What is Regenerative Agriculture?
Eco-friendly living is the way of the future. Everyone seems to be looking for ways to lower their carbon footprint. When it comes to agriculture, not everyone can agree on the best way to accomplish this goal. Until now. Regenerative agriculture is the vision of the future. If you have never heard of this phrase before, you may be wondering, “What is regenerative agriculture?”. Today, I am going to share more about this solution, which is also referred to as regenerative farming.
What is Regenerative Agriculture?
It is important to note that regenerative agriculture is not a new practice. Think back to long ago and how farming used to be. Back before chemicals and heavy machinery.
Despite being around for centuries, regenerative farming doesn’t have a clear definition right now. The current goal of regenerative agriculture is determining what steps are needed to be taken in order to solve the multiple issues we are all currently facing.
The 5 Main Principles of Regenerative Agriculture
While there is not a consistent definition of regenerative farming, people can agree on the five main principles of this practice.
Those principles are:
- Improving Soil Health
- Increasing Biodiversity
- Aiding in Carbon Sequestration
- Incorporating Humane Treatment of All Livestock and Farmworkers
- Improving the Entire Ecosystem
Common Practices of Regenerative Agriculture
There are a few common practices of regenerative agriculture. They include, but are not limited to:
- Crop Rotation
- Cover Cropping
- Increased Plant and Crop Diversity
- Animal Integration
- Managed Grazing and Pasturing
- Increase Soil Health by Conservative Tillage
- Composting
- Waste Reduction
The Benefits of Regenerative Agriculture
There are quite a few benefits of regenerative agriculture. The main benefit is combating climate change. Less carbon will be released into the atmosphere once soil is healthier. While some scientists are stating that all carbon emissions will be gone when regenerative farming is fully implemented, not everyone agrees.
A few experts are saying that there are mixed results from the science aspect. They state soil composition, locations, and dozens of other factors need to be considered.
So, while the outlook is good for combating climate change, regenerative farming shouldn’t be considered the only option.
Other benefits of this type of farming include ecological, economical, community, and health.
Ecological Benefits
When it comes to the ecological benefits of this type of farming, you will notice improvements in soil health. The soil will be moister and darker in color. An increase of bee, insect, and bird populations will allow for better plant life. Crops will be healthier, which means bigger yields.
Fewer chemicals and pesticides will improve the quality of water. This will lead to fewer algae blooms, as well as drinking water pollution. An increase of water in the soil will also ensure that farms are more resilient to any droughts that may occur during the growing season.
Economic Benefits
Reducing the use of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and antibiotics can result in saving thousands of dollars each year. Add in the higher yields on farms and there will be increased profits each year. This isn’t to say that farmers and ranchers will be rich. But they won’t need to worry about whether they will at least break even.
Community Benefits
Support networks are key for farms. Whether a farmer is calling another farmer to ask for help with repairs or asking a question about their growing practices, community is key.
Another community benefit you may see is a stronger relationship with non-farmers in the area. Visitors to the farm can observe how regenerative agriculture is practiced. One of the best ways to build these relationships is for farms and ranches to host public visits.
Health Benefits
Everyone’s health benefits from fewer chemicals being used on farms. People’s health will also benefit from all the healthy foods that are being grown in soil that has grown to be rich and full of nutrients.
Farmers will see numerous health benefits as well. Higher yields will mean farmers do not need to stay awake at night wondering if they can pay all their bills. They also will not need to rely on a single crop each year if they take advantage of growing numerous types of foods. Their stress levels will decrease, leading to better mental health.
Investing in Regenerative Farming
Unfortunately, not too many people are investing in regenerative agriculture. Some states are encouraging farmers to do this. California actually offers incentive programs for those farmers who do.
If you are not a farmer, there are a few things you can do at home to assist with the regenerative farming movement. You can start by growing your own food using the regenerative agriculture guidelines.
Another option is to find out how your food is sourced. Choosing to only purchase foods that are grown through this type of farming is a big step in supporting this future farming option. Connecting with local farmers and ranchers in your area is an excellent way to learn more about how they run their business. You may even discover a new place to purchase locally grown foods in the future.
If you have been asking the question, “What is regenerative agriculture?”, you now know the answer. Regenerative farming isn’t too different than how they farmed hundreds of years ago. And yet, there is so much more we know about regenerative agriculture that will allow all of us to all act even more responsibly with our food choices in the future.
