Regenerative agriculture is like a green embrace for the Earth: it not only grows food, but also soil health and biodiversity. Imagine a field where plants cheer for each other, trees provide shade and earthworms work tirelessly like little gardeners.
- Regenerative approach
- Regenerative techniques and practices
- Regenerative agriculture, risks and opportunities
Regenerative approach
Regenerative agriculture is an agricultural approach that aims to improve soil health, increase biodiversity and strengthen climate resilience through sustainable practices.
This method focuses on restoring and maintaining agricultural ecosystems, rather than simply exploiting natural resources.
Its main objectives include:
- Improved soil health by increasing fertility and water retention capacity.
- Increasing biodiversity by promoting species diversity in agricultural ecosystems.
- Carbon sequestration, by reducing greenhouse gas emissions through practices that increase the soil’s capacity to store carbon.
- Climate resilience, creating systems that can better withstand extreme weather events.
- Economic sustainability, providing long-term economic benefits for farmers.
Ultimately, the aim is to create an agricultural system that is ecologically sound, economically viable and capable of meeting future climate challenges.
Regenerative techniques and practices
Regenerative agriculture adopts various practices to improve soil health and optimise production.
One of these is the age-old crop rotation, which consists of alternating different crops in the same field over time to improve soil fertility and reduce pest pressure.
Another key practice is the use of cover crops, i.e. plants that cover the soil between the main crops to prevent erosion, improve soil structure and add nutrients.Agroforestry integrates trees and shrubs into agricultural practices to improve biodiversity, protect the soil and provide additional resources such as timber and fruit.
Composting is another useful technique that turns organic waste into compost to enrich the soil with organic matter and essential nutrients. Permaculture, which is based on ecological design principles, aims to create agricultural systems that work in harmony with nature, taking advantage of every season.
The managed grazing involves managing the grazing of animals in such a way as to avoid overgrazing, improve soil health and promote the growth of native plants.
These practices are complemented by the use of advanced technologies such as drones and sensors to monitor the health of crops and optimise the use of resources.
Regenerative agriculture, risks and opportunities
At the Agridata Green Summit 2024, regenerative agriculture was also at the centre of the debate. Several critical issues emerged, including geopolitical issues, product economics, drought, micro-desertification, alien species, bureaucracy, soil salinisation and heat waves.
In Italy, a Tuscan farm has implemented several regenerative practices to improve sustainability and agricultural productivity.
With the simple help of crop rotation, the use of cover crops and composting, in just three years
-soil fertility increased by 20%;
-the use of chemical fertilisers was reduced by 30%, demonstrating the effectiveness of composting and cover crops in maintaining soil health;
-biodiversity increased by 15%, creating a more resilient and sustainable agricultural ecosystem.
Furthermore, according to a study by the Ecdysis Foundation, the adoption of regenerative practices can increase long-term profits by 78% compared to conventional methods.
This data underlines the importance of investing in sustainable agricultural techniques, and that instead of depleting resources, it enriches them.
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