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Unfortunately, there is no agreed definition of regenerative agriculture. However, we can try to understand what it is starting with what its goals are and the practices that are adopted to achieve them.
Regenerative agriculture aims to improve soil health. It helps sequester carbon, increase water quality and enhance biodiversity. At the same time, however, it aims to boost crop productivity and resilience , enhancing the socio-economic well-being of farming communities. This helps to ensure a fair income for farmers and food security for consumers.
To achieve its objectives, regenerative agriculture relies on a range of agricultural practices. Conservation farming techniques such as minimal tillage or no-tillage, cover cropping, crop rotation, integration of crop and livestock systems, and reduced use of external inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides. Let's take a closer look at some of them.
Preserving and improving soil health is one of the main objectives of regenerative agriculture. Conservation farming techniques, which aim to minimizesoil disturbance, can help. Some of the most popular practices include:
All of the above techniques should always be combined with cover crops. These contribute, together with the crop residues left in the field, to prevent the soil from becoming bare, protecting it from external agents and boosting its biological activity. A well-thought-outcrop rotation system is also necessary. This prevents the occurrence of species-specific diseases, improves soil structure through the action of different root systems, and limits the loss of biodiversity and fertility.
The main advantages of conservation tillage are:
What makes regenerative agriculture unique is its focus on environmental, as well as socio-economic, sustainability of farming. This means farming in a sustainable manner, but without giving up adequateproduction and income. To achieve this, it is necessary to increase the efficiency when using resources and agronomic inputs. This reduces the impact on the environment and farm operating costs, while improving plant health and yields. There are various techniques that can be employed.
In terms ofwater use efficiency, soil moisture sensors, weather stations and irrigation decision support systems (DSS) can be used to know when (and how much) to irrigate.
In the case of fertilizers, variable-rate spreaders can be used. These make it possible to distribute different amounts of product in different areas of a plot, based on prescription maps.
For a more efficient use of pesticides, integrated pest management (IPM) techniques can be used. IPM involves monitoring harmful species and intervening only if the economic damage threshold is exceeded. All of this with a preference for biological means of defence where possible (antagonistic insects, entomopathogenic fungi...). There are also disease recognition systems that exploit artificial intelligence and allow timely intervention. Finally, it is possible to usesmart sprayers that modulate the amount of product distributed according to the volume of vegetation.
In a sector that will be increasingly exposed to the consequences of climate change, working to increase the resilience of agricultural systems and the sustainability of farming practices could prove crucial to ensuring the long-term food security of the planet. Aiming for stable and abundant production, while preservingresources such as soil, water and biodiversity, will likely be a perspective that sooner or later everyone will have to adopt. And, why not, new approaches to agriculture may also mean new technologies.
Sources: Life help soil; What is regenerative agriculture? A review
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