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ABSTRACT

Regenerative agriculture (RA) has been advocated as a way of achieving sustainable food production systems. The RA is seen differently by various actors, and there is no precise scientific description. We looked at 28 research experiments to see where the aims and actions that comprise RA converged and diverged. Our findings reveal convergence in goals that improve the environment and emphasize the relevance of socio-economic elements that contribute to food security. However, the aims of RA regarding socio-economic factors are broad and require a structure for execution. Based on our findings, we propose a preliminary definition of RA as a farming practice that leverages soil conservation as a starting point to regenerate and contribute to diverse ecosystem services.

Keywords: Regenerative agriculture, socioeconomic, food security, soil health

Introduction

Soil health is important not just for enhancing the quality and amount of food produced, but also for making plants more resistant to various biotic and abiotic stresses. Given the current scenario, the concept of soil health has been modified and articulated as “the continued capacity of a specific kind of soil to function as a vital living system within natural or managed ecosystem boundaries, to sustain animal and plant productivity, to maintain or enhance the quality of air and water environment, and to support human health and habitation" (Doran and Zeiss, 2000). Soil health is more than just improved crop output; it`s a delicate balance of multiple soil functions, environmental protection, and plant and animal health (Doran, 2002). Taking care of the soil can reduce the level of inputs required for a given amount of quality produce. Agriculture contributes significantly to land degradation as a result of unsustainable management practices that impair soil quality and operational capability (Gibbs and Salmon, 2015). Regenerative agriculture is a farming method that focuses on preserving and restoring farmland and its ecology. In reality, agricultural and grazing practices help to mitigate climate change by restoring damaged soil biodiversity while also regenerating soil organic matter.

 What does regenerative agriculture intend to achieve?

The loss of healthy soil and biodiversity across the world, as well as local landraces and indigenous technical knowledge (ITK), poses a danger to our existence. Soil scientists predict that if the present rates of soil destruction (decarbonization, erosion, desertification, and chemical pollution) continue, we will not only face serious public health consequences from a degraded food supply characterized by diminished nutrition and declining important trace minerals in 50 years but also run out of arable fertile topsoil. Feeding the globe, limiting global temperature rise in this century to 2°C, and ending biodiversity loss would be difficult without preserving and replenishing the soil on our 4 billion acres of cultivated crops, 8 billion acres of pastureland, and 10 billion acres of forest land. In addition to supplying surplus food to the country through intensive agriculture over time, the Green Revolution technologies have severely deteriorated India`s delicate agro-ecosystems (Rahman, 2015).

The cornerstone of RA is that it not only "does no harm" the soil, but actively improves it through the use of technologies that regenerate and revitalize the soil and ecosystem. The RA maintains healthy soil that can produce nutrient-dense foods as well as improve, rather than degrade, soil, which eventually results in productive farms and a strong economy. There is a need to incorporate permaculture and organic farming to increase food production, farmers` incomes, and topsoil (by improved soil health), including cover crops, crop rotations, composting, mobile animal shelters, and pasture cropping.

 REGENERATIVE PRINCIPLES

• Tillage should be reduced or eliminated.
• Cover the soil to keep it secure.
• Use living roots to keep the soil alive.
• Boost biodiversity.
• Integrate livestock
• Inclusion of agroforestry

No-till or minimum tillage: By minimizing disruption to the soil ecosystem, plant roots are exposed to soil microorganisms that support healthy soil and carbon storage. In conventional tillage, intensive disruption of aggregates and their exposure to soil microbes results in rapid decomposition and losses of soil organic carbon.

Cover crops: There are several advantages to covering the ground with plants. The soil can absorb water and carbon, which keeps the soil alive, avoids soil erosion by keeping the dirt from blowing away, and prevents desertification.

Diversified production systems: To mimic natural ecosystems and boost biodiversity, several crops are cycled in fields, potentially with animals, contributing to healthy soil.

Reduction or removal of synthetic chemicals: Plants are less likely to utilize soil microorganisms and obtain nutrients deep in the soil when synthetic chemical fertilizers are used, resulting in reduced carbon sequestration. Chemical pesticides harm biodiversity and contribute to contaminated water and soil, in addition to changing the soil microbial population. Pesticides may also be present in the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink, and they can cause birth abnormalities, cancer, and neurological diseases, among other things. 

Planned grazing: Grazing patterns of grasses are similar to those of animals, preventing overgrazing, and dung fertilizes the soil while also sequestering carbon. Pastured animals` health is improved, and they no longer require antibiotic treatment to be healthy. Grazing in a planned manner will give sufficient time for the soil to recover and its nutrients to rebuild, thus maintaining the soil health on a sustainable basis.

The following are some of the additional advantages of using regenerative agricultural practices:

• Water and soil health: The health of the soil and waterways are inextricably linked. Healthy soil has a water holding capacity of 20 times its weight in water, reducing runoff and ensuring drought resilience. In healthy soils, pesticides and chemical fertilizers are less likely to be used, which contaminate our water supplies and threaten farming communities. 
• Increased farmers’ income: Plants that are healthy, disease-resistant, and pest-tolerant grow in healthy soil, reducing the need for expensive fertilizers and pesticides. A farmer can also profit from ecosystem services provided by regeneratively produced food by selling it at a premium price.
• Secure food future: Regenerative strategies to develop healthy soil, minimize agricultural pesticide usage, and increase crop resilience against a wide range of weather extremes will be critical to maintaining high levels of food production and ensuring better food security for people in the future. 

  A shift to regenerative agriculture on a global scale might be beneficial to:

 

• Feed the world: Small farmers currently feed the globe with less than a quarter of all cropland.
• Decrease greenhouse gas emissions: A new food system might be a significant driver of climate change solutions. The existing industrial food system contributes between 44-and 57% of global greenhouse gas emissions (Campesina and Grain, 2014).
• Reverse Climate Change: Reductions in emissions are insufficient on their own. Fortunately, evidence suggests that boosting soil organic carbon stocks can help counteract climate change. Soil organic carbon accounts for around half of all organic matter in the soil (Pribyl, 2010).
• Improve yields: Organic farms provide much better yields than conventional farms in the face of harsh weather and climate change.
• Create drought-resistant soil: The incorporation of organic matter into the soil enhances its ability to hold water. Soil organic matter is increased through regenerative organic agriculture. 
• Revitalize local economies: Family farming provides an opportunity to assist local economies to thrive. 
• Preserve traditional knowledge: Understanding indigenous farming practices gives important ecological insights for developing regenerative organic agricultural systems.
• Nurture biodiversity: Biodiversity is essential for sustaining agricultural productivity and food security, as well as an important component of environmental protection.
• Restore grasslands: Grasslands make up one-third of the planet`s surface and 70% of those are degraded. We can assist them in recovering by implementing a comprehensive and regenerative grazing strategy.
• Improve nutrition: To generate a more diversified nutritional output from agricultural systems, nutritionists are increasingly highlighting the necessity of more diverse agroecosystems.

Briefly, the benefits of regenerative ranching include:

·         Enhanced soil organic matter and biodiversity.

·         Drought and flood-resistant healthier and more productive soil.

·         A reduction in the use of chemical inputs, and thereby pollution.

·         Better air and water quality.

·         Enhanced wildlife habitat.

·         carbon sequestered in the soil to counteract climate change.

Producers that practice regenerative agriculture isn`t only preserving the existing land resource so that it may be used in the future-they`re upgrading what`s already there to make it better for future generations. It`s a win-win-win situation; climate change mitigation, improved profit for farmers, and increased climatic resilience.

References

 

Campesina, L.V. & GRAIN. (2014). Food sovereignty: five steps to cool the planet and feed its people. 

Grain. https://grain.org/article/entries/5102-food-sovereignty-five-steps-to-cool-the-planet-and-feed-its-people.

Doran, J.W. (2002). Soil health and global sustainability: translating science into practice. Agricultural Economics and Environment, 88(2),119–127.

Doran, J.W. & Zeiss, M.R. (2000). Soil health and sustainability: managing the biotic component of soil quality. Applied Soil Ecology, 15,3–11.

Gibbs, H.K. & Salmon, J.M. (2015). Mapping the world’s degraded lands. Applied Geography, 57, 12–21, Doi: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2014.11.024.

Rahman, S. (2015). Green Revolution in India: environmental degradation and livestock impact. Asian Journal of Water Environment and Pollution 12(1), 75–80.

Pribyl, D. W. (2010). A critical review of the conventional SOC to SOM conversion factor. Geoderma, 156(3-4), 75-83.

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Regenerative Agriculture as a Boon to Soil Health_compressed.pdf