Did you know that when your soil is healthy, it has the ability to trap carbon from the air and store it? As Ohio State scientist Dr. Rattan Lal said, "A mere 2 percent increase in the carbon content of the planet's soils could offset 100 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions going into the atmosphere.". Sounds like magic, but it's real! This is just one of the many benefits of regenerative agriculture. If you’ve ever been concerned about the overall future of our planet, you might want to sit down and read this article. 

 

What if farming didn’t just feed us—but healed the planet too? 

 

This is where regenerative agriculture comes in, offering an approach to farming that encompasses different strategies that allow humans to “work with nature rather than against it” (Noble Research Institute). It focuses primarily on improving degraded soil health through practices such as using cover crops, crop rotation, and no-till farming. As NRDC researchers state, “There’s no strict rule book”; however, it is “meant to restore soil and ecosystem health, address inequity, and leave our land, waters, and climate in better shape for future generations.” Although these practices have been around for many years, they are even more crucial today as the planet faces threatening climate issues. 

There are three main strategies used in regenerative agriculture: cover crops, crop rotation, and no till farming. These practices are used to build the health of and to minimize disturbances in the soil. 

 

Cover Crops

Cash crops, like the name suggests, is a plant grown with the purpose of maximizing profits and are not meant to be used by the farmers or even the nearby communities. Common cash crops include grains, such as wheat and rice, commonly used produce, such as tomatoes, and tobacco  (Biscontini). Cover crops are non-cash crops that are planted to protect the soil, essentially guarding the soil from disturbances. It does so by preventing erosion, controlling weeds, and enhancing water retention. Based on the types of roots a crop has, different cover crops can provide different functions. For example, fava beans have wider roots that help with erosion, while oats have narrow and long roots that help with air circulation in soil. Furthermore, dense root structures lead to soil that’s packed closer together, while the opposite allows water to pass through more easily (Rodale Institute). Therefore, depending on the current conditions of a farmer or rancher’s soil, picking the right cover crop can lead to desired improvements. Farmers often use the practice of crop rotation when planting cover crops, as planting the same crop multiple times in a row can withhold several health benefits from the soil. 

 

Crop Rotation

Crop rotation is the practice of using a sequenced rotation of different non-cash crops to create biodiversity and to continue increasing soil health, as planting the same crop multiple times can reduce benefits that it's meant to provide. “For example, say a farmer has planted a field of corn. When the corn harvest is finished, he might plant beans, since corn consumes a lot of nitrogen and beans return nitrogen to the soil.” (Rodale Institute). This is one example of a crop used in this practice, but there are many other crops and variations that different farmers use. 

 

No-tilling

Tilling is a practice commonly used by farmers before planting seeds in order to turn the soil over, and in return, help control weeds and pests from damaging the crops (Rosenberg). Expensive machines like plows, cultivators, disks, harrows, and rototillers are tools that farmers use for tilling. Excessive tilling can make soil susceptible to a wide range of issues, which is why no-till farming is another widely used practice in regenerative agriculture. “No-till farming (also known as zero tillage or direct drilling) is an agricultural technique for growing crops or pasture without disturbing the soil through tillage.” (Regenerative Farmers of America). Farmers do this by using the necessary equipment to drill the crop seeds directly into the ground, which prevents disturbing the surface of the soil, leaving the crop residue and plant matter in their original state. This practice has numerous benefits, including “reduced soil erosion, increased water retention, and improved soil health.” (Regenerative Farmers of America). The soil also has an increased ability to store carbon (Rosenberg). As this practice creates these benefits, it ultimately improves and sustains biodiversity of the natural nutrient cycle of the soil. 

 

Why Regenerative Agriculture?

Agriculture produces the food that all of us need to live, but it’s currently at risk due to climate change. The ironic part is, unsustainable agriculture practices are also driving climate change today, which creates a negative cycle that puts fresh produce at risk (Strauss). Beyond the benefits mentioned above in relation to soil, regenerative practices also create more diverse animal and insect populations and reduce water pollution because less chemicals are added to the soil from products like fertilizers and pesticides (NRDC). Although regenerative agriculture can seem risky at first and may present some hurdles at the beginning, overall, it’s a worthy investment. In the long run, it increases nutrient use and land use efficiency which lessens wasted resources and increases crop yield. It also creates new opportunities for farmers to gain revenue for their climate friendly practices (Holsether and Reid). Finally, regenerative agriculture is not set in stone, and is meant to be adaptable as our environment continues to change. As Charles Massy said, “Regenerative agriculture implies more than just sustaining something but rather an active rebuilding—It also implies an open-ended process of ongoing improvement and positive transformation.”. 

 

Sources

       Crop & Livestock Practices - Soil Tillage and Crop Rotation | Economic Research Service. https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-practices-management/crop-livestock-practices/soil-tillage-and-crop-rotation#:~:text=Tillage%E2%80%94turning%20the%20soil%20to%20control%20for%20weeds,release%20of%20greenhouse%20gases%20into%20the%20atmosphere. ​

Crop Rotation – Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems. https://www.csuchico.edu/regenerativeagriculture/ra101-section/crop-rotation.shtml. 

​       Holsether, Svein Tore, and Grant Reid. “5 Benefits of Regenerative Agriculture – and 5 Ways to Scale It.” World Economic Forum.​

       NRDC. “Regenerative Agriculture 101.” NRDC, 29 Nov. 2021, https://www.nrdc.org/stories/regenerative-agriculture-101.​

       Rodale Institute. “Cover Crops: What Are They and How Do They Work?” Rodale Institute, 18 Apr. 2022, https://rodaleinstitute.org/blog/cover-crops-what-are-they-and-how-do-they-work/.​

       Strauss, Tania. “How Regenerative Agriculture Can Make Climate Solutions More Resilient.” World Economic Forum, 18 Nov. 2024, https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/11/regenerative-agriculture-climate-solutions-resilient/.​

       “The Benefits of No Till Farming.” Regenerative Farmers of America, https://www.regenerativefarmersofamerica.com/no-till.

       The World Water Development Report. https://www.fao.org/4/y4683e/y4683e06.htm. ​

       “What Is Regenerative Agriculture?” Noble Research Institute, https://www.noble.org/regenerative-agriculture/.