Regenerative agriculture, as suggested by its name, is a sustainable farming practice that strives to bring farmland back to life. It has an important role to play in the future of food sustainability. Local farmers practice what is called cover cropping, where they raise plants with the sole intention of improving the soil they grow in rather than selling the farmland produce or eating them.
The traditional way of farming as we know has its impact on people, communities, and the environment, over the years, cropping and livestock production has also had an impact on the soil which is why there is a need for the soil to heal for crops to be produced on a healthier soil. Although farmers and businesses are adopting sustainable farming practices, a few of them have become popular in recent times due to the negative impact it has on climate change.
More than being environmentally friendly, regenerative farming revitalizes and improves the environment (land, water, and air) while producing abundant, healthy, and delicious food. This farming practice has the potential to make agriculture more sustainable if done correctly. It ensures restoration of vegetation and soil, has a long-lasting effect on the environment and also allows farmers to produce higher harvests over a long period of time.
PRACTICES OF REGENERATIVE FARMING
- Minimizing Soil Disturbance: This practice ensures that farmers drastically reduce the amount of digging and ploughing that can cause loosened topsoil to be blown away by the wind or carried away by water.
- Cover Cropping: This practice involves planting in the soil after the primary commercial crop is harvested, after this phase, livestock can also graze. Cover cropping improves soil nutrients and ecosystem, reduces soil temperature, and protects against erosion without the use of pesticides.
- Increasing Biodiversity: This practice enhances the variety of nutrients entering the soil via roots and natural decomposition, the more diverse plants and roots in the soil, the healthier the farm soil and the harvest obtained from it.
- Integrating Livestock: Integrating livestock to create a single ecosystem that includes both animals and plants. This strategy involves pasture and grazing which results in increased biodiversity above and below ground, fewer carbon dioxide and methane emissions, and naturally healthy animals.
- Crop Rotation: This practice of crop rotation is to ensure that what is naturally taken out and put back into the soil by plants is balanced. That is keeping as many living roots in the soil as possible.
BENEFITS OF THIS FARMING TECHNIQUE
As the need for sustainable food production continues to grow, farmers are taking an increasing interest in regenerative agriculture as a positive, adaptable approach to sustainable farming. Regenerative agricultural practice is being used to address soil degradation, aid farmers in reducing their reliance on oil and chemicals like pesticides and artificial fertilizers, as well as lower production costs.
- Improved Water Quality And Quantity: With the reduced use of chemicals and pesticides known for polluting the soil and water bodies, there is an improvement in the quality of water for everyone to use and also for the soil.
- Economic Benefit: As a result of adopting this farming technique, soil health is improved which impacts the yield and quality of produce harvested resulting in increased profitability.
- Restoration of Grassland and Enhanced Biodiversity: This farming technique can help in the quick recovery of farmlands and enhances biodiversity as it is essential for agricultural production, and food security, as well as an important component of environmental protection.
Crops can then be produced on healthier soil in the future. These and other regeneration strategies can result in soil that is rich, vibrant, and full of carbon. In order to do our bid in supporting this farming method, we can start by purchasing food currently produced in this manner and sharing the information with our close network. Another way is to adapt to buying organic food.
With the World Food Tracker you can create a farm account when signing up where you can start creating your farm plan that includes information on regenerative farming practices too.
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