About Regenerative Agriculture

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Here we look at the reasons for regenerative agriculture; what it is; the 6 principles; regenerative vs sustainable; converting to regenerative; why it’s such a big deal. This is part of our series on Growing Sustainably to help stop climate change.

What Is Regenerative Agriculture?

Regenerative Agriculture is a way of farming that gives back more than it takes out.

Regenerative Agriculture increases biodiversity, enriches soils, improves the land’s ability to drain water into streams and rivers, and enhances ecosystems. It aims to capture carbon in the soil and plants (biomass), reversing the amount of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere that is one of the causes of climate change.

RegenerativeAgriculture increases the amount of crops that can be grown, creates a resilience to climate instability, and increases the health and vitality of farming and rural communities

Reasons for Regenerative Agriculture

  1. Reduce flooding and drought by increasing the moisture that soil can hold
  2. Replenish water sources by increasing the water held in aquifers (see video below)
  3. Reduce fire hazards by increasing the moisture held in soil
  4. Increase soil moisture, sustain plant growth, less brittle environments
  5. Reverse global warming by storing carbon in the soil
  6. Reduce temperatures by keeping the land covered with living plants
  7. Give access to nutrient rich food
  8. Increase access to reliable food supplies
  9. Reduce pesticides and fertilisers and toxic chemicals on the foods we eat
  10. Eliminate dangerous chemicals that kill essential microorganisms in soil
  11. Reduce water pollution in water from runoff of chemicals into streams and rivers
  12. Reverse extinction of important insects and animals, and restore biodiversity
  13. Restore the abundance of animals, plants, microbes, and pollinating insects
  14. Reconnect humanity with nature
  15. Work with nature to rebuild soil and grow our food
  16. Revive farmer prosperity by reducing input and irrigation costs

How could just a couple of those benefits improve your life, community, and country?

An example of the difference between healthy vs degraded soil:

https://youtu.be/xHevVB7XXkY

The Six Principles of Regenerative Agriculture

1. The least disturbance of the soil: No or minimal digging and ploughing; no or reduced chemicals; less compaction.

2. Allow nature to do what it’s been doing for 500 million years: Maximise photosynthesis; pump liquid carbon sugars into the ground to feed microbes.

3. Give soil some armour: Cover the soil with living plants, crop residue, wood chips, or mulch. Reduce the temperature of soil in the midday heat. Reduce wind and water erosion.

4. Integrate animals into a natural ecosystem: Big and small animals are an essential part of nutrient cycling and regenerating landscapes.

5. Increase biodiversity: Increase the biodiversity of plants below and above the ground and increase the functionality and resilience of the ecosystem.

6. Every farm is different: fragile environments vs moist environments; different crops vs livestock; no funds vs extensive funds. Regenerating land will depend on a lot of things. It’s important to have a holistic framework to be successful at transitioning to a regenerative approach.

“Start by learning how our lands and water are actually meant to function – always tailor to specific climates, topographies and human capacities. This allows us to generate food while working with rather than against the ways these lands and waters were intended to work.”

— Nicolette Hahn Niman

Regenerative vs Sustainable

This is an important point. I am advocating growing, eating, and living sustainably. But, that doesn’t mean sustaining the way we live today. It means living in a way that can be sustained forever. That means giving back more than we take out, which means regenerating.

  1. 75% of the land on earth is degraded [6]
  2. Since the dawn of agriculture, 10,000 years ago, we have broken the soil system
  3. We cannot “sustain” the way we currently farm and live: we must regenerate
  4. Regeneration is the act of regenerating [1]
  5. Farms, watersheds, and vast areas of land have been regenerated (the Loess Plateau in China is an area the size of Denmark that was transformed from eroded to flourishing, see video below).
  6. Regenerative is abundance-based. It combines ancient wisdom with holistic thinking and cutting edge science.
https://youtu.be/NQBeYffZ_SI

Moving from Conventional to Regenerative Agriculture

  1. Regular plough, becomes no or minimal ploughing
  2. Bare soil, becomes covers with multi-species cover crops
  3. Artificial fertilisers and dangerous chemicals, becomes biological amendments
  4. Overgrazing and over rest, becomes holistic and planned grazing
  5. Industrial scale livestock, becomes grass-fed holistic grazing
  6. Annual system, becomes perennial system
  7. No windbreaks, becomes windbreaks and vegetation that borders water systems
  8. Mono-cropping, becomes interspecies or crop rotation
  9. No Trees, becomes agroforestry or silvopasture

Why Is Regenerative Agriculture So Important?

We Can Rebuild Soil Faster Than We Ever Thought Possible

  1. We Can Literally Regenerate The Earth
  2. “We didn’t really know how the soil worked” – Ray Archuleta, NRCS
  3. Ancient wisdom combined with cutting edge science and holistic thinking has given us the knowledge about rebuilding soil that we didn’t know existed before.

For 10,000 Years, the Way Most Cultures Farmed Has Degraded the Land

  1. Half of the topsoil in the planet has been lost in the last 150 years [3]
  2. At the current rate of soil loss, the UN estimates we have less than 60 harvests left! [2]
  3. Land degradation creates greenhouse gases, breaks water cycles, increases heat, and reduces the amount of carbon that is stored in the soil.
  4. Regenerative Agriculture increases the production of crops and livestock, and increases the amount of carbon stored in the soil.

Life Only Exists on Land Because of Soil

  1. We have food, freshwater, and biodiversity because of soil
  2. 95% of our food comes from the soil [4]
  3. We can restore the fertility of the land by rebuilding soil

We MUST Do Something to Match the Scale of the Climate Crisis

  1. Regenerative Agriculture is one of the only solutions that addresses the whole of the catastrophic situations that we face and the level of the climate crises.
  2. 11 of the top 25 solutions to reversing global warming are land [5]

Here Is What You Can Do

  • Share this page with others
  • Talk to your friends and colleagues about Regenerative Agriculture
  • Watch Kiss The Ground documentary
  • Ask about regenerative agriculture
  • Buy food produced using regenerative methods
  • Grow your own vegetables
  • Be inspired. We can live climate positive

Where Next?

There is so much inspiring information to give you ideas of how to Live Climate Positive, you can:

  1. Get started and Vote with your money
  2. Try the Sustainability Roadmap
  3. Use the Company Directory
  4. Read My Blog Posts
  5. Subscribe to My Free Email Newsletter
  6. Support Us

Sources Used to Create This

  1. Regeneration | Collins Dictionary
  2. International Year of Soil Conference | FAO
  3. Meet The Unsung Heroes Looking After Soil | Soil Association
  4. Soil | Sustainable Food Trust
  5. The book, Drawdown | Project Drawdown
  6. 75% of Earth’s Land Areas Are Degraded | National Geographic

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.