Regenerative Agriculture
Regenerative agriculture is a system of farming principles and practices that increases biodiversity, enriches soils, improves watersheds, and enhances ecosystem services. It aims to capture carbon in the soil and above-ground biomass (plants), reversing current global trends of atmospheric accumulation of CO2 causing climate change. At the same time, it offers increased yields, resilience to climate instability, and higher health and vitality for farming and ranching communities.
Terra Genesis International
Healthy Soil
“Healthy soil leads to a healthy plant. Healthy plant, healthy animal, healthy human, healthy water, healthy climate. If we get the soil right we can fix a lot of our issues.”
Ray Archuleta - Certified Soil Scientist with NCRS and The Soil Health Academy as seen in the movie Kiss the Ground
6 Principles of Regenerative Agriculture
Least Disturbance: No/low till, no/reduced chemicals, less compaction
Living Roots: Maximize photosynthesis, continue pumping liquid sugars into the ground to feed microbes
Soil Armor: Keep the soil covered with living plants or crop residue, wood chips, or mulch. Bare soil gets much hotter at midday and more vulnerable to wind/water erosion
Animal Integration: Animals big and small play a pivotal role in nutrient cycling and regenerating landscapes
Increased Biodiversity: Biodiversity of plants increases beneficial biodiversity below and above ground as well as increases the functionality and resilience of the ecosystem
Context: No two farms are alike. From brittle environments to more moist ones, from different crops to livestock, from no funds to extensive funds, context is key. How you will go about regenerating land vary and depend on many key components. A holistic framework is necessary to successfully transition to regenerative.
Regenerative Agriculture Can:
Help address climate change through increased carbon sequestration in the soil and plants
Improve risk mitigation with reduced risk of flooding and drought and greater soil resiliency
Enhance food security by reducing soil degradation and less reliance on synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides
Raise food nutrient content through better microbial activity and improved plant health and access to minerals
Improve human health by eliminating reliance on harmful chemicals
Carbon Sequestration
“Carbon, that is currently one of the biggest problems in the atmosphere, can be the biggest solution in the soil.”
Ryland Englehart - Co-Founder Kiss the Ground
Many thanks to Kiss the Ground and their Soil Advocate Training program for the content on this page.