(image[1] from PhilStar.com)
The term was invented by the Rodale Institute of Pennsylvania in the 1980s (Heather Hanaman, “Why You Need To Know About Regenerative Agriculture[2],” Outsideonline.com). Miss Heather says:
It means that farmers rotate and diversify crops and animals, don’t poison lands and water, and minimize tilling and soil disruption. Over time, those practices have been shown to make land more resilient and more productive – and able to hold more carbon and water.
About crop rotation, my father Lakay Disiong used to plant mungbean after rice, because he knew that the legume will enrich the soil somehow.
Likewise diversification of crops: I know the growing of several crops and growing them simultaneously in a wide field results in the elimination of pests and diseases – balance of nature. You do not need to apply poisons because your crops are healthy.
Likewise raising crops & livestock at the same time: If there is enough animals raised, their manure can be used to fertilize the field.
Now, let us return our attention to the photograph above – the gentlemen are minding the cacao pods, talking on top of a layer of fallen leaves enriching the soil with organic matter.
How does the concept work? Miss Heather says:
Regenerative agriculture is a system of farming principles and practices that seeks to rehabilitate and enhance the entire ecosystem of the farm by placing a heavy premium on soil health with attention also paid to water management, fertilizer use, and more.
Soil health: If you add or allow organic matter such as leaves to accumulate on the soil, you grow a healthy soil that grows healthy crops – no need for fertilizers. If you have enough organic matter in your soil, you have enough soil moisture for your crops.
What are the principal techniques in regenerative agriculture? Miss Heather gives 4:
Conservation tillage. With minimum or no tillage, “farmers minimize physical disturbance of the soil, and over time increase levels of soil organic matter, creating healthier, more resilient environments for plants to thrive, as well as keeping more and more carbon where it belongs.”
Diversity. Miss Heather says: “Different plants release different carbohydrates (sugars) through their roots, and various microbes feed on these carbs and return all sorts of different nutrients back to the plant and the soil. By increasing the plant diversity of their fields, farmers help create the rich, varied, and nutrient-dense soils that lead to more productive yields.”
Rotation and cover crops. When you change crops and plant secondary crops in between rows, the roots of those crops “can infuse soils with more and more (and more diverse) soil organic matter.”
Minimal or no chemical pest control. When you practice crop rotation and intercropping at one time or another, there is a balance of natural lives in that area where, among other things, predators keep the population of pests in control.
Keep that soil rich naturally!
Miss Heather says,
“If you take care of your soil,
it will take care of you.”@517
