⁠⁠Regenerative Agriculture: Definition, Principles, Benefits and Future Prospects

Around 33% of the soil on earth is degraded. Each year, the fertile top soil gets washed away due to erosion. The underground water stores are exhausted and the carbon that ideally should be stored in soil is released to the atmosphere. Our soil, water and atmosphere are the main factors contributing to the foundation of the food system catering eight billion people and is gradually crumbling. To reverse this damage a new agriculture approach called regenerative agriculture is getting adapted worldwide. It is one of the most important ideas of the 21st century. In this article, we will learn about the meaning, core principles, practices and benefits of regenerative agriculture.

Table of Contents 

• What is ⁠Regenerative Agriculture
• Principles of Regenerative Agriculture
• Benefits of Regenerative Agriculture
• Regenerative Agriculture in India
• Future of Regenerative Agriculture
• Frequently Asked Questions about Regenerative Agriculture

What is ⁠Regenerative Agriculture

Regenerative agriculture refers to a holistic approach of farming and land management that involves practices such as till reduction, cover cropping and crop rotation to restore and revitalise the health of agricultural ecosystems. It focuses on not just maintaining or reducing harm to soil but to restoring its original composition. 

The word ‘regenerative’ originated from the Latin word regenerare which means to restore. The main purpose of this approach is not just to sustain what remains, but to actively bring back what has been lost: soil life, carbon, water, biodiversity and ecological function. Regenerative agriculture differs from conventional agriculture in many ways. It focuses on actively restoring and improving the quality of soil as well as leaving the land in better condition than it was. 

Principles of Regenerative Agriculture

There are 5 core principles of regenerative agriculture

• Minimise soil disturbance: Conventional farming practices accelerate soil erosion. The digging and overturning of soil disturbs its natural structure. It also destroys microorganisms, releasing the carbon to the atmosphere. Regenerative agriculture ensures the elimination of this tillage, keeping its structure intact allowing the ecological balance of soil to recover. Therefore, by reducing tillage, regenerative agriculture can restore the natural structure of soil.
  
  
• Keep soil covered: One of the key principles of regenerative agriculture is Keeping soil covered. It emphasizes on protecting the soil surface by growing crops or cover crops as a layer of green crops help protect the soil from erosion and moisture loss. 

• Keeping Live Roots all Over the Year: The roots of plants are important for maintaining soil health. They are the primary source food for microorganisms and allow water, air and carbon to move into the soil. It keeps the soil ecosystem active and productive. So, planting crops and cover crops throughout the year is a core component of regenerative agriculture.

• Maximise Diversity: Different types of crops, cover crops, animals enriches the natural ecosystems and build soil health. It improves the resilience and productivity of soil food web. 

• Integrate Livestock: Large herbivores are highly important in improving ecosystems. The manure of animals helps soil organisms and their grazing promotes growth of plants. Their hooves break soil crusts and press organic matter into the ground.

Benefits of Regenerative Agriculture

• Soil Benefits: Use of organic matter in farming helps rebuild soil health over time. This in turn improves its capacity to retain water and promotes water infiltration by reducing runoff and recharging aquifers.
• Water Benefits: Healthy soils are less prone to erosion as the organic matter present in it can hold significantly more water. Minimal use of chemicals in farming also helps prevent contamination of the surface water and groundwater.
• Climate Benefits: Rebuilding soil organic matter draws carbon from the atmosphere. It also reduces emissions as fewer synthetic fertilisers mean less nitrous oxide and no-till means less CO₂ from tractor fuel. Diverse, healthy agricultural systems are better able to cope with extreme weather. 
• Farmer Benefits: Less dependency on synthetic fertilisers or pesticides decreases farming cost and helps farmers in saving money.
• Health Benefits: Healthy soils and agroforestry helps in reducing the emission of greenhouse gas in the environment that improves our health and well-being.

Regenerative Agriculture in India

Thousands of individual farmers, NGOs and agricultural organisations are practising and promoting regenerative approaches in different states. The government of Andhra Pradesh has implemented one of the world's most ambitious regenerative agriculture programmes: Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF). It is supporting over 700,000 farmers across all districts to transition to chemical-free, natural farming. Independent research has documented improvements in soil health, biodiversity, water retention and farmer incomes across APCNF farms.

Future of Regenerative Agriculture

Governments of different countries worldwide have started recognising regenerative agriculture in their farming policies. Many European and Asian countries are offering significant funds and support for regenerative agriculture practices. There are many state-level natural farming programmes in India moving in the regenerative direction. The awareness of the connections between food, soil health and climate is driving demand for regeneratively produced food.