What is Regenerative Agriculture?

Regenerative agriculture is a farming and grazing strategy that uses natural processes to improve soil health, increase biodiversity, and restore the landscape: 

• Principles

  • Minimize soil disturbance - Physical disturbances like tilling, overgrazing, and overuse can destroy soil structure and biology. They can also release carbon into the atmosphere, which contributes to greenhouse gasses. 

  • Maintain living roots - Keeping living roots in the soil throughout the year supports microbial life, which improves soil structure and nutrient cycling. 

  • Protect soil surface - Covering the soil with plant residue and cover crops protects it from wind and water erosion, reduces soil temperature, and feeds microorganisms in the soil. 

  • Maximize crop diversity - A diversity of plants and animals is crucial to regenerative agriculture. 

  • Integrate livestock - Holistic management, which is an intensively managed grazing, can increase the value of crops and nutrient recycling. 

  • Increase biodiversity - Practices like agroforestry and silvopasture can increase the diversity of plants, animals, and microorganisms in agricultural landscapes.