In the last few years, regular land use and commercial agricultural activities have reduced the quality of the land conducive to food production. These activities decrease soil arability instead of producing soil that is high in nutrients and sequestered carbon. 

This is why an approach called regenerative agriculture is becoming more widely adopted as a possible means of reversing the detrimental consequences of modern farming practices.

Regenerative agriculture is known for the opportunities it provides which could improve food production’s sustainability, including the likelihood of regenerative agriculture being used as part of the mitigation strategy on climate change. In addition to raising the average agricultural output, regenerative agriculture can also help boost a farmers’ earnings and offers various social and economic advantages, including greater flexibility to choose good education for children and better savings.

In this blog, we’ll explain what regenerative agriculture refers to, explore the possibilities for mitigating climate change further, and assess its position among other alternatives to improve agriculture.

Regenerative agriculture is a farming concept that utilizes plant photosynthesis to close the carbon cycle and improve soil quality, crop strength, and nutrient density in plants.

Regenerative agriculture enhances soil health, mainly through activities that maximize organic matter, and brings back depleted soil to good health. Not only does this contribute to increasing the biological diversity and health of the soil, it also improves biodiversity both above and below the soil area enhancing the potential of water retention and carbon dioxide removal at greater depth.

Regenerative agriculture helps bring back depleted soil to good health. With the right balance of livestock and plants, land that has turned barren can also flourish. It unlocks a new approach to fight some of today’s major environmental issues.

In addition to the broad environmental potential, regenerative agriculture offers a chance for farmers to achieve greater yields over a longer period of time. Implementing regenerative farming techniques is vital in sustainable agriculture for not only food security, but also for equipping the generations ahead.

The effects of regenerative agriculture go beyond revitalizing the environment and sequestering carbon – regenerative methods have a very significant and sustainable impact on the life of farmers and their families. These impacts include:

• Increased food security and nutrient quality – More resilient farming methods and higher soil nutrients inevitably result in a community’s access to sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food to lead a longer and healthier life.
• Enhanced climate change resilience — Structural and textural enhancements to crops further increases soil water preservation, thereby improving their resistance to droughts and other environmental shocks.
• More efficient and higher-income — Regenerative farming enhances soil composition, texture, fertility, and carbon content, improving the quality of natural resources.

We can all agree that the soil worsened over the years with the continued practice of intensive farming techniques, but now we have a way to change that with regenerative agriculture. These practices can reverse the erosion by emulating a sustainable pasture during cultivation.

There are five main regenerative agriculture principles that strengthen and promote the adaptation of regenerative farming. These principles increase the sustainability of our environment through increased carbon sequestration, biodiversity, fertility, and water retention.

These principles to follow are:

1. Till minimally
2. Protect and keep the soil covered
3. Keep living roots in the soil
4. Grow a diverse range of crops
5. Promote good grazing practices

The minimum tillage method is a key agricultural regenerative practice that provides useful advantages in the near term and for future generations to rebuild soils. Using the minimum tillage principle increases water retention, soil nutrients, and soil organic matter over time.  

As one of the key principles of regenerative agriculture, keeping the soil covered at all times can be accomplished with both plant residue and cover crops. This protects soil from wind and water erosion, reducing soil temperature, and feeding the microorganisms inside it. Also, soil fertility is enhanced by the application of cover crop and animal manure which facilitates the fixation and cycling of vital soil nutrients in a regenerative system. 

Living roots in the soil are essential to feed creatures at the base of soil, such as bacteria and fungi, which feed the protozoa and arthropods. They also maintain mycorrhizae fungi and are essential for the acquisition and fixation of nutrients for most plants.

Growing diverse crops by planting more crops in rotation is a fundamental way of ensuring  sustainable and long-term agricultural growth. When farmers are able to grow a diverse range of crops they have more of a freedom to produce varieties that can resist pests and diseases to reduce the chances of crop failure and protect farmers from risk. For example, growing crops like: companion cropping (where two crops grow at once and are separated after harvest) can be effective. 

Well-managed grazing practices encourage better plant growth, increased soil carbon reserves, and improved overall grazing quality. This significantly enhances soil fertility, biodiversity of animals and plants, as well as increasing soil carbon sequestration. These approaches improve environmental, animal, and human health by supplying micro-nutrients and improving the diet’s omega content.

Global poverty, food security, and hunger are all strongly related to climate change, population development, farming, and productivity. Regenerative agriculture is one of the best solutions to these problems as it effectively works out both economically and environmentally.

Regenerative agriculture enhances the land using techniques to revitalize the soil and the environment. This leads to sustainable soils that produce high-quality, dense nutrients while developing and not destroying soils. 

It is a holistic approach that incorporates permaculture and organic farming such as tillage, crop cover, crop rotation, composting, pasture crop production, and farmer’s income.

Regenerative agriculture methods improve soil fertility and organic matter, leading to greater resistance to climate change effects, such as floods or drought. Healthy soils produce high yields and crops rich in nutrients. It also reduces flooding and drainage, improving the quality of water on and off the farm.

It is widely agreed that most regenerative agriculture activities benefit soil quality and have additional environmental advantages. No-till prevents soil erosion and reduces water drainage. Likewise, cover crops and various crop rotations can decrease the use of pesticides which will reduce water contamination. In turn, this reduces the chances of an individual contraction of diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever and dysentery, as well as any potential long-term effects including damage to the kidney, liver, bone and brain.

Aside from the rising temperatures, which change where things can grow, the climate crisis has substantially altered the worldwide water cycle. As a result, water levels are changing, and evaporation is increasing, which leads to strong rainfall and extreme droughts.

Climate change has the potential of turning current agricultural issues into a global crisis. However, if a farmer uses regenerative practices and does not disrupt the land, he or she can reduce the negative impact and sustain the farmland much better. And the more organic matter you have in the ground, the more water you have.

Regenerative farming helps farmers cope with the impacts of climate change through enhancing their farms’ resilience and adaptation to changes in weather patterns and increased occurrence of natural disasters. It also encourages them to combat it on a long-term basis by becoming a part of a broader crisis response through sustainable practices.

How will the effects of renewable agriculture be replicated at home, you ask? Renewable agriculture is about being more sustainable in your everyday life, being more conscious in your grocery shopping, such as buying from brands that support renewable agriculture and sustainable farming could be a great start. 

Another way you can replicate the effects of renewable agriculture at home is through practicing your own regenerative agriculture in your backyard. This is an exciting and productive way of getting involved which allows you to eat delicious, nutritional, homegrown food! You can do this in your own humble veggie patch.

1. Improve your soil health by adding compost and worms to your vegetable garden to replenish the soil. You will get the additional benefits of having a use for all the food waste instead of filling up even more space in your garbage bags. 
2. Avoid using chemicals such as glyphosate-based herbicides and other harmful chemicals or fertilizers. 
3. Use animals like guinea pigs, or rabbits, and worms to take turns to help graze the garden. They will help fertilize and eat grass or weeds. 

World Renew recognizes that over 99% of our food comes from the earth, which is why soil health is crucial to regenerative agriculture. We strive to promote regenerative agriculture wherever possible and enhance it so that climate change can effectively reverse and restore the earth. 

The work we do to promote regenerative agriculture is made possible by a dedicated and collaborative effort made by community members and people like you, which we are proud to work with to bring this vital work to life. 

Are you interested in making a life change difference? You can donate to World Renew to be a part of our food security and sustainable agriculture efforts around the world.