The supply of food products is vital for business and industry. But certain practices protect the economic, environmental and social wheels that the industry affects.
“Regenrative farming” encompasses many of the practices that ensure things like food security, an important point when considering the economic side of things. The practices are also known to positively affect human health and mitigate climate change, according to information from California State University, Chico’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient systems.
Regenerative farming definition
The best way to describe regenerative farming is to look at it from a systems perspective, where the consideration of natural systems is a major piece to understanding the philosophy. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation says that, “Regenerative agriculture describes holistic farming systems” with several benefits: Some of those included in their list, though the foundation notes there are other benefits, are improvements to air and water quality, enhancements in ecosystem biodiversity and the production of food crops that are more “nutrient-dense.” These systems can also work to store carbon and subsequently lead to mitigating climate change.
How is regenerative farming put into practice?
The authors of a study dubbed, “Defining and validating regenerative farm systems using a composite of ranked agricultural practices” note five areas of practices that can be considered in regenerative farming:
1. The reduction or elimination of tillage
2. Farmers should avoid ever leaving bare soil
3. Plant diversity and productivity should be maximized
4. Livestock and cropping operations should be integrated
5. Reduce or completely eliminate the use of synthetic agrichemicals
What are the benefits of regenerative farming?
A major piece of regenerative farming is soil health, which the practice assists with.
The authors of a study, “A tale of two food chains: The duality of practices on well-being,” note that, regenerative practices an help build up soil health naturally by using several methods: “no-till farming, crop rotation to balance soil microorganisms, compost of organic matter, including animal waste, and between-season crop covers that increase soil nutrients while absorbing greenhouse gases and emitting oxygen.” The authors note the benefits of an increased potential of “nutrient-rich, nontoxic, and resilient ecosystem for planting non-GMO and heirloom seeds.” These practices help reduce costs associated with chemical input costs, the authors also note.
In addition to the lower input costs of chemicals, Chesapeake Foundation also notes other economic benefits: higher crop yields and “increased resilency to pests, drought or floods.” The loss of yields on croplands is a major economic factor for the future, especially as climate change increases its grip in the coming years. The exact outcomes from climate change aren’t known, but many pieces of research show a potential for negative impacts.
Working to mitigate climate change and increase efforts to see yields climb due to soil health can have benefits for multiple industries, such as restaurants to food manufacturers that purchase from farmers. Taking the time for sources that practice regenerative farming will reduce current and future risk. There is a definite business case to include this in purchasing policies.
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