WHAT IS REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE?
Regenerative Agriculture (a.k.a. Regen), works with nature rather than against it. ‘Regen’ is all about leaving the land better than you found it. Think going beyond organic, it’s not a certification (well not yet) but it’s an approach to farming that focuses on improving the ecological health of farmland. Regen farmers use a collection of highly adaptable practices, that when performed together, make for healthier, happier soil, food, humans, farmers and planet.
The ‘agriculture’ part speaks to the farming context. An alternative to conventional, synthetic chemical-fueled practices: Regen is the future. Holistic management keeps water in the landscape, enriches soil, enhances ecosystem services and increases biodiversity.
Put simply, it is a method of farming that improves the surrounding environment, rather than destroying or depleting it.
Seize the H20
Australian farmers are perpetually preparing for or recovering from drought. But the issue isn’t rainfall; it’s water retention. Healthier soils are more sponge-like; absorbing rainfall instead of it running off with precious nutrients. Managing the landscape as nature intended, maximises water capture and naturally rehydrates soil.
Plant the future
Diverse plant life is crucial in enhancing ecological soil systems. Different species, root sizes and systems create superior soil structure. Regenerated soil is the right environment for fungi and microorganisms to thrive.
Creature soil comfort
Animals affect soil health through their natural behaviour; how they interact with the land. Digging, scratching, pooping, weeing, stomping – all activates the microbiology in the soil.
Climate change starts in the ground
Regen gets carbon out of the atmosphere, into the soil where it belongs: great news for climate change. The benefits deliver greater yields and resilience, as well as more buoyant farming communities.
It’s a big shift. From a system responsible for a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gases to an approach where the health of humans, plants, animals and the planet are all interconnected. Building soil health is the single best way to fight climate change.
The spoils of healthy soils
Why is Regen so awesome? The first reason is on your plate. Because healthy soil is microbe-rich, the food grown in it is more nutritious and contains more flavonoids. Quality food is a commitment to quality land.
An increase in trees and perennials draws down more CO2 from the air into the soil where it’s useful. This means less carbon in the atmosphere; more roots equals less topsoil erosion. On our current conventional farming path, our food-supporting topsoil will be gone within 60 years. Regen promotes microbes which break down organic matter into more topsoil.
Feed the roots of change
These Regen practices aren’t new ideas, with nature as teacher, they’ve evolved over 100 years while conventional farming has pulled focus. Customers want better, and this is a skill base to meet them there. It’s not a way of farming; it’s a movement made of the following concepts.
To find out more Harris Farm's Regen Journey, click here.
