5 essential regenerative practices

Faced with the growing challenges of climate change, land degradation, and the need to ensure global food security, regenerative agricultural practices are becoming crucial. Regenerative agriculture is an approach that not only produces food but also actively improves the environment by restoring the health of soils and ecosystems.

Here are five essential regenerative practices that lay the foundation for a more sustainable agricultural future:

1. Year-round cover

Year-round cover in regenerative agriculture is maintaining living vegetation in a field year-round, even outside the main cropping season. Cover plants improve the structure and airiness of the soil, protect it against water and wind, attract various species of plants and animals, help retain water, and transform their remains into humus. This makes the soil healthier and reduces the need for fertilizers and pesticides. Common plants used as cover are legumes, grasses, and cruciferous plants, which grow quickly and can be easily incorporated into the crop rotation. The cover can also be used as a catch crop, introduced between the main crop cycles, or as a perennial plant mixture, maintained for a longer period.

2. Introduction of organic matter

Organic matter in regenerative agriculture is natural substances such as manure, slurry, and plant residues that are incorporated into the soil to improve its quality and health. This brings a number of benefits, such as providing the soil with nutrients that are gradually released, supporting plant growth, improving the structure of the soil, making it more airy and retaining water better, which is important during drought, and increasing the activity of microorganisms that support the decomposition of organic matter. Importantly, implementing this practice can also reduce the need to use artificial fertilizers and pesticides, as regenerated soil is more resistant to diseases and pests.

3. Increasing crop biodiversity

Gradually increasing the biodiversity of crops in agriculture brings a number of positive effects that have a positive impact on both the environment and agriculture. Different plants attract a variety of insects and microorganisms that help control pests without the use of chemicals, reducing the need for them. Various plants also have different root systems that improve the soil structure, its aeration, and the ability to retain water, which increases its fertility. Additionally, agricultural systems with greater plant diversity are more resistant to extreme weather conditions such as droughts and floods. Various plants make better use of available resources, minimizing the risk of losses, and this affects the stabilization of income.

4. Preservation of living roots in the soil

Living roots in the soil create a network of channels, improving its airiness and allowing for better water penetration. This, in turn, increases the soil’s ability to retain water. Additionally, they support the process of carbon sequestration, which is beneficial in the context of mitigating climate change. Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their roots and soil, which helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

5. Reducing soil cultivation to a minimum

Minimal tillage helps maintain soil structure. Traditional methods often destroy the natural structure of the soil, leading to erosion, loss of nutrients, and lower water-holding capacity. Additionally, the lack of intensive cultivation increases biological activity in the soil and supports the formation of humus, which increases soil fertility. Minimum tillage also helps reduce the use of fossil fuels. Traditional methods require intensive use of machinery, which results in high fuel consumption. Less cultivation means less equipment is needed, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and lowers costs.

Summary

Regenerative agricultural practices are not only a method of producing food but also a way to actively improve the natural environment. Key actions such as year-round cover, introducing organic matter, increasing crop biodiversity, preserving living roots in the soil, and reducing soil cultivation to a minimum contribute to improving soil quality, increasing its fertility, and resilience to climate change. Thanks to them, agriculture becomes more sustainable and the need to use artificial fertilizers and pesticides decreases. Regenerative practices not only protect the environment but also stabilize farmers’ incomes by increasing the resilience of agricultural systems to extreme weather conditions. Adopting these practices is crucial to ensuring global food security and protecting our planet.