Farming

Understanding Regenerative Agriculture

Published:

September 13, 2024

Key Takeaways:

Regenerative agriculture focuses on soil-friendly practices, including the impact on the fields and surrounding lands.
The key principles of restorative agriculture include a comprehensive approach, year-round diverse planting, minimized soil disruption, and smart use of chemicals.
Regenerative farming is similar to organic farming but it strongly emphasizes soil sustainability while allowing specific fertilizers in the case of long-term positive effects.
Regenerative agriculture encourages a holistic use of the ecosystem, where animals can contribute to better yields through pest control and fertilization.

Modern agriculture faces many challenges, but perhaps the biggest is this: the human population, already over 8 billion people, is continuing to grow, and the agriculture industry has to find a way to feed them — without depleting the soil or excessively harming the environment in the process.

That last part is the issue. Many modern farming practices are ultimately harmful to the environment, such as the tendency to use high-powered synthetic fertilizers that damage soil health, acidifying the soil while stripping it of necessary resources. Other problems include the overuse of dangerous pesticides on crops and over-reliance on antibiotics for livestock. In our rush to produce more food, too many farms are adopting unsustainable practices that are harmful in the long run.

It's not enough to produce sufficient amounts of food for 8 billion people right now. Population projections show the human race nearing 10 billion by 2050, and topping 11 billion by 2100. If we deplete our natural resources now, how will we feed ourselves in the decades to come?

For a growing number of farms, large and small, the answer lies in regenerative, or restorative, agriculture.

What Is Regenerative Agriculture?

Simply put, regenerative agriculture is about adopting soil-friendly farming strategies that reduce harm to the soil and surrounding lands. The ideal approach is to farm in such a way that as many nutrients are put back in the soil as are taken out, allowing for truly sustainable farming with minimal environmental impact.

As a movement, regenerative ag has one foot in the past and one in the future. On one side, it looks backward, focusing on traditional farming techniques used before the development of modern pesticides, antibiotics, and other conveniences, seeking inspiration from our ancestors. On the other side, it also embraces modern technology, utilizing online-connected smart farming strategies such as remote crop monitoring to maximize effectiveness.

These strategies, together, may point towards a brighter future where we can keep the human population fed, without wrecking the planet in the process.

The Core Principles of Regenerative Farms

It's important to understand that regenerative ag is not a "one size fits all" checklist to follow. Every farm is different, with its own local environmental challenges. Restorative farms embrace broad guidelines and principles, while creatively applying those ideals to their own situation.

While there is no standardized manifesto, those principles could be summarized as:

A holistic contextual viewpoint. A farm is a series of closely linked biological systems, while also being part of a larger series of closely linked economic systems. Solutions should be implemented in the context of the whole, rather than looking at individual problems in isolation.
Minimizing soil disruption. No-till techniques are considered a basis of regenerative ag while avoiding harsh chemicals that harm the micro-ecosystems in the soil.
Year-round diverse planting. Crops should be chosen and rotated for their give-and-take of soil nutrients. Planting cover crops is also encouraged to provide natural protection and reduce the need for pesticides. Biodiversity is its own reward.
Integration of animals. Rather than isolating crops and livestock, they should be integrated where possible. For example, livestock can graze fields and eat weeds, while contributing natural fertilizer.
Smart precise use of chemicals. Regenerative farms are not extremists or luddites, shunning all chemicals. Rather, modern chemical solutions are seen as specialty tools to be deployed sparingly, only when needed, and with climate-smart techniques that use data to improve their effectiveness.

Are Organic Farming and Regenerative Farming the Same?

No. "Organic farming" and "regenerative farming" are related concepts that come from similar mindsets, but they are not the same thing. Regenerative techniques typically go beyond those of organic farming, in terms of prioritizing long-term environmental health.

In addition, there are no standards-setting bodies overseeing regeneratively grown crops, unlike organic farming.

Also, there are differences in practices. For example, organic farming forbids genetically modified species, while regenerative farming would embrace them if there are overall benefits. Or, on the other hand, regenerative farming encourages no-till planting, while tilling is acceptable in organic farming.

When you have questions, we'll help you find the answers you need to take control of your fields and the harvest you care about. Contact Cropler to discover more about our products and the ways we help you proactively protect your operations from the effects of crop diseases. Learn More

What Does Regenerative Farming Look Like?

There's no one-size-fits-all standard, but as some examples:

Rather than specializing in a single crop, a farm rotates multiple crops based on their impact on the soil — such as planting legumes to add nitrogen back.
Cover crops are planted between rows to distract or deflect pests, which can be critical for vulnerable crops like wheat.
Soil is never allowed to be fully barren; if a field is lying fallow, dead organic matter is scattered to encourage soil biodiversity.
Farm animals are allowed to roam the fields — under surveillance, of course — contributing naturally to the land.
Symbiotic animals, such as owls for pest control or bees for pollination, are encouraged by installing appropriate structures to keep or attract them.

Or as a practical example, we recently learned of a delightful restorative ag practice in China that shows how these ideas can pay off. Rice farmers in China have begun introducing swarms of baby crabs to their rice paddies after planting. The crabs grow up alongside the rice, naturally eating crop pests without the need for pesticides, while also contributing plenty of rich fertilizer. The pointy feet of the crabs even help aerate the soil as they scuttle around, improving soil health. Then, once the rice is ready to harvest, the matured crabs can also be rounded up and sold for extra profit.

It's low-cost, environmentally friendly, and sustainable — and the farmers get a valuable secondary harvest with negligible extra expense since the crabs take care of themselves.

The Benefits of Regenerative Agriculture

While restorative agriculture can take time and money to embrace, the long-term benefits can be substantial:

Improved soil biodiversity. A healthy soil microbiome helps nurture crops as they grow.
Increased resiliency. Regenerative farms will be less challenged by droughts or floods, due to their inherent health.
Vastly reduced pollution. Regenerative techniques minimize the amount of pesticides and other toxins entering the environment. They also combat antibiotic resistance, a growing problem fueled in large part by the overuse of antibiotics on farms.
Improved carbon sequestration. Regenerative ag encourages carbon to stay in the soil, reducing 'greenhouse gas' emissions and combating global warming.
Encouraging natural biodiversity. Nature is diverse, and regenerative agriculture says farming should be as well. Healthy local ecosystems are more resilient in general.

In short, regenerative ag helps farms maintain their output while preparing for a future where we have even more mouths to feed.

In Summary: How to Start Regenerative Farming

Regenerative agriculture is all about encouraging biodiversity and natural soil health while minimizing the use of dangerous chemicals. As a few suggestions:

Understand your local ecosystem — how it impacts your farm, and how your farm impacts it.
Diversify your plantings with rotational crops.
Add more cover plantings.
Encourage bees, owls, or other naturally-helpful animals, as appropriate.
Allow more free grazing rather than keeping animals penned.
Utilize smart systems for data collection and analysis, with an emphasis on soil health.
Minimize the use of pesticides, antibiotics, and other environmentally harmful chemicals.
Keep looking for tweaks that will improve your farm's health over time.

If you are ready to take a step toward regenerative agricultural practices, Cropler can help! Our smart remote crop monitoring and analysis system allows you to oversee your crops at any time, from anywhere. And coming soon—soil monitors which will contribute vital data for restorative farming practices.