In the face of growing challenges related to climate change, soil degradation and the need to ensure global food security, regenerative farming practices are becoming crucial. Regenerative agriculture is an approach that not only makes it possible to produce food but also actively improves the state of the environment, restoring the health of soils and ecosystems.
Discover the five basic regenerative practices that form the foundation for a more sustainable future of agriculture.
Year-round cover in regenerative agriculture is the practice of keeping living vegetation in the field all year round, even outside the main growing season.
Cover plants improve soil structure and aeration, protect the soil from water and wind, attract a variety of plant and animal species and help retain water, while their residues turn into humus. As a result, the soil is healthier and there is less need for fertilisers and pesticides.
Typical cover plants are legumes, grasses and brassicas (crucifers), which grow quickly and can easily be introduced into the crop rotation. Cover can also be used as a catch crop, introduced between the main crop cycles, or as a perennial plant mixture maintained over a longer period.
Organic matter in regenerative agriculture means natural substances such as manure, slurry and crop residues, which are added to the soil to improve its quality and health. This brings a number of benefits, such as:
Importantly, introducing this practice can also reduce the need for synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, as regenerated soil is more resistant to diseases and pests.
Gradually increasing crop biodiversity brings a number of positive effects that benefit both the environment and farming.
Different plants attract a variety of insects and microorganisms that help control pests without chemicals, which reduces the need to use them. Different plants also have different root systems, which improve soil structure, aeration and water-holding capacity, increasing soil fertility.
In addition, farming systems with greater plant diversity are more resilient to extreme weather such as droughts and floods. Different plants make better use of the available resources, minimising the risk of losses, which helps stabilise income.
Living roots play an important role because they create a network of channels in the soil, which improves its aeration and allows water to penetrate better. This in turn increases the soil’s capacity to retain water.
They also support carbon sequestration, which helps mitigate climate change. Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their roots and in the soil, which helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Minimum tillage helps preserve soil structure. Traditional methods often destroy the natural structure of the soil, which leads to erosion, nutrient loss and a lower capacity to retain water.
In addition, the absence of intensive tillage increases biological activity in the soil and supports the formation of humus, which raises soil fertility.
Minimum tillage also helps reduce the use of fossil fuels. Traditional methods require intensive use of machinery, which means high fuel consumption. Less tillage means less equipment is needed, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and lowers costs.
Regenerative farming practices are not only a method of producing food but also a way of actively improving the natural environment. Key actions such as year-round cover, adding organic matter, increasing crop biodiversity, maintaining living roots in the soil and reducing soil tillage to a minimum help improve soil quality, increase its fertility and make it more resilient to climate change. Thanks to them, farming becomes more sustainable and the need for synthetic fertilisers and pesticides decreases. Regenerative agriculture not only protects the environment but also stabilises farmers’ incomes by making farming systems more resilient to extreme weather. Adopting these practices is crucial for ensuring global food security and protecting our planet.
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