic. However as the supply chain lengthens provenance becomes harder to trace. The true impact of production – on people and on the planet – can be lost or hidden along the way.
How can you support Regenuary?
Here are some of the ways you can support Regenuary (and regenerative agriculture beyond January!)
- Source as much of your food as possible from local, regenerative farms and producers. This includes meat, fish, dairy, grains, nuts, seeds and legumes. (The Ethical Butcher has a great supplier list here!
- Eat out at restaurants and bakeries that source their ingredients from regenerative suppliers. Check out restaurants awarded a Michelin Green Star. Look for bakeries associated with Real Bread Campaign, that invest in growing and milling high quality grain, or that work with suppliers such as Wildfarmed, Hodmedods or can tell you exactly where the grain comes from.
- Pay as much attention to how your vegetables and plant-based foods are grown, as you would to how animals are raised. Ask questions!
- Buy direct from small producers wherever possible. Farm shops and farmers markets are great!
- Buy from British suppliers to minimise the impact of transportation.
- Support local growing projects or grow your own!
- Regenerative fashion is an adjunct movement to get involved in. Look out for certification by Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) or clothes marked as ‘Climate BeneficialTM’ which is certified by Fibreshed.
- Learn more about regenerative agriculture by listening to podcasts such as Farmerama Radio. Read up on wild farming and soil health. Attend events such as Groundswell, The Regenerative Agriculture Festival. Wildfarmed have an amazing list of resources here.
