What is Regenerative Agriculture

Simply put, regenerative agriculture is a conservation and rehabilitative method of agriculture. Some key themes within the greater practice of regenerative agriculture include: 

• increase the fertility of topsoil
• using a systems approach to agriculture, not viewing agriculture as many separate components
• adaptation of agriculture to meet the realities of the present day: climate change, global markets, and diminishing natural resources

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Core Principles of Regenerative Agriculture

According the article cited above, the 6 key principles of regenerative agriculture are: 

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1. understand the context of your farm operation: how does your farm fit into the greater ecosystem of the region and climate
2. minimize soil disturbance: use land with a long term perspective, practice stewardship through practices like crop rotation
3. maximize crop diversity: use natural plant relationships to make your farm more sustainable, for example using cover crops
4. keep the soil covered: ensure optimal soil health
5. maintain living root year round: ensure optimal root health
6. integrate livestock: integrate both plant and animal agriculture into cohesive systems that have both economic and environmental impacts

Advantages of Regenerative Agriculture

• Allows for long term viability of agriculture
• Adapts to current environment, allows for more natural solutions to problems facing agriculture as opposed to man-made (i.e. cover crops vs chemical usage)

Disadvantages of Regenerative Agriculture

• May not provide projected benefits within realistic timelines
• May result in worse economic results for unproven agricultural methods based on conservation

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