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Sustainability: Food Security Through Regenerative Staple Crops
By Carrie Dennett, MPH, RDN
Interest in sustainable agriculture has been on the rise for years, but an escalation in extreme weather events around the world has increased demand for sustainable food solutions from environmentally savvy consumers. This demand could fuel sales of regenerative staple crops that require fewer inputs and replenish the soil instead of stripping it of nutrients, as well as encourage vegetative crops that reduce land use.
Ancient Grains for Food and Climate
Ancient grains are generally defined as grains that have been in use for hundreds of years or longer without modification.1 Examples include einkorn, emmer/farro, sorghum, teff, millet, quinoa, and amaranth. These grains have more in common than just history, culture, and nutrient density—they also have benefits for the environment.
Ancient grains’ lack of modification means they have maintained deeper root structures and taller aboveground growth, allowing them to deposit more organic matter and sequester more carbon in the soil. They’re also resilient, often thriving in drought or inconsistent rainfall and sometimes in poor soil, with lower fertilization needs and higher resistance to pests and disease.
Millets are one prime example of resource-conserving ancient grains. The term millet covers a wide range of agricultural grasses from around the world that are grown as warm-season grains. The United Nations declared 2023 the International Year of Millets as part of an effort to increase awareness of—and perhaps the market for—this grain. The United Nations’ background report points out that “millets’ diversity and ability to thrive on drylands with minimal inputs make them a valuable contribution to food security, healthy diets, and nutrition in many countries.”2
Millets may offer one solution for transforming global food systems, but they also offer an option to US farmers facing a changing climate. The University of Missouri’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture provides information to farmers about the grains, and Kansas State University has a millet breeding program.3-5
Sorghum, which is sometimes considered a millet, is also considered a possible solution to the drought plaguing the Great Plains states.6 Despite not being well known among US consumers, the United States is the top producer of sorghum globally. Until recently, most US-grown sorghum was used for livestock feed and ethanol fuel, but today, one-third is grown for food. Sorghum fields are also friendly to pollinators and birds.7
Alfalfa as Regenerative Livestock Feed
Alfalfa, a perennial legume that’s typically used as a forage crop for livestock, also provides a rich habitat for beneficial insects.8 While it receives criticism for using more irrigation water each year than some other forage crops—especially concerning in southwestern states that are experiencing water shortages—it rates high for water efficiency. It has a longer growing season than many crops and can be harvested multiple times each year, resulting in a more favorable irrigation-to-biomass ratio.8,9
Alfalfa also has several properties that contribute to soil regeneration. It has deep taproots that can reach 10 to 12 feet deep within the second year. The deep roots help the plant survive when irrigation is inconsistent, break down soil compaction and deposit organic matter, and store carbon deep in the soil—a process known as carbon sequestration.9 Alfalfa also requires less fertilizer, in part because, as a legume, it absorbs nitrogen from the atmosphere (nitrogen fixation) and stores it in the soil via a symbiotic relationship with rhizobia bacteria.
Seaweed as a Land-Sparing Crop
Seaweed is one of the most sustainable crops on the planet—it doesn’t require fresh water, pesticides, or fertilizer. For centuries, farmed seaweed has played a key role in the cultures and diets of coastal inhabitants, especially in East Asia and Pacific cuisines.10 Over the past half-century, commercial seaweed farming has grown into a $16.7 billion industry.11 The culinary uses of seaweed vary by type, but collectively, seaweeds are rich in prebiotic polysaccharides, providing food for beneficial gut microbes. They also contain polyphenols, carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids, and an array of nutrients such as iodine.12
Last year, the United Nations issued a report on the potential of seaweed farming as a scalable ocean-based solution to climate change.13 A 2023 article in Nature Sustainability projected that substituting 10% of human diets with seaweed could reduce the need for land-based crops, sparing up to nearly 272 million acres of land.14 Seaweed can sequester carbon, and it also absorbs nitrogen from the water that could otherwise contribute to the growth of oxygen-depleting algal blooms that contribute to ocean “dead zones” where other aquatic life can’t survive.10,15
The Bottom Line
Facing a future with climate change and a growing population will require innovation to meet the world’s nutrition needs. Some of that innovation may include a return to traditional but overlooked food sources.
— Carrie Dennett, MPH, RDN, is the nutrition columnist for The Seattle Times, owner of Nutrition By Carrie, and author of Healthy for Your Life: A Non-Diet Approach to Optimal Well-being.
References
1. Majzoobi M, Jafarzadeh S, Teimouri S, Ghasemlou M, Hadidi M, Brennan CS. The role of ancient grains in alleviating hunger and malnutrition. Foods. 2023;12(11):2213
2. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Unleashing the potential of millets – International Year of Millets 2023. Background paper. https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cc7484en. Published 2023.
3. University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture website. https://cra.missouri.edu/. Accessed May 24, 2024.
4. Myers R. Growing millets for grain, forage or cover crop use. University of Missouri Extension website. https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g4164. Published December 2018. Accessed May 24, 2024.
5. Millet breeding program. Kansas State Research and Extension website. https://www.hays.k-state.edu/programs/millet/. Accessed May 24, 2024.
6. Cronin D. An ancient grain made new again: how sorghum could help US farms adapt to climate change. Civil Eats website. https://civileats.com/2023/02/07/an-ancient-grain-made-new-again-how-sorghum-could-help-u-s-farms-adapt-to-climate-change/. Published February 7, 2023. Accessed May 24, 2024.
7. Pfoutz A. Sorghum: ancient grain—timely solution. The Organic & Non-GMO Report website. https://non-gmoreport.com/articles/sorghum-ancient-grain-timely-solution/. Published July 12, 2022. Accessed May 24, 2024.
8. Mostafa AM. Humble alfalfa hay offers ecological benefits. American Farm Bureau Federation website. https://www.fb.org/focus-on-agriculture/humble-alfalfa-hay-offers-ecological-benefits. Published June 21, 2023. Accessed May 24, 2024.
9. Yost M, Allen N, Creech E, et al. Ten reasons why alfalfa is highly suitable for the West. Utah State University Extension Crop Resources website. https://extension.usu.edu/crops/research/ten-reasons-why-alfalfa-is-highly-suitable-for-the-west. Published May 2022. Accessed May 24, 2024.
10. With the right tools, seaweed can be an important piece of the climate puzzle. The Nature Conservancy website. https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/blue-carbon-seaweed-nature-based-climate-solution/. Published March 12, 2024. Accessed May 24, 2024.
11. Hatch innovation services. Seaweed insights website. https://seaweedinsights.com/. Accessed May 24, 2024.
12. Tanna B, Mishra A. Nutraceutical potential of seaweed polysaccharides: structure, bioactivity, safety, and toxicity. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2019;18(3):817-831.
13. Seaweed farming: assessment on the potential of sustainable upscaling for climate, communities and the planet. United Nations Environment Programme website. https://www.unep.org/resources/report/seaweed-farming-assessment-sustainable-upscaling. Published June 7, 2023. Accessed May 24, 2024.
14. Spillias S, Valin H, Batka M, et al. Reducing global land-use pressures with seaweed farming. Nat Sustain. 2023;6(4):380-390.
15. Seaweed aquaculture. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries website. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/aquaculture/seaweed-aquaculture. Updated February 28, 2024. Accessed May 24, 2024.