Regenerative Agriculture 

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Regenerative Agriculture 

Meaning:  

Regenerative Agriculture describes farming and grazing practices that, among other benefits, reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity – resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the water cycle.

Difference between Conventional and Regenerative Agriculture:  

  • Conventional: focuses on optimum production of one crop
  • Regenerative: optimum creation of relationships

Examples:  

I) No-till farming: 

– Soil is full of organisms that are useful for plants:

  1. Some convert soil nitrogen to plant usable form
  2. Some bring water to the plants that would otherwise be out of reach
  3. Some loosen and aerate the soil increasing water absorption capacity and help penetrate the plants’ roots deeper.

– When tilling is done, most of the organisms are killed so now the crops must rely on chemical fertilisers that end up leaching the groundwater.

– Solutions:

  1. Plant cover crops whose roots break the soil
  2. Introduce the worms that breakdown and aerate the soil
  3. Cover the soil with organic mulch that adds more organic matter to the  soil

II) Regenerative Grazing: 

– From the release of methane and clearing of the forest, cattle grazing is considered environment destructive.

– Solution:

  1. With the right practices, enormous amounts of carbon can be suppressed into the ground, soil can be built and even desertification can be eliminated.
  2. Grass eaten before time —> growth will never speed up —> no methane absorption —> overgrazing
  3. If animals are kept in the tightly packed arrangement, grass can be grown before getting eaten
  1. Not all grass is eaten, some of it is stepped or excreted upon —> new  humus-rich topsoil

III) Agro-Forestry: 

– One of the most complex and location depended on practices

– Starts by observing the local forests and establishing correlations

– Recreating these forests with an up-gradation —> food forests

– Every layer of the food forest produces some kind of food or medicines or helps in maintaining the system as a whole.

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