First, I want to be clear that to me regenerative agriculture is no thing.
It is not a prescription, it is not a recipe.
Rather, it is series of tools accompanied with a perspective that allows for natural function to take place.
It is a way of seeing things that allows for the utilisation and support of natural cycles.
In the past we have been operating in a very linear fashion controlling and manipulating the way that nature operates.
This presents itself as lots of expensive treatments of symptoms which have many negative side effects.
We grow monocultures and spray out any competition like it is an enemy.
As a result, our plants are very susceptible to insect and disease attack, so what do we do then?
We spray all the insects with insecticides and often coat the seeds we grow with insecticides also as though insects are also an enemy.
The disease that grows on these unhealthy mono crops because of poor biological function is then sprayed with fungicides, further decreasing the plants ability to work with soil microbiology.
What we end up with, are sterile, compacted soils that are prone to disease outbreak and require constant feeding of nutrients and water.
We operate as though nature is the enemy when in fact nature can do all of the things that we spend most of our time and energy doing.
What’s missing is an understanding of these natural cycles and what is required to allow them to thrive.
Regenerative agriculture allows for systems that produce outcomes that improve profitability, water and nutrient cycling, biodiversity, plant health, animal health, farmer, and consumer health.
With Regenerative Agriculture, everyone wins.
It is one great organism where soil microbes work with plants that support animals and humans alike whilst supporting a vast array of other insects’ birds and wildlife, all of which work together in a symbiotic manner.
Often it is a case of getting out of the way and allowing nature to do what she does best.
She has been doing it for millions and millions of years and is rather good at it.
There are of course ways that we can work alongside nature to achieve the outcomes that we need to be responsible for, without total chaos.
Regenerative agriculture is not suggesting that you neglect your farm, in fact Regenerative Agriculture allows for you to be more in tune with your farming system and its surroundings.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a dairy farmer, sheep and beef farmer, Deer farmer, arable farmer, vegetable grower or a backyard warrior, there are many tools available in the Regenerative Agriculture toolbox for you to choose from to create what works for you and your unique context.
