REFERENCES: BENEFITS OF ORGANIC/REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE ON HUMAN HEALTH & ENV’T

This section also details the connection between the health of the soil and the implications it has for the health of the plants and how that translates into human health, the gut microbiome, and immune function.  There are likely to be additional resources in other areas of these sustainability resources pages that also showcase the benefits of organic/regenerative/agroecological farming methods on the human and planetary health. I’ve marked some below with *** as those that are most recent and most substantial.  Please be sure to look through other resource areas as well. Note that some of the benefits or organic/regenerative also means a reduced exposure to chemicals which also can carry health benefits and lower risk for numerous health issues. Be sure to see the section on the impact of pesticides on human health and the environment

You can also find more info on the connection between “Nutrient Density” and Regenerative Organic agriculture from my colleagues over at the “Nutrient Density Alliance” resources page HERE (You’ll see some crossover) Additionally, see their fantastic presentation given on this topic here

• Banerjee, S., van der Heijden, M.G.A. Soil microbiomes and one health. Nat Rev Microbiol (2022). ***
  • The concept of one health highlights that human health is not isolated but connected to the health of animals, plants and environments. 
  • In this Review, we demonstrate that soils are a cornerstone of one health and serve as a source and reservoir of pathogens, beneficial microorganisms and the overall microbial diversity in a wide range of organisms and ecosystems.
• Barański M, Średnicka-Tober D, Volakakis N, et al. Higher antioxidant and lower cadmium concentrations and lower incidence of pesticide residues in organically grown crops: A systematic literature review and meta-analyses. British Journal of Nutrition. 2014;112(5):794-811. 
  • Found significantly higher levels of these phytochemicals in addition to vitamins C and E. In comparison, pesticide residues and toxic metal content was four times as high in conventional fruits.
  •  Researcher state that shifting to organic farming can increase the phytochemical content in produce to the current equivalent of eating 2-4 portions of fruits and vegetables!
  • Concentrations of a range of antioxidants such as polyphenols have been found to be substantially higher in organic crops/organic cropbased foods which have not been sprayed with pesticides. Many of these compounds have been
    linked to a reduced risk of chronic diseases
• Blum WEH, Zechmeister-Boltenstern S, Keiblinger KM. Does Soil Contribute to the Human Gut Microbiome?. Microorganisms. 2019;7(9):287. Published 2019 Aug 23.
• Brevik, E. C. & Burgess, L. C. (2014) The Influence of Soils on Human Health. Nature Education Knowledge 5(12):1
  • Approximately 78% of the average per capita calorie consumption worldwide comes from crops grown directly in soil, and another nearly 20% comes from terrestrial food sources that rely indirectly on soil
  • Soils are also a major source of nutrients, and they act as natural filters to remove contaminants from water. However, soils may contain heavy metals, chemicals, or pathogens that have the potential to negatively impact human health.
  • The ability to produce nutritious crops in sufficient amounts depends on soil properties and conditions. In particular, soils that have well-developed structure, sufficient organic matter, and other physical and chemical properties conducive to promoting crop growth lead to strong yields and are thus important for food security
• Brooke, L; Johnson, A.  Grow Organic: The Climate, Health, and Economic Case for Expanding Organic Agriculture   Natural Resources Defense Council published in partnership with the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Arizona State University and Californians for Pesticide Reform. Website.  Published  October 27, 2022. Accessed January 2023.  (You can download the report from the website) 
  • Organic agriculture reduces the greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of farming by eliminating most fossil fuel–based inputs, and it builds climate resilience by promoting healthy soils, diversifying food crops, and supporting threatened wildlife habitats and biodiversity. 
  • Data show that organic farming emits less nitrous oxide by avoiding chemical fertilizers and pesticides commonly used in conventional agriculture, and organic livestock production leads to fewer methane emissions compared with conventional concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).  
  • Research demonstrates that organic agriculture benefits our health by dramatically reducing exposure to agricultural pollution in air, water, and food. Farmworkers and others working and living near conventional farms suffer serious acute and chronic health ailments associated with pesticide exposure, and studies indicate that pesticide residues in our food may be harmful to consumer health.
• Coller, E., Cestaro, A., Zanzotti, R. et al. Microbiome of vineyard soils is shaped by geography and management. Microbiome 7, 140 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-019-0758-7
  •  The biodiversity of soil microbial communities is increasingly recognized as a major factor for human health both directly, by limiting the spread of potential pathogens, and indirectly, by contributing to processes that provide clean air, water, and healthy food [3]. Soil serves as a primary reservoir for plant-colonizing bacteria [4], that play a major role in determining plant productivity [5] and preventing invasion by bacterial pathogens [6].
• Dixon KA, Michelsen MK, Carpenter CL. Modern Diets and the Health of Our Planet: An Investigation into the Environmental Impacts of Food Choices. Nutrients. 2023; 15(3):692. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15030692
  • The diets found to have the lowest environmental impacts were the vegan, climatarian, and Mediterranean diets. These low-carbon-footprint diets can likely be attributed to a reduced reliance on ruminant meat (cattle and sheep) and processed food consumption, while diets with high carbon footprints are more dependent on ruminant meat and saturated fat.
  •  Making simple substitutions within each individual’s diet can be advertised as an effective approach to collectively lower the environmental impact in tandem with improving health and longevity.
• Fagan J, Bohlen L, Patton S, Klein K. Organic diet intervention significantly reduces urinary glyphosate levels in U.S. children and adults. Environ Res. 2020 Oct;189:109898. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109898. Epub 2020 Aug 11. PMID: 32797996.
  •  This study demonstrates that diet is a primary source of glyphosate exposure and that shifting to an organic diet is an effective way to reduce body burden of glyphosate and its main metabolite, AMPA. This research adds to a growing body of literature indicating that an organic diet may reduce exposure to a range of pesticides in children and adults.
• Glibowski P Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig.. Organic food and health.  2020;71(2):131-136. doi: 10.32394/rpzh.2020.0110 ***
  • Organic food contributes to better health through reduced pesticide exposure for all and increased nutritional quality. 
  • Looking only at pesticide residues in food as a measure of pesticide exposure ignores the fact that many foods that do not end up with high pesticide residues nonetheless involve toxic chemicals in production that put workers’ health at risk. Pesticide use in production and farmworker exposure is a necessary consideration in looking at the whole pesticide problem. 
  • A study published by The Organic Center reveals that organic food is higher in certain key areas such as total antioxidant capacity, total polyphenols, and two key flavonoids, quercetin and kaempferol, all of which are nutritionally significant
• Health Benefits of Organic Agriculture  Beyond Pesticides Website https://www.beyondpesticides.org/programs/organic-agriculture/why-organic/health-benefits  accessed June 2023
  • Compared to a conventional diet, regular and frequent consumption of organic products generally reduces the risk of overweight and obesity, both for women and men, as well as non-Hodgkin lymphoma in case of women. Besides those, consumption of organic fruits and vegetables, as well as dairy products significantly reduces the risk of pre-eclampsia in pregnancy and eczema in infants, respectively
  • Positive effect on selected health problems probably results from a reduced amount of pesticide residues and an increased secondary plant metabolites intake which characterize organic food
• Healthy Soils Are the Basis for Healthy Food Production. Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN.  Graphic Accessed June 2022. FAO, “Healthy Soils Are the Basis- “, (2020).
  • In the past 50 years advances in agriculture technology has led to increased food production, but sometimes with negative impacts on soils and the environment
  • In many countries, intensive crop production has depleted the soil, jeopardizing our ability to maintain production in these areas in the future more food . Soil health and its fertility have a direct influence on the nutrient content of food crops
  • Sustainable soil management could produce up to 58% more food
• Hills RD Jr, Pontefract BA, Mishcon HR, Black CA, Sutton SC, Theberge CR. Gut Microbiome: Profound Implications for Diet and Disease. Nutrients. 2019;11(7):1613. Published 2019 Jul 16.
• Hirt H. Healthy soils for healthy plants for healthy humans: How beneficial microbes in the soil, food and gut are interconnected and how agriculture can contribute to human health. EMBO Rep. 2020 Aug 5;21(8):e51069. doi: 10.15252/embr.202051069. Epub 2020 Jul 31. PMID: 32734701; PMCID: PMC7403703. ***
  • Industrial agriculture requires increasing amounts of fertilizers and pesticides to maintain yield. This seems to be the result and/or the cause of a poor microbial diversity in the soil. Soil erosion and climate change also affect microbial biodiversity and contribute to the loss of large areas of arable land and their microbial populations
  • Since microbes from fruits, salads and vegetables join the human gut microbiome, the plant microbiome can affect the gut microbiome and thereby human health.
  • Great graphics in this paper!
• Hurtado-Barroso, S., Tresserra-Rimbau, A., Vallverdú-Queralt, A., & Lamuela- Raventós, R. M. (2019). Organic food and the impact on human health. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 59(4), 704–714.
  • Organic agriculture seems to contribute to maintaining an optimal health status and decreases the risk of developing chronic diseases. This may be due to the higher content of bioactive compounds and lower content of unhealthy substances such as cadmium and synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in organic foods of plant origin compared to conventional agricultural products.
  • Large long-term intervention studies are needed to determine whether an organic diet is healthier than a diet including conventionally grown food products.
• Johansson E, Hussain A, Kuktaite R, Andersson SC, Olsson ME. Contribution of organically grown crops to human health. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014;11(4):3870-3893. Published 2014 Apr 8.
• Kawano et al. Microbiota imbalance induced by dietary sugar disrupts immune-mediated protection from metabolic syndrome. Volume 185, Issue 19, 15 September 2022, Pages 3501-3519.e20
  • “highlight(s) an elaborate interaction between diet, microbiota, and intestinal immunity in regulation of metabolic disorders”.
• LOEFFELHOLZ, T How Regenerative Farming Heals the Soil  And makes healthier food than even organic farming. Yes Magazine.  Published March, 2023. Accessed July 2023
• Lezaks, D; Ellerton, M. The Regenerative Agriculture and Human Health Nexus: Insights from Field to Body: ***
  • Growing more nutritious food does influence human health. And that this nexus of regenerative agriculture and human health calls for an inclusive movement made up of a diverse group of organizations and leaders working in concert to improve the human condition.
• Li et al.The productive performance of intercropping   PNAS. Vol. 120 | No. 2 January 3, 2023
  • Intercropping, the planned combination of two or more crop species in one field, is a promising practice.
  • Based on a meta-analysis of 226 field experiments:  Overall, although intercropping does not achieve transgressive overyielding on average, our results show that intercropping performs well in producing a diverse set of crop products and performs almost similar to the most productive component sole crop to produce raw products, while improving crop resilience, enhancing ecosystem services, and improving nutrient use efficiency. Our study, therefore, confirms the great interest of intercropping for the development of a more sustainable agricultural production, supporting diversified diets.
• Lori M., Symnaczik S., Mäder P., De Deyn G., Gattinger A. Organic farming enhances soil microbial abundance and activity—A meta-analysis and meta-regression. PLoS ONE. 2017;12:e0180442. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180442.
  • An active soil microbiota plays an important role for various soil based ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling,erosion control and pest and disease regulation
  • Overall, we found that organic systems had 32% to 84% greater microbial biomass carbon, microbial biomass nitrogen, total phospholipid fatty-acids, and dehydrogenase, urease and protease activities than conventional systems
• Lucia RM, Liao X, Huang WL, Forman D, Kim A, Ziogas A, Norden-Krichmar TM, Goodman D, Alvarez A, Masunaka I, Pathak KV, McGilvrey M, Hegde AM, Pirrotte P, Park HL. Urinary glyphosate and AMPA levels in a cross-sectional study of postmenopausal women: Associations with organic eating behavior and dietary intake. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2023 Jun 29;252:114211. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114211. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37393842.
  • Animal and epidemiologic studies suggest that there may be adverse health effects from exposure to glyphosate, the most highly used pesticide in the world, and its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA). 
  • The vast majority of subjects sampled had detectable levels, and significant dietary sources in the American diet were identified.
• Manzeke-Kangara M et al Do agronomic approaches aligned to regenerative agriculture improve the micronutrient concentrations of edible portions of crops? A scoping review of evidence . Front. Nutr., 12 July 2023 Sec. Nutrition and Sustainable Diets ***
  • Regenerative Agriculture (RA) is widely used to describe agronomic approaches based on the principles of improving soil health and sequestering carbon
    • (1) minimize the external impacts of agriculture beyond the farm; (2) minimize energy and other inputs into the farm; (3) sequester carbon, improve nutrient cycling and wider ecosystem services, (4) increase biodiversity, and (5) promote social justice. Soil conservation is considered as the entry point for most agronomic approaches informed by RA, although universally accepted formal definitions and inclusion criteria for RA are lacking
  • This scoping review supports a potential role for RA approaches in increasing the concentrations of micronutrients in the edible portions of several crop types under specific practices, although this was context specific. For example, rice grown under increased organic inputs showed significant increases in grain zinc (Zn) concentration in 15 out of 16 studies. The vitamin C concentration of tomato fruit increased in ~50% of studies when plants were grown under increased organic inputs, and in 76% of studies when plants were grown under deficit irrigation. Overall, the magnitude and reproducibility of the effects of RA practices on most crop nutritional profiles were difficult to assess due to the diversity of RA approaches, geographical conditions, and the limited number of studies for most crops in each of these categories.
  • Papers included combinations of agronomic approaches that could be defined as Regenerative: “Organic Inputs” including composts and manures, cover crops, crop rotations, crop residues and biochars; “Reduced Tillage”, “Intercropping”, “Biostimulants” e.g. arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; plant growth promoting bacteria, and “Irrigation”, typically deficit-irrigation and alternate wetting and drying. 
  • Reductions in the intensive use of agrochemical inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides can also deliver potential health benefits on-farm during handling and application, and beyond the farm-gate. This can be directly, during processing and consumption; and through decreased potential for environmental pollution of landscapes (soil, water and atmosphere).
• Mie A, Andersen HR, Gunnarsson S, et al. Human health implications of organic food and organic agriculture: A comprehensive review. Environmental Health. 2017;16(1) ***
  • Diet choices and the associated food production methods also have important impacts on environmental sustainability
  • Organic dairy products, and perhaps also meats, have a higher content of omega-3 fatty acids compared to conventional products. However, these differences are likely of marginal nutritional significance.
  • Of greater concern is the prevalent use of antibiotics in conventional animal production as a key driver of antibiotic resistance in society; antibiotic use is less intensive in organic production.
  • Overall, this review emphasises several documented and likely human health benefits associated with organic food production, and application of such production methods is likely to be beneficial within conventional agriculture, e.g., in integrated pest management.
• Montgomery d et al, Soil Health and Nutrient Density: Beyond Organic vs. Conventional Farming: Front. Sustain. Food Syst., 04 November 2021 ***
  • More recent studies have shown how reliance on tillage and synthetic nitrogen fertilizers influence soil life, and thereby soil health, in ways that can reduce mineral micronutrient uptake by and phytochemical production in crops. While organic farming tends to enhance soil health and conventional practices degrade it, relying on tillage for weed control on both organic and conventional farms degrades soil organic matter and can disrupt soil life in ways that reduce crop mineral uptake and phytochemical production. 
  • More consistent differences between organic and conventional crops include that conventional crops contain greater pesticide levels, whereas organically grown crops contain higher levels of phytochemicals shown to exhibit health-protective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. 
• Montgomery DR, Biklé A, Archuleta R, Brown P, Jordan J. 2022. Soil health and nutrient density: preliminary comparison of regenerative and conventional farming. PeerJ 10:e12848 ***
  • 10 Farms with no-till, cover crops, and diverse rotations produced crops with higher “soil organic matter” levels, soil health scores, and levels of certain vitamins, minerals,  (Cu, Ca, Zn)
  • Higher levels of phytochemicals (including phytosterols) with regenerative farming than conventional  (promote immune health)
  • Regenerative grazing practices produced meat with a better fatty acid profile & ratio
• Moyer J, Stoll S, Schaeffer Z, et al. THE POWER of the PLATE: The Case for Regenerative Organic Agriculture in Improving Human Health. Rodale Institute. 2020 ***.
  • • In addition to lacking nutrition, industrial farming directly and indirectly affects human health via exposure to potentially toxic chemicals and environmental pollutants.
  • Regenerative organic agriculture grows food without synthetic chemicals or salt-based fertilizers while improving soil health, which can increase the nutrient density of food and help combat environmental issues like climate change.
• Parizad S, Bera S. The effect of organic farming on water reusability, sustainable ecosystem, and food toxicity [published online ahead of print, 2021 Jul 7]. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2021;10.1007/s11356-021-15258-7. doi:10.1007/s11356-021-15258-7
  • Organic farming is one of the best ways that does not only reduce the deterioration of water quality but also decrease food toxicity.
  • Fields that are organically managed continuously for years have fewer pest populations and were attributed to increased biodiversity and abundance of multi-trophic interactions as well as to changes in plant metabolites.
• Popa et al. Organic foods contribution to nutritional quality and value. Trends in Food Science & Technology Volume 84, February 2019, Pages 15-18
  •  Due to the fact that synthetic fertilizers offer more bioavailable sources of nitrogen, plant development is accelerated, and all plant resources go to growth purposes and not to the production of secondary metabolites (e.g. polyphenols).
  • The second hypothesis is related to the plant exposure to stressful situations resulted from the absence of pesticides (such as attacks from various insects, weeds and plant pathogens) leading to an increase of natural defence substances, such as phenolic compounds
  • There are several reasons favoring organic food consumption, such as less exposure to antibiotic resistant bacteria; natural pesticides defense system activation
  • A significant imbalance continues to exist between the current supply of organic produce and the growing demand for organic food
• Puigbo et al. Does Glyphosate Affect the Human Microbiota? Life 2022, 12(5), 707;
  • Our results demonstrate that more than one-half of human microbiome are intrinsically sensitive to glyphosate.
• Reganold JP, Wachter JM. Organic Agriculture in the twenty-first century. Nature Plants. 2016;2(2).   
• Regenerate Soil, Regenerate Health: Author/Soil Scientist Anne Biklé in Conversation With Zach Bush, MD (VIDEO)
  • There are never-ending connections between us and nature. This conversation between leaders in the field sheds more light on the link between the health of the soil, soil microbiome, nutrient density of food and the impact this all has on human health & the human gut microbiome.
• Rempelos, L  and others, Diet and food type affect urinary pesticide residue excretion profiles in healthy individuals: results of a randomized controlled dietary intervention trial, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 115, Issue 2, February 2022, Pages 364–377
  •  Organic farming standards prohibit the use of most pesticides, and organic food consumption may therefore reduce pesticide exposure. This may explain the positive health outcomes linked to organic food consumption in observational studies.
  • Organic food consumption reduced exposure to all groups of synthetic chemical pesticide
• Rouphael, Y et al.Phenolic composition, antioxidant activity and mineral profile in two seed-propagated artichoke cultivars as affected by microbial inoculants and planting time. Food Chemistry Volume 234, 1 November 2017, Pages 10-19
  • Another key preharvest factor able to enhance plant growth and quality would be through inoculation with beneficial microorganisms such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Trichoderma (López-Bucio et al., 2015, Rouphael et al., 2015).
  • Experimental studies showed that AMF can enhance the accumulation of secondary metabolites (phenolics and carotenoids), vitamins (ascorbate and tocopherols), sugars as well as anthocyanins in several vegetables (Battini et al., 2016, Rouphael et al., 2015, Sbrana et al., 2014). Such physiological changes during mutualistic association may be ascribed to a transient activation of plant defense reactions in colonized roots leading to the accumulation of secondary metabolites (Rouphael et al., 2015, Sbrana et al., 2014). In a previous paper, Ceccarelli et al. (2010) reported a higher phenolic content and antioxidant activity in artichoke flower heads as affected by mycorrhizal symbiosis.
• Ruuskanen et al. Ecosystem consequences of herbicides: the role of microbiome Trends in Ecology & Evolution. Published: October 13,  2022
  • The changes in soil microbiome are likely to influence key nutrient cycling and plant–soil processes. Herbicide-altered microbiome affects plant and animal performance and can influence trophic interactions such as herbivory and pollination.
• Sciligo, A et al. Local diversification enhances pollinator visitation to strawberry and may improve pollination and marketability  Front. Sustain. Food Syst., 22 August 2022 Sec. Agroecology and Ecosystem Services
  • “These results suggest that both polyculture and semi-natural habitat cover support more abundant and diverse pollinator communities, and that ambient levels of pollinator visitation to strawberry provide an important crop pollination service by improving berry marketability”
• Sharpe RM, Gustafson L, Hewitt S, Kilian B, Crabb J, Hendrickson C, Jiwan D, Andrews P, Dhingra A. Concomitant phytonutrient and transcriptome analysis of mature fruit and leaf tissues of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. Oregon Spring) grown using organic and conventional fertilizer. PLoS One. 2020 Jan 13;15(1):e0227429.
•  Seufert, V., & Ramankutty, N. (2017). Many shades of gray-The context-dependent performance of organic  agriculture. Science advances, 3(3), e1602638. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.160263
  • Lower yields can range depending on the situation and they say it’s possible to see a lower yield that’s only 5-9% less than the traditional counterpart. This same study also found that it can be a larger amount of 30-40% less of what the organic crops are producing. It’s fascinating that there can be such a wide range of yields with organic depending on the conditions
• Soil: The Foundation of Nutrition Food and Agriculture Foundation Graphic
  • Soil degradation leads to the loss of soil micro and macronutrients 
  • Nutrient-poor soils are unable to produce healthy food with all the necessary nutrients for a healthy person
• Vigar V, Myers S, Oliver C, Arellano J, Robinson S, Leifert C. A systematic review of organic versus conventional food consumption: Is there a measurable benefit on human health? Nutrients. 2019;12(1):7. doi:10.3390/nu12010007. ***
  • “Significant positive outcomes were seen in longitudinal studies where increased organic intake was associated with reduced incidence of infertility, birth defects, allergic sensitisation, otitis media, pre-eclampsia, metabolic syndrome, high BMI, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.”
  •  “However, a growing number of important findings are being reported from observational research linking demonstrable health benefits with organic food consumption.”
• Wittwer, R. A., Bender, S. F., Hartman, K., Hydbom, S., Lima, R. A. A., Loaiza, V., Nemecek, T., Oehl, F., Olsson, P. A., Petchey, O., Prechsl, U. E., Schlaeppi, K., Scholten, T., Seitz, S., Six, J., & van der Heijden, M. G. A. (2021). Organic and conservation agriculture promote ecosystem multifunctionality. Science advances, 7(34), eabg6995.
• Zhang et al. Exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides and risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma: A meta-analysis and supporting evidence.Mutation Research/Reviews in Mutation Research Volume 781, July–September 2019, Pages 186-206
  • Our current meta-analysis of human epidemiological studies suggests a compelling link between exposures to GBHs and increased risk for NHL.

SOME STUDIES DISPUTING THE BENEFITS OF REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

• Ranganathan, J., Waite, R., Searchinger, T., and Zionts, J. (2020). Regenerative Agriculture: Good for Soil Health, but Limited Potential to Mitigate Climate Change. Available online at: https://www.wri.org/blog/2020/05/regenerative-agriculture-climate-change (accessed October 7, 2020).