Working with Mother Nature
Basically, regenerative agriculture is farming and ranching in harmony with mother nature instead of against nature. Humans have been farming for over 10,000 years. And until the industrial revolution, regenerative agriculture was the norm.
When you think about it, everything we eat whether it is a vegetable, fruit, or protein, comes from the soil. Obviously, plants grow in the soil and animals eat product that comes from the soil. If the soil is unhealthy, the nutritional value of the food the soil produces suffers. Regenerative agriculture is about taking care of the soil and managing the soil so that soil value improves. There is a difference between dirt and soil.
There are five main principles of Regenerative Agriculture.
- Minimizing soil disturbance: Limited or no tilling
- Soil coverage: Keep the soil covered with mulch, cover crops, or pasture.
- Increased plant diversity: Plant diversity builds healthy soil
- Keeping living roots in the soil as much as possible: Stabilize the soil, retaining excess water and nutrients.
- Integrate animals into the farm as much as possible: Manure produced by livestock can add valuable nutrients to the soil, reducing the need for fertilizers, and increasing soil organic matter.
The list of negative consequences connected with industrial agriculture is long.
- Soil, water, and air pollution
- Accelerated soil erosion
- Unsustainable rates of water consumption in many agricultural areas (do some research on water in California)
- Development of chronic diseases, cancers, and foodborne pathogens due to animal-based foods, pesticides, and concentrated high-speed meat production
- Resistance to antibiotics due to excessive use of antibiotics in animal agriculture
- Lack of nutritional value in food.
By taking the necessary steps and transitioning to more regenerative farming methods, agriculture can go from being considered one of the leading causes of health and environmental issues, to a sustainable solution for these problems.
