The 6 Principles of Regenerative Agriculture

Welcome to part 3 of our mini series on Conscious Buying Decisions to Help Climate Change. Last time we covered ‘Buying Healthy Meals Gives Us the Power To Improve Climate Change’. This time we’re looking at ‘The 6 Principles of Regenerative Agriculture’, which is also part of our series on Eating Sustainably.

You can find all content in this mini series at Mini Series: Conscious Buying Decisions to Help Climate Change.

If you already know that you have the power to help climate change and improve your health and happiness, here are the options to make conscious decisions when buying food and drink:

If you want some more facts before making any decisions, let’s get into the details:

Before we get started, it’s worth saying that this mini series is based on the Kiss the Ground Purchasing Guide. Many of the facts come from the book called Drawdown.

Find the Book Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed To Reverse Global Warming by Paul Hawken That You Can Find Here on Amazon*

There are 6 principles to regenerative agriculture. They’re the reason why the latest studies are showing that regenerative organic food can be higher in nutrients and better for our health.

The 6 Principles to Regenerative Agriculture are:

1. Least Disturbance

Keep soil structure intact and biology thriving with no/low ploughing
No/reduced chemicals
Less passes with tractors and machinery
Less compaction

2. Living Root

Maximise photosynthesis
Pump liquid carbon into the ground
Feed microbes
Build soil (net carbon gain, less in atmosphere = more in ground)
Reduce erosion by holding soil together
Absorb water like a sponge

3. Soil Armor

Mother nature doesn’t like to be naked
If the soil is uncovered, raindrops can be like bombs
Bare soil gets much hotter during the day, and is more vulnerable to erosion
When erosion happens, soil runs-off into streams, rivers, and oceans
If artificial fertiliser and toxic chemicals are used, they pollute the water
Artificial nitrogen turns to nitrous oxide (a very potent greenhouse gas)
Cover the soil with living plants, crop residue, wood chips, or mulch
Soil armour protects the structure of the soil to keep it healthy

4. Animal Integration

Ecosystems evolved WITH animals
Animals, big and small, play a pivotal role in regenerating landscapes
Birds, bees, bigger animals, cycle nutrients and add biology to the soil

5. Increased Biodiversity

Nature hates monocultures
Nature is ALWAYS trying to diversify
Biodiversity of plants increases biodiversity below and above ground
Increased biodiversity increases ecosystem functionality and resilience
Stronger plants release more chemicals that keep away pests
Biodiversity is essential to a healthy and resilient farm

6. Context

No two farms are alike
From brittle environments to more moist ones
From different crops to livestock
From no funds to extensive funds
Regenerative farming is about doing what’s right in each environment
Generate food while working with, rather than against, the lands and waters

If You Want a Deep Dive Into the 6 Principles of Regenerative Agriculture, From a Farmer That Switched From Conventional to Regenerative, Check Out This Video With the Amazing Gabe Brown:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yPjoh9YJMk

Gabe Brown: Keys To Building a Healthy Soil (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yPjoh9YJMk)

That gives you a heads up about regenerative farming. Next, let’s get into what you can do when choosing and buying food.

That’s it for this piece. You can find the next piece ‘Know Your Food Source for Healthy Eating’ as well as all articles in this 10-part mini series at Conscious Buying Decisions to Help Climate Change.

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Here Is What You Can Do

Use this mini series to help you buy products that help people and planet
Check out #VoteWithOurMoney with 6 Steps to Help Stop Climate Change
Try the Sustainability Roadmap with 40+ Solutions to Climate Change
Use the Company Directory to Help You Grow, Eat, and Live Sustainably
Be inspired. We can help climate change if we do something about it
Talk to your friends and colleagues
Share this with others

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Where Next?

There is so much inspiring information to give you ideas of how to help climate change by growing, eating, and living sustainably, you can:

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Sources Used to Create This Mini Series

Production Notes

This was produced by me, James Walters, as a personal project to help stop climate change by inspiring others to grow, eat, and live sustainably.

Any advice given is the opinion of those involved and does not constitute medical, financial, or legal advice.

* We include links we think you will find useful. If you buy through those links, we may earn a small commission. It’s one way to support our work and to inspire as many people as possible.