Differentiation Vs. Commoditization

Consumers are uncovering supplies that satisfy the potential of traceability. New on the scene, indigenous-run farms are facing an unprecedented opportunity for growth through market differentiation.

Capturing the biggest and best new marketing opportunities in agriculture is going to require some amount of de-commodification - of grain markets, CAFO-raised meat, farms, fields and supply chains. While costly, building a new pricing model opens up the ability to value unpriced environmental and societal externalities, which is important to modern society.

Put another way, commodity agriculture is heading into an era of reconciliation with the pollution it causes. Nutrient runoff into waterways, soil erosion, and pesticide contamination in food are direct examples; labor and animal welfare, deforestation and species extinction are related societal woes.

Most if not all of these issues can start to be addressed through farmland management decisions made differently, following the principles of regenerative agriculture. The regenerative movement is certainly ‘a thing’ and many thousands of commercial-scale farmers are restoring biology and biodiversity in their fields already, but without the full context of an economic model to ensure long-term growth.

The issues limiting the potential of the current state of the movement to drive sustained improvements in agriculture are explained from the ground-level by expert Chris Newman, in Episode 1 of his new audiobook, First Generation Farming. Chris expands on the elements of importance to ensuring long-term success of the regenerative movement, with a key one being non-white farmer experiences and perspectives.