Regenerative Agriculture
to Combat Climate Change

Background

Climate change is destroying earth at an unprecedented rate, urgent action is needed^1,2 or we face severe consequences^3,4,5. The release of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions⁶, increasing global temperatures⁷, land-use change⁸ and ironically, their impacts on humans^9,10 are familiar in the climate discussion space. Those responsible for contributing to such disasters include human food production systems.

Conventional agriculture (CA) techniques used in crop^11,12, livestock^13,14,15 and land management contribute significantly to the climate crisis by producing considerable GHG emissions¹⁷. Over a third of global emissions (18 Gt CO₂e yr^-1 in 2015) originate from human food systems, and accelerate increasing atmospheric temperatures¹⁸, biodiversity loss^19,20, and land degradation²¹. Tilling, the mechanical manipulation of soil to change its structure in preparation for sowing²², releases a significant amount of CO₂²³, is highly detrimental to soil health²⁴ and facilitates desertification²⁵. Global warming, drought²⁶, soil mortality²⁷, and land displacement²⁸ are all products of traditional farming systems. Human health^29,30,31, socio-economic factors including food security^28,32,33, poverty³⁴ and human migration^35,36,37 add to the affected.

Nevertheless, agriculture is essential for feeding a growing population of 7.8 billion^,39.  

“A Global Solution”

One proposed resolution to the aforementioned issues, involves taking an ecological conservationist approach to traditional agronomy in the form of Regenerative Agriculture (RA). RA is a holistic land management technique, and whereas CA tends to produce large quantities of single outputs (e.g., monocropping), RA supports the notion of forming relationships between nature as much as possible⁴⁰ to create a solid partnership with the environment.

The main concept of RA focuses on soil-based, opposed to seed-based, methodology adapted to the specific agroecosystem in which it takes place⁴¹. There are generally five core environmental concerns of RA comprising “soil fertility and health, water quality, biodiversity, ecosystem health and carbon sequestration”⁴². Various systems developed from observing natural and agricultural systems, support them.

As one of the largest carbon sequestration systems on the planet, with over 2000 GtC stored globally in soil organic matter (SOM)⁴³, it is unsurprising that soil health and biodiversity (un-tilled soils, soil surface cover, and sustaining living roots within soil) are fundamental to RA⁴⁴. Unlike CA tilling systems which disrupt soil chemistry and destroy its beneficial organisms, undisturbed soils promote the survival of microorganisms required for nutrient cycling essential for plant growth and development⁴⁵. This symbiotically improves the quality of water, vegetation, and land-productivity of the land. Tillage systems need chemical fertilisers for nutrients⁴⁶, which eventually leach into the water table and cause pollution⁴⁷; RA utilizes cover crops to naturally stimulate and enhance the soil with their roots⁴⁸, and earthworms (as well as other organisms) are left to assist in natural aeration and nutrient enrichment⁴⁹. Covering soils with organic matter i.e., mulch, ensures slower water absorption and increased retention⁵⁰, opposed to the erosion-contributing run-off and evaporation seen in bare soils. This increases root and plant growth, as well as contributes to increased rainfall due to transpiration⁵¹. Eventually, the organic coverage re-enters the soil, boosting and completing the nutrient cycle⁵². Non-tilling has been shown to reduce GHG emissions, lead to increased crop yields⁵³, improve soil health and even restore damaged, eroded soils⁴⁰.

Crop diversity is another component of RA⁵⁴ which increases crop yields and food security⁵⁵. By observing natural forests or woodlands and the interactions between flora and fauna that reside within the ecosystem, these natural relationships are then recreated in an agricultural setting, resulting in an ecologically resilient, food producing system⁵⁶. Planting perennial crops⁵⁷ and including as many native species as possible in order to mimic the natural environment ensures a living, diverse ecosystem⁵⁶. Unlike monoculture, polyculture (planting multiple crops beneficial to each other) offers soil several root exudates, speeding up the biological processes leading to healthier soils and plants⁵⁸. Furthermore, if a crop fails in a polyculture system, there are others to fall back on, providing an extra benefit to farmers⁵⁹.

Another component, regenerative grazing (RG) has a lower carbon footprint than CA livestock management⁶⁰ and provides ecological benefits. Environmentally damaging CA livestock management releases high emissions⁶¹ and degrades land²⁷, however, this is not inherent to grazing animals if correct methods are put into place⁶². RG livestock is managed for efficient carbon sequestration, soil development and land regeneration over a relatively short period of time⁶³. Livestock is kept in tight herds, as in nature. Farmers limit grazing to specific sections of land for a short period of time⁶³. Livestock trampling, and nutrients absorbed from urea and dung encourages water retention, promotes plant growth, soil biodiversity, nutrient content and productivity as well as absorbs carbon and methane before that section is grazed on again⁶³. In contrast, CA allows overgrazing, which keeps vegetation constantly stunted - anything that does grow is grazed on immediately contributing to soil erosion, drought, and desertification. RG utilizes livestock to mimic what would happen in nature.

RA also has economic benefits for farmers, including reducing the need for inputs such as chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and animal feed⁶⁴. RA can help lift farmers out of hardship and alleviate the socio-economic uncertainties that CA imposes^65,66.

Implementation

RA requires a system-level shift as it is unlikely that applying individual regeneration practices to current CA production models will deliver the proven results of RA. RA is scalable to global agricultural systems and in five continents, ecological grazing is already regenerating tens of millions of hectares⁴¹. Refined management systems for commercial landscapes are needed to replicate an ecological impact and implementation requires openness to creating an environment which attracts interest from others.

Many farmers are aware of climate change and its consequences yet fail to make the connection between ecology and agriculture to understand how making decisions for the environment can be highly beneficial for their business.

Conclusion

Increasingly, RA is being recognised as a holistic food production system that offers significant benefits to environments, farmers, economies, and communities.

With current agricultural methods being so far from regenerative agriculture, there is huge potential for restoring soil and biodiversity health whilst producing sufficient yields to feed a growing population – the scope is limitless.

RA can be hard work, but in transforming our food systems this way, the multitude of benefits outweigh the costs of conventional systems – especially when it comes to feeding a planet without depleting its natural resources!

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