What is Regenerative Agriculture?

Put simply, regenerative agriculture is a term that describes farming principles and practices that can reverse the damage done to the environment by the industrial food system. The principles of regenerative agriculture take in everything from soil health and the carbon cycleto biodiversity, land management, animal welfare and more, and draw from decades of scientific and applied research by the global communities of organic farming, agroecology, holistic management and agroforestry.

How can regenerative agriculture help the environment?

Food-producing farms that practice regenerative principles can help reduce the effects of humans on the environment by rebuilding soil and improving soil health, restoring biodiversity, improving the water cycle and enhancing local ecosystems through added complexity and greater natural resilience.

How can regenerative agriculture help reduce carbon emissions?

A monocultural, industrial farming of any type system steadily reduces soil health, resulting in a cycle of increasing reliance on artificial fertilisers that are often derived from fossil fuels. Healthy soil that’s supported naturally by grazing animals, however, actually has a positive effect. From meat and dairy farms to those producing vegetables and grains, the processes involved in regenerative agriculture can help capture huge amounts of carbon and above-ground biomass, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reversing current global trends of atmospheric accumulation.

How can regenerative agriculture help farmers?

Any food that’s produced cheaply has a cost higher up the food chain, but regenerative agriculture offers benefits to farmers including increased yields, resilience to climate instability, and higher health and vitality for farmers, and helps reverse the negative effects of the industrial food system on farming communities.

How can regenerative agriculture improve animal welfare?

Within a regenerative system animals are eating a species appropriate diet and are encouraged to interact with the environment in a way that is natural to them. This means for example pigs will be rooting and turning over soil, poultry will be scratching at the land and cattle selectively grazing in a natural environment that enriches their experience compared to industrial farming.