A new study led by an Earlham College faculty-student research team reveals that while regenerative agriculture is viewed by farmers as a promising path forward for soil health and community wellbeing, widespread adoption in the Midwest is being held back by a lack of information, financial support and shared resources.
“For farmers in our area, there’s a gap between how beneficial these practices are seen as and how common they are on the landscape,” said Jaime Coon, assistant professor of biology and environmental sustainability at Earlham, on the four-year research endeavor. “So, the motivation is there. But farmers say they need help getting started with grant programs, community support, and opportunities to learn from each other.”
Coon and 2024 Earlham graduate Mary Jo (MJ) Easley are the lead authors of “Farmer Perceptions of Regenerative Agriculture in the Corn Belt: Exploring Motivations and Barriers to Adoption,” recently published in the international peer-reviewed journal Agriculture and Human Values. Their research examines how early adopters of regenerative practices near the Indiana-Ohio border define regenerative agriculture and what barriers to adoption look like.
Easley, now a pursuing a Master of Science in Sustainability Management at the University of Toronto Mississauga on scholarship from the Fulbright Graduate Studies program, began the research as a sophomore on campus. The project became a four-year collaboration with Coon and additional Earlham collaborators, including Gene Hambrick, senior executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Creativity, and Jenny Williams, office manager and administrative assistant for the Epic Centers CoLab.
The team conducted surveys and in-depth interviews with dozens of early adopters of regenerative practices, with a focus on examining areas that are rural, economically depressed and where agriculture remains central to the local economy.
Interviewees cited motivations like improving soil health, protecting water quality, enhancing biodiversity, and sustaining family farms. Many of those interviewed saw a direct link between environmental practices and community wellbeing.
Source : earlham.edu