Regenerative Agricultural Practices

This solution was shared by PRE-LAUNCH RESEARCH TEAM

14 May 2021

Description of the innovative solution

"Regenerative Agriculture” describes farming and grazing practices that, among other benefits, reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity – resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the water cycle. By improving soil quality, regenerative farmers are helping to make more food on less land to feed more people.

Dietary impact

One of the facets of regenerative agriculture is diverse crop rotations and intercropping. Inherent in this approach to agriculture is the utilization of many different types of crops that can cover a wide breadth of nutrient requirements, from macronutrient requirements through grains as well as micronutrient requirements from vegetables and legumes, among other crops. This is especially useful for subsistence and smallholder farmers who primarily rely on their own plots for their food source. Moreover, by improving soil health in addition to crop resiliency against weather shocks, pathogens, and pests, regenerative agriculture offers a potential solution to food shortages as its practices can lead to increased crop yields. This is especially necessary as land availability continues to decrease as the global population grows. With higher crop yields within the same unit area of land, this can aid in ensuring that lower-income households continue to have enough food to eat.

Planetary impact

The primary goal of regenerative agriculture is focused on restoring and maintaining soil health, which is accomplished through the use of such methods as "no-till" or "reduced-till" practices, the use of cover crops, diverse crop rotations, rotational animal grazing patterns, etc. Through these practices, this can have the combined effect of allowing for greater soil carbon sequestration, storing greater amounts of CO2 in the soil as opposed to the atmosphere, thus helping to reverse the impacts of climate change. At the same time, by strengthening soil health, this can allow for farmlands to become more resilient against extreme weather shocks (increasing climate resiliency), in addition to fighting against pathogens and pests. In turn, this can lead to decreased input dependency as pesticide and herbicide use declines, helping to quell local pollution such as eutrophication from excess nutrient runoff from fields. Furthermore, no-till practices also help to reduce soil erosion as well as encourage greater water infiltration of the soil.

Equity impact

The high potential for regenerative agriculture to increase annual crop yields has major benefits in increasing the profitability of agriculture for many farmers, especially smaller-scale farmers who have traditionally been hurt during poor growing seasons. With greater yields, this can help supplement the incomes within many farming communities and reducing household poverty rates. In addition, with greater climate mitigation from increased soil carbon sequestration, regenerative agriculture can also have far-reaching benefits to those communities that are most at risk of damage from climate change effects, such as sea level rises, unprecedented droughts, and extreme weather events.

Main concerns

While there are studies that demonstrate the benefits of regenerative agriculture on soil carbon sequestration, much of the body of literature is limited and site-specific, bringing into the question the efficacy of regenerative agriculture should it become widely adopted. In addition, there are high risks and costs associated with transitioning to regenerative agriculture, a leap many farmers are not willing to take. This is especially true of communities where farmers typically rent land rather than purchase their own land; it is simply not profitable and too time-consuming for these farmers, and thus have no incentive to use such practices. As well, long-term soil carbon sequestration is dependent on the availability of nitrogen, which is commonly sourced from fertilizers that may end up contributing to local pollution of waterways if used in excess.

Examples and additional resources

Real-world examples

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Middle Cedar Partnership Project

Project information

Project developed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, aimed at expanding educational outreach of regenerative agricultural practices to local farmers to restore and maintain the Cedar River Watershed.

United States

cedar-rapids.org/resid...ct.php

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Biochar For Sustainable Soils (B4SS)

Project information

International organization focused on conducting biochar research and leading extension efforts to educate farmers about biochar application for sustainable land management (SLM).

China Ethiopia Indonesia Kenya Peru Viet Nam

biochar.international/.../

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Additional resources

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Regenerative agriculture profitably assessment

Scientific paper

Study finding increased profitability in farms using regenerative agricultural practices.

peerj.com/articles/...cles/4428/

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mvcattaneo@gmail.com

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Shared by Maurizio Cattaneo RAS: Regenerative Agriculture Systems

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Supply chain segment

Agricultural inputs and primary production practices

Maturity level

Mainstream

Criteria

Food quality Food availability Climate mitigation Water use Reducing biodiversity loss Increasing agrobiodiversity Reducing pollution

SDG target

SDG 1: No Poverty SDG 2: Zero Hunger SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation SDG 13: Climate Action SDG 15: Life on Land

Context

Urban Peri-urban Rural Marine/Coastal

Keywords

Closing nutrient loop Food biodiversity Urban farming Preservation Regenerative agriculture Agricultural development Agricultural extension Desert agriculture Postharvest technology

Primary users

Subsistence farmers Small & medium commercial farmers Large & industrial farmers Livestock farmers Urban farmers

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Regenerative Agricultural Practices

Description of the innovative solution

Examples and additional resources

Real-world examples

Middle Cedar Partnership Project

Biochar For Sustainable Soils (B4SS)

Biochar For Sustainable Soils (B4SS)

Biochar For Sustainable Soils (B4SS)

Biochar For Sustainable Soils (B4SS)

Biochar For Sustainable Soils (B4SS)

Middle Cedar Partnership Project

Biochar For Sustainable Soils (B4SS)

Additional resources

Regenerative agriculture profitably assessment

Contacts

mvcattaneo@gmail.com

Pathways to uptake

Explore pathways for this solution

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Regenerative Agricultural Practices

Description of the innovative solution

Examples and additional resources

Real-world examples

Middle Cedar Partnership Project

Biochar For Sustainable Soils (B4SS)

Biochar For Sustainable Soils (B4SS)

Biochar For Sustainable Soils (B4SS)

Biochar For Sustainable Soils (B4SS)

Biochar For Sustainable Soils (B4SS)

Middle Cedar Partnership Project

Biochar For Sustainable Soils (B4SS)

Additional resources

Regenerative agriculture profitably assessment

Contacts

mvcattaneo@gmail.com

Pathways to uptake

Explore pathways for this solution

Share solution