Our food supply is in crisis. Over the past few decades, the food crisis has been growing exponentially due to soil erosion, chemical pollution, conventional farming methods, and decarbonization of the soil that food is grown in. The result is an overall deterioration of the variety and quality of food available for us to eat. Research shows modern foods have lower vitamin and mineral content along with increased antibiotic and chemical content. This makes the average diet detrimental to human health. A solution to this crisis lies in Regenerative Agriculture. It's an approach to developing crops and sustaining the land in a way that replenishes the organisms supporting the growth of nutrient-dense food. More than just growing and choosing organic food, Regenerative Agriculture is a world-changing solution with the power to restore organic carbon to the soil, support a healthy climate, and improve human health.

Regenerative Agriculture and Organic Farming/Gardening

Regenerative Agriculture (RegAg) rebuilds organic matter and living biodiversity within the soil so the land can consistently produce nutrient-dense food year after year. Farming methods used in RegAg effectively store more water in the soil and rapidly draw carbon out of the atmosphere, trapping it underground, resulting in a significant reversal of damage to the climate. How significant? The National Academy of Sciences estimates that Regenerative Agriculture can sequester 250 million tons of carbon dioxide in the U.S. annually, or around 4% of the country's emissions. This is why RegAg is sometimes called "carbon farming."

Organic farming and gardening are a part of RegAg. Organic soil helps produce more nutrient-dense plants and foods. When these plants naturally biodegrade, are harvested, or are manually turned over into compost, they improve the nutrition of the soil and make it more hospitable to a wider variety of beneficial organisms (fungi, microbes, insects, etc). This increase in soil biodiversity is the "soil cycle of life" (hence the term regenerative) which gives back not just to the growth and sustainability of crops, but to the entire ecosystem. Regenerative Agriculture "works" for the smallest organisms living in the soil up through the ecological chain, supporting the health of all creatures including humans.

The Key Facets of Regenerative Agriculture Includes:

• Increased organic matter in the soil brings insect biodiversity which helps control invasive species and pests that would otherwise destroy crops
• RegAg does not harm the land; rather, it improves it using farming methods that revitalize the soil and the environment
• The shift towards holistic ecosystems functioning symbiotically leads to more productive farms, healthier communities, and stronger economies

Methods of Regenerative Agriculture

There are many different approaches and methods to RegAg, and they can be used all at once or in different combinations. These techniques include:
• conservation tillage
• cover crops
• crop rotation
• composting
• free range grazing
• mobile animal shelters and pasture cropping

How Everyone Can Contribute to Regenerative Agriculture

Additionally, it's important to know you don't need acres of farmland to contribute to RegAg. Your backyard, your shopping choices, and what you do with food waste can all impact RegAg. If we do our part to grow food and eat sustainably, then we will be contributing to a holistic and symbiotic solution for the good of the planet and our health. Below are a list of ways you can do your part.

• Find a local regenerative farm in your area and support their cause by buying direct or through a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, if offered.
• If you don't have a regenerative farm nearby, look for humane animal farms that raise animals in a way that is good for the environment. This would include pasture-raised farms, many of which will sell directly to consumers.
• Choose to buy local and organic whenever feasible for you.

In your own garden:

• Use organic soil and natural fertilizer
• Compost food waste
• Learn to mulch properly
• Learn to plant the right plant, in the right spot, at the right time of year
• Use natural pest deterrents such as botanically-based (instead of chemical), chicken wire, or netting
• Plant native and disease-resistant plants rather than trying to grow things not suited to your climate zone
• Maintain plant diversity, which will nourish the soil and encourage ecosystem biodiversity
• Prune and weed the garden weekly, at minimum.

Regenerative Agriculture, whether implemented in your back yard or on a grand scale, holds the potential to transform farms and farmers into planetary heroes as they rebuild the land and grow the economy that supports life in all its forms.

Resources to Learn More:

1. CivilEats.org. Carbon Markets and Regenerative Agriculture. Written July 27, 2021. https://civileats.com/2021/07/27/as-carbon-markets-reward-new-efforts-will-regenerative-farming-pioneers-be-left-in-the-dirt/
2. What is Decarbonization of Soil? http://encyclopedia.uia.org/en/problem/189108
3. EarthDay.org presents Regenerative Agriculture. https://www.earthday.org/campaign/regenerative-agriculture/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI95KOloeA9gIVtP7jBx1O5ABtEAAYBCAAEgJz0_D_BwE
4. Farmer's Footprint is a website dedicated to helping people understand the problem with monocrops and the dire state of the land from which we are trying to grow food. https://farmersfootprint.us
5. HumanKind.org Programs. The Diet-Climate Connection: How the Foods We Eat Affect the Planet We Inhabit. http://humanmedia.org/dcc/
6. Neff, Roni A et al. “A Food Systems Approach To Healthy Food And Agriculture Policy.” Health affairs (Project Hope) vol. 34,11 (2015): 1908-15. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2015.0926

The Ecology Center and Planet Natural offer gardening schematics and companion planting tips. https://www.theecologycenter.org/how-to-design-an-organic-vegetable-garden/ https://www.planetnatural.com/organic-gardening-guru/design/

Also check out HGTV's Best Gardening Apps. https://www.hgtv.com/design/remodel/products/top-gardening-apps-pictures

Regeneration International is a website dedicated to showing the world the power of regenerative farming practices and the effect on ecosystems. https://regenerationinternational.org/why-regenerative-agriculture/. Their video series is a practical introduction to the power of regenerative agriculture. https://regenerationinternational.org/resources/

Movie Resources:

1. Farmer's Footprint. This film shows how one community dealt with the devastation caused by conventional farming and how they turned it around with RegAg.
2. Kiss the Ground | Soil Health Solutions | Join the Movement! This is another film that has been streaming on Netflix.

Photo Credit