The fertile soil is the main condition not only for the well-being of human beings, but also for their existence. For this reason, regenerative agriculture, along with other respectful agricultural practices (no-till, soil conservation , organic agriculture), is essential. Soil degradation, by significantly reducing nutritional value, biodiversity and suitable areas for planting, causes long-term food shortages. Regenerative organic farming benefits the soil, revitalizing and maintaining its fertility for the future, with future generations in mind. Regenerative agriculture techniques aim to mitigate the negative consequences of agricultural activities.

What is Regenerative Agriculture?

As the name suggests, the concept of regenerative agriculture  is about rehabilitating the soil and keeping it productive for as long as possible to avoid aggressive expansion into new areas , for example by cutting down forests. Soil fertility is   necessary not only to grow crops that meet human needs, but also to provide fodder for livestock. Therefore, the more fertile the pastures, the more food the animals will have.

In addition to maintaining the fertility of currently cultivated areas, regenerative agriculture techniques cover abandoned territories beyond agricultural activities or those that are already in disuse. In particular, this includes  reforestation, peatland restoration, buffer zone fortification, ecological and regenerative aquaculture, etc.

Principles of Regenerative Agriculture

Regenerative agriculture and ranching prioritize environmental sustainability and human health. It means that any farm must contribute to the protection of nature, in addition to cultivating commercial plants. The main advantages of regenerative agriculture are the improvement of biodiversity,  soil properties  and environmental status.

A farmer practicing regenerative agriculture recognizes  five fundamental principles  defined by Gabe Brown which entail the following:

• Elimination of mechanical, chemical and physical field treatments.  This principle of regenerative agriculture is associated with pre-industrial farming techniques.
• Use of  cover crops  throughout the year  avoiding bare soil and mitigating erosion. Additionally, this method of regenerative agriculture provides fodder and grazing material for poultry and livestock.
• Regenerative agriculture enhances biodiversity  (for example, with crop rotation, agroforestry and silvopastoral techniques).
• Incorporation of livestock into agricultural production.
  
• Conservation of live roots of perennial crops.

All of these principles aim to ensure a regenerative agriculture cycle season after season, year after year. However, they are not universal and their combinations and applications depend on the specific characteristics of each particular farm.

Regenerative Agriculture Techniques

Regenerative agriculture is not limited to saving or restoring forests, adding organic matter and increasing soil fertility . The environmental impacts of regenerative agriculture include the sequestration of carbon by eliminating its emissions into the atmosphere, the reduction of water and soil pollution, by using less chemical inputs, the improvement of biodiversity, and others. With more forests saved and soil carbon stored, we get cleaner air to breathe and mitigate the greenhouse effect. In addition, preserved natural habitats are a necessary condition to foster biodiversity.

The list of regenerative agriculture principles is quite extensive.

Direct Seeding And Pasture Cultivation

No -till spreads as  little soil disturbance as possible , decreasing soil erosion and carbon dioxide emissions. In this case, seeding is done with specialized drills or disc seeders. Pasture cultivation is an integral part of the regenerative agriculture technique when grains are used as pasture for grazing. Furthermore, it helps farmers to avoid bare soils and thus combat erosion.

Annual Organic Crop

Organic annual cultivation strives for the  use of non-chemical fertilizers and pesticides  to mitigate the negative impact on nature and humans. This method of regenerative agriculture is more expensive, less profitable, and requires more labor compared to more robust industrial practices. However, companies involved in regenerative agriculture will reap considerable advantages from regenerative agriculture in a long-term perspective with a healthier population and a less compromised environment.

Compost/ Organic Compost And Compost Tea

Compost/compost  provides organic matter and restores soil fertility , which is a key objective in  regenerative organic agriculture  . The optimum concentration of organic matter in the topsoil ranges from 3 to 5% and should be incorporated into the soil profile to a thickness of at least  six inches . Compost tea is a brewed liquid (hence the name) that provides microorganisms and soluble nutrients vital to plant growth.

Biochar And Terra Preta

Biochar is a  healthier alternative to natural charcoal  and is made by burning forest and agricultural waste. The term “terra preta” is a Portuguese name for black Indian anthropogenic soils with high charcoal content in the Amazon basin. Black carbon conditions the presence of organic matter and nutrients in the soil and is relatively immune to chemical and microbial impacts. This explains its ability to maintain fertility for a long time, of great interest to supporters of regenerative agriculture. In fact, research shows that the black carbon content in  terra preta  exceeds its content in neighboring infertile soils in the region by up to  seventy times .

Holistic Grazing Management

Holistically planned grazing as a regenerative agriculture practice suggests a  rotational use of pastures mimicking the natural behavior of animals . When moving from one area to another, the cattle feed on fresh grass, incorporating  green and animal manure  and increasing the fertility of the pastures, allowing it to regenerate the grass growth of the other lands.

Animal Integration In Agricultural Production

Such a combination promotes soil fertility, helps in the management of weeds and pests through the  implantation of biological enemies to unwanted species  and is beneficial for livestock themselves, since it approximates regenerative agriculture to the conditions of wildlife, if the we compare with rearing in stables.

Ecological Aquaculture

The regenerative organic farming approach to fisheries and aquaculture  encourages the planting of riparian buffer zones  to decrease sedimentation and water runoff, to provide additional shade and food for leafy aquatic inhabitants. It demands a reduction of chemical agricultural inputs that contaminate water due to seepage from cultivated land.

perennial crop

Perennial crops in regenerative agriculture  protect the soil from water and wind erosion by protecting it and holding it in place with their strong roots, accumulate moisture, save farm costs by reducing tillage operations and  weed control treatments .

Silvopastoral system

This regenerative agriculture technique introduces trees to pastures or pastures to forests with an added advantage: trees  in pastures provide shelter for animals on hot, sunny days and serve as windbreaks . In addition, they are an alternative source of food for livestock and provide organic matter with their foliage.

Agroforestry

The regenerative agriculture method  combines agricultural crops with trees or shrubs , which prevent soil erosion through their vigorous root system, and abundant rainfall protects crop species from strong winds and rain.

Why is it worth implementing regenerative agriculture?

One of the biggest challenges of regenerative agriculture is the reduced benefits compared to industrial tillage. However, farmers are changing their practice worldwide thinking of a sustainable future. The main reasons for supporters of regenerative agriculture are the following:

• Support world food needs.  Small agricultural businesses supply food products to the world. Farms  smaller than 1 to 2 ha account for 84% of all farms , controlling just 12% of agricultural land globally. At the same time, large-scale farms account for just 1% of all farms, controlling 65% of agricultural land.
• Eliminates greenhouse gas emissions.  Greenhouse gases are one of the main drivers of global warming and industrial food production currently releases  approximately 26%  of these emissions. Regenerative agriculture approaches this problem.
• Fight climate change.  Merely reducing GHG emissions is not enough to mitigate climate change, however it can work well together with soil carbon sequestration by implementing regenerative farm management.
• Increase yields.  Regenerative agriculture strongly encourages organic agriculture. Organic farms suffer less from extreme weather conditions and produce more crops in unfavorable weather conditions than traditional agricultural enterprises.
• Cope with droughts.  Organic matter accumulates  soil moisture  and improves water retention and infiltration. One of the central techniques of regenerative agriculture is building them.
• Help local economies.  Local regenerative agriculture contributes to the development of sustainable local economies.
• Regenerate pastures.  70% of the grasslands are currently out of use due to degradation. The situation can be improved with  holistically managed grazing , which is an efficient regenerative agriculture technique.
• Study the concept of indigenous agriculture.  With the power of traditional knowledge, farmers can handle the current problems of regenerative agriculture.
• Contribute to biodiversity.  Versatile species are beneficial not only for farm business, but also for environmental sustainability, which is ultimately important in regenerative agriculture.
• Increase nutritional value.  The diversity of cultivated crops ensures a more balanced nutrition.

Regenerative Agriculture and Climate Change

Maintaining the vitality of the land is the top priority for every agricultural business, regardless of its size, today that seems like a very complicated task being the main objective of regenerative agriculture.

Agriculture has recently been strongly affected by climate change and regenerative practices are fighting to reverse it. American farmers suffer huge losses due to floods and droughts, high temperatures and severe frosts, forest fires, tornadoes, storms, hurricanes. Natural disasters represent a serious threat to agribusiness and require adaptation strategies.

Abnormal heat in some African regions forces landowners out of business as vegetation cannot survive the sun’s rays and droughts. In addition, strong droughts cause intensive evaporation, and strong evaporation in turn causes torrential rains or even harsher droughts.

Compared to historical weather data, weather patterns are changing, with rainfall somewhat lower than average in some regions, while in other areas it is excessively high and causes flooding. Plants cannot cope with droughts or floods and die. Other negative consequences of extreme downpours are erosion and water pollution because the land cannot absorb large amounts of water in short periods of time.

Regenerative agriculture tackles droughts with organic matter, known for its water-holding capacity and increased soil fertility. No-tillage contributes to carbon sequestration.

In regenerative agriculture, the differentiated approach with regard to the application of fertilizers or herbicides and the distribution of inputs is also valued. Regenerative agriculture makes it possible to reduce soil and water pollution, thus promoting the rehabilitation of land and water resources. In this sense, the zoning option benefits the positive impact of regenerative agriculture on the environment, saving the farmer’s resources. The most popular mission of regenerative agriculture is to maintain land cover throughout the year. Regenerative agriculture can be a great tool to facilitate field work for farmers committed to regenerative principles.