Regenerative agriculture — an approach that is increasingly being utilized in the olive industry — was listed as one of the top ten most anticipated and innovative food trends for 2020 by the U.S. multinational supermarket chain Whole Foods Market earlier this week.
This annual report is compiled by a group of more than 50 Whole Foods team members, such as regional and international buyers as well as culinary experts. The team studies consumer preferences when doing their research.
Regenerative agriculture, which is a conservation and rehabilitation approach to agriculture, has been used tentatively in U.S. olive groves and on a wider scale in Andalusia, Spain. In Andalusia, this approach reduced soil erosion by 95 percent in some olive groves.
Another benefit of this approach that focuses on topsoil generation, is that it lowers soil temperature, which creates a non-optimal environment for certain pests. In addition, it reduces water evaporation and field run-off that could contaminate water supplies.
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