Regenerative agriculture

Regenerative agriculture is not a fixed model, but rather a principle of management.

It is more than “sustainable” agriculture, as it is centered around restoring the soil and the environment as a whole, to support productive agriculture and preserve natural biodiversity, not just to minimize the impact of production.

Basic principles of regenerative (renewable) agriculture:

• The farmer’s understanding of the system context
• Keeping the soil surface covered as long as possible throughout the year
•  Reduction of soil surface disturbances, in particular, as a result of tillage
•  Combination of a wide variety of plants for biodiversity
• Preserving living roots in the soil for as much as possible
•  Integration grazing livestock into the system

Regenerative agriculture aims at mitigating the consequences of climate change and adapting to them, implementing systemic approaches to managing agricultural landscapes and communities.

It is also important to remember that the transition to renewable agriculture involves not just only a set of “climate-smart” mitigation and adaptation practices supported by technical innovation, policy, education and outreach. Rather, it involves subjective, intangible factors related to culture, values, ethics, identity, and emotions that operate at the individual, family, and community levels and interact with regional, national, and global processes.