Andre Leu (Regeneration International)

1. « 4 per 1000 » Africa Symposium
Johannesburg, 24-26th October 2018
With the support of
Overview of Africa’s potential
as part of the global solution
Success stories on the
ground
With the support of1
André Leu, International Director
Regeneration International
Johannesburg, South Africa
October 24, 2018

2. Mission:
To promote, facilitate and
accelerate the global transition to
regenerative food, farming and
land management for the purpose
of restoring climate stability,
ending world hunger and
rebuilding deteriorated social,
ecological and economic
systems.

3. Climate Change
• The world reached 400 ppm CO2 in 2016 – the highest level in
800,000 years
• The last time the world had 400 ppm (based on evidence from
fossil records) the sea levels were 20-30 meters higher
• If we capped GHGs now, this will mean 3.5 to 5 C warmer (6-10
F)
• CO2 has been increasing by 2 ppm per year
•

4. • The extra heat becomes a huge amount of extra energy
(billions of atomic bombs) fueling our planet’s weather
systems
• It means weather events such as storms, droughts,
floods and fires become more frequent, intense, and
destructive
• Extreme 1 in 30 years events are now 1 in 5 years and
getting worse
• Causing food shortages, riots, famines, huge
humanitarian crises - Arab Spring caused by drought
Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents
Stopping Emissions is NOT
Enough
We have to Draw Down CO2

5. “If we do not change
course by 2020, we risk
missing the point where
we can avoid runaway
climate change,” Mr.
Guterres said at United
Nations headquarters in
New York.
“We must halt deforestation, restore
degraded forests and
change the way we farm.”
Sept 10, 2018 Washington Post

6. Launched in Paris in Dec 1, 2015 this initiative aims to change farming
from being a major CO2 emitter to becoming a major mitigator of CO2
by storing it in soil as soil organic matter
The UNFCCC recognizes this initiative by French Government as part
of the Lima – Paris action agenda
32 Countries, several regions, FAO, IFAD, GEF, World Bank, CGIAR
and hundreds of NGOS have signed on.

7. Soils are the greatest carbon sink after the oceans
Over 2700 Gt of carbon is stored in soils worldwide
Biomass 575 Gt most of which is wood. Source (Lal 2008)
Atmosphere 900 Gt
1 Gt (gigaton) = 1 billion tons
It would be most logical to remove the CO2 from the
atmosphere and put it into the soil – where it is needed
Stopping Emissions is NOT
Enough
We have to Draw Down CO2

8.
Regenerative Agriculture is now being used as an
umbrella term for the many farming systems that use
techniques such as longer rotations, cover crops, green
manures, legumes, compost, organic fertilizers
Includes: organic agriculture, agro forestry, agroecology,
permaculture, holistic grazing, intensively time managed
grazing systems and other agricultural systems that
can increase soil organic matter/carbon.
Regenerative
Agriculture

9. We Must Stabilize CO2 Now!
Ending fossil fuels and adopting renewal energy must
be non-negotiable
However it is happening too slowly to stop the current
increase in CO2 levels and catastrophic climate change
Need to draw down around 16 Gt of CO2 per year from
the atmosphere just to stabilize CO2 levels at around
407 ppm
Further scaling up to reduce CO2 levels

10. Innovative SEKEM: Egypt
Aiming for the impossible…

11. …and changing our world
… and after 18 months.
Apply COMPOST

12. Carbon Sequestration
Potential
Sekem has sequestered 3,303 kgs of CO2
per hectare per year for 30 years.
(Luske and van der Kamp, 2009; Koopmans
et al, 2011)
Based on these figures, the adoption of
Sekem's practices globally has the potential
to sequester 16 Gt of CO2

13. Pasture Cropping
Sowing annuals into perennial pastures
Oats Sown into Pasture
Only a little bit of phosphate
was added due to deficient soils
Gives the same yield as intensive plowing
and fertilizers, at a fraction of the cost
Animals can go back on pasture after harvest-
giving two crops and double income
Pictures: Colin Seis

14. Pasture Cropping
Dr Christine Jones has
conducted research at Colin
Sies’s property in Australia
168.5 t/ha of CO2
was
sequestered in 10 years
Extrapolated globally would
sequester around 80 Gt of
CO2
per year
Increases in soil nutrients
Calcium 177%, Magnesium
38%, Potassium 46%, Sulphur
57%, Phosphorus 51%,
Nitrogen 48%, Copper 102%,
Zinc 86%, Cobalt 79%, Boron
56%, Molybdenum 51%,
Selenium 17% Soil Comparison between Winona
and nearby property. Picture: Dr Christine Jones
SOIL CARBON
• 0 - 10cm
150%
• 10 - 20cm
243%
• 20 - 30cm
317%
• 30 - 40cm
413%
• 40 - 50cm
157%

15. Soil Carbon Sequestration
Soil Kee, Australia
• Sowing annual cover and cash crops in perennial pastures
• 11.7 metric tons of CO2/ha/yr.
• Verified by the Australian Government Soil Carbon Initiative
• Extrapolated globally would sequester around 60 Gt of CO2

16. Soil Carbon Sequestration
A highly aerated composting process
developed by Dr David Johnson of
New Mexico State University, that
produces compost with a high
diversity of soil microorganisms.
37.7 metric tons of CO2 per hectare
per year - peer reviewed
Extrapolated globally across
agricultural lands it would
sequester 184 Gt of CO2/yr
Picture: Regeneration International
BEAM (Biologically
Enhanced Agricultural
Management)

17. Singing Frog Farm
The Kaisers have managed to increase their soil organic matter from
2.4% to an optimal 7-8% in just six years, an average increase of
about 3/4 of a percentage point per year - Chico State University USA
Intensive no-til highly biodiverse agroecological vegetables on 2 acres
Extrapolated globally across agricultural lands
would sequester 350 Gt of CO2/yr

18. Regenerative/Holistic Grazing
• Regenerates degraded
rangelands
• Increases biodiversity
• Improves water infiltration
• Increases stock carrying
capacity
• Sequesters CO2
• Biodegrades methane
Pictures:
Richard Teague
Zimbabwe

19. Regenerative/Holistic Grazing
‘Here we show that these farms accumulated C at 8.0 Mg ha−1 yr−1.’ (Machmuller et
al. 2015)
8.0 Mg ha−1 yr−1 = 8,000 kgs of Carbon being stored in the soil per hectare per year.
Soil Organic Carbon x 3.67 = CO2, means that these grazing systems have
sequestered 29,360 kgs (29.36 metric tons) of CO2/ ha/yr
(Sequestered 29,360 pounds of CO2/ acre/yr)
Grasslands: 3,356,940,000 ha x 29.36 = 98.5 gt CO2/yr
If these regenerative grazing practices were implemented
on the world’s grazing lands they would sequester 98.5 gt
CO2/yr

20. Reversing Climate
Change
Just transitioning 10% of agricultural production to best practice
regenerative systems will sequester enough CO2 to reverse climate
change and restore the global climate.
• 10% of Agricultural lands under BEAM could sequester 18.4 Gt of CO2/
yr.
• 10% of grasslands under regenerative/holistic grazing could sequester
9.8 Gt of CO2/yr.
• This would result in 28.2 Gt of CO2/yr being sequestered into the soil
which far more than the 16 Gt of CO2 that is currently being emitted.
We can have negative emissions and bring the world back to the pre
industrial revolution levels in a few decades
They are shovel ready solutions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

21. Climate Resilience
Soil Organic Matter
Higher Yields in Climate Extremes
Regenerative Organic Systems have higher yields than
conventional farming systems in weather extremes such as
heavy rains and droughts. (Drinkwater, Wagoner and
Sarrantonio 1998; Welsh, 1999; Lotter 2004)
The Wisconsin Integrated Cropping Systems Trials found that
organic yields were higher in drought years and the same as
conventional in normal weather years. (Posner et al. 2008)
The Rodale FST showed that the organic systems produced
30 per cent more corn than the conventional system in drought
years. (Pimentel D 2005, La Salle and Hepperly 2008)

22. Organic Matter Increases
Infiltration
and Soil Stability
ConventionalOrganic Picture: FiBL DOK
Trials

23. • Increased soil stability
• Higher yields in drought
years
• Increased soil C and N
• Higher water infiltration
• Higher water holding cap
• Higher microbial activity
Soil Organic Matter Mitigates
and Adapts

24. Humus and Soil Organic
Matter
Holds up to 30X its
weight in water
Cements soil particles
and reduces soil erosion
Increases nutrient
storage & availability
Humus can last 2000
years in the soil
Electron micrograph of
soil humus

25. Improved Efficiency of
Water Use
Research Shows that Organic Systems use Water
More Efficiently
Volume of Water Retained /ha (to 30 cm) in relation to soil organic
matter (SOM)
0.5% SOM = 80,000 litres (common level Africa, Asia, Australia)
1 % SOM = 160,000 litres (common level Africa, Asia, Australia)
2 % SOM = 320,000 litres
3 % SOM = 480,000 litres
4 % SOM = 640,000 litres (levels pre farming)
5 % SOM = 800,000 litres (levels pre farming)
6 % SOM = 960,000 litres (levels pre farming)
Adapted from Morris, 2004.

26. Organic Corn - 1995
Drought
Organic Conventional
Better infiltration, retention, and
delivery to plants helps avoid
drought damage
Picture: Rodale Institute

27. High Yield Regenerative Organic
Agriculture
The average corn yields during the drought years
were from 28% to 34% higher in the two organic
systems.
The yields were 6,938 and 7,235 kg per ha in the
organic animal and the organic legume systems,
respectively, compared with 5,333 kg per ha in
the conventional system (Pimentel et al. 2005)
Lbs per Acre = Kg per ha (close enough)

28. High Yield Regenerative
Organic Agriculture
A report by the United National Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD) and the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) stated on Organic
Agriculture:
114 projects in Africa covering 2 million hectares and 1.9
million farmers
‘…the average crop yield was … 116 per cent increase for
all African projects and 128 per cent increase for the
projects in East Africa.’
Organic Agriculture and Food Security in Africa 2008

29. Regenerative Organic
High Yield
The report notes that despite the introduction of conventional
agriculture in Africa food production per person is 10% lower now,
than in the 1960s.
‘The evidence presented in this study supports the argument
that organic agriculture can be more conducive to food
security in Africa than most conventional production systems,
and that it is more likely to be sustainable in the long term.’
Source: Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary general of UNCTAD
and Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP 2008
The African Union has included Ecological Organic Agriculture as a
part of its agriculture and food security programs

30. High over-grazing and burning
Deep, wide and long erosion gullies
Low soil organic matter
Low soil fertility
Serious food insecurity in dry years -many people died
Tigray, Ethiopia

31. Whole of System Approach in Place
Tigray, Ethiopia

32. Impact of using compost - Grain yields from
over 900 samples from farmers fields over 7 years
Average mean grain yields in kg/ha for 4 cereals and 1 pulse
crop from Tigray, northern Ethiopia, 2000-2006 inclusive
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
Crop (n=number of observations/fields sampled)
Barley (n=444) Maize (n=273) Faba bean (n=141)
Check
Compost
Chemical fertilizer
Published by FAO

33. Thank You