Regenerative Food Systems to Help Sustain the Earth

George Boody

Besides our own health, why is what we eat critical in sustaining the planet?  For one thing, food systems emit ¼ or more of all greenhouse gases. Raising crops and livestock with greatly improved soil health can better sustain the planet through higher quality food, more pollinators, protecting our waters, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and storing carbon in the soil. The pandemic has also shown us that we must transform food systems to be just, fair, healthy, and regenerative. What we choose to eat and why sends potent signals to farmers, companies and policymakers. It’s an action each can take.

George Boody recently retired as Science and Special Projects Lead and before 2016, was the Executive Director for 23 years of the Land Stewardship Project (LSP), a local non-profit, with headquarters in Minneapolis. He co-directed interdisciplinary projects that measured and predicted ecological and financial benefits from diversified farming systems and engaged farmers. Boody is currently Senior Fellow with the Endowed Chair in Agricultural Systems at the University of Minnesota’s Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture. He received a Master’s of Science degree in horticulture and human nutrition and a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Minnesota.

Boody lives with his wife Ann, in Minneapolis, where they raised their family, built their house, do gardening, canoeing, cross-country skiing and also care for their grandchildren. They are members of First Universalist Church in Minneapolis. George has deep roots in rural Minnesota, where his mother grew up on a farm.