“Grandpa, why do we have to kill things to grow things? asked the seven-year-old grandson of Dr. Charles Massey while driving a farmer who was spraying his fields. Massey would go on to become a renowned regenerative agriculture farmer, scientist and author.
What is renewable agriculture?
Although it is an environmental buzzword, renewable agriculture is nothing new. This is what happens when farmers come to a critical realization: it is easier to work with nature than against it.
Describe animal migration. Mammals, birds, fish and insects embark on an epic journey over thousands of kilometers to find warmer temperatures, food, shelter and reproductive opportunities.
In doing so, they continue to cycle nutrients around the earth, control the distribution of pollen and seeds, maintain a healthy global ecosystem, and influence the human economy.
So how can agriculture use this natural process to improve land use?
Rebuild, rebuild and reproduce
Through practices such as crop rotation, intercropping, using natural systems to restore soil, and combining animal husbandry with crop cultivation, among others, regenerative farmers harness the power of nature to restore, regenerate, and regenerate, to deliver healthier soil, higher yields, and less need for pesticides and fertilizers.
Those involved in renewable agriculture can also:
- Better grazing of agricultural livestock;
- Less loss of soil and nutrients through soil erosion; and
- Better to keep water in the dry
Then there’s the direct benefit to the planet: regenerative agriculture, which leads to healthier farmland, is the best way to capture carbon and sequester it in the soil. Roots and other plant tissues use carbon dioxide to grow, which prevents carbon from re-entering the atmosphere.
According to A article published New York Times, Studies show that widespread use of these practices could save up to 8 billion metric tons of carbon each year.
Regenerative agriculture is usually run by families, not corporations
“On the contrary,” Massey says “Industrial agriculture tends to simplify, dominate and control. It tends to destroy natural systems and their cycles. It is further promoted by some of the largest multinational pharmaceutical companies in the world, which operate under a rationalist economic philosophy of growth and greed.”
Some of the main practices of industrial agriculture are:
- Monoculture crops;
- Use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, pesticidesand pharmaceuticals;
- Manipulation of plant and animal genomes; and
- Livestock factory
Ancient roots
Hundreds of years ago, the Aztecs of South America had to develop a way to produce enough food to feed thousands of people in a landscape covered by large lakes and marshy islands without enough land to expand.
Their solution: chinampas. They built long, narrow lands on top of shallow lakes, pouring healthy soil into reeds and sticks. After raising them to an effective height, they were connected to the shallow lake bed by a willow wall. The result was efficient, self-sustaining, floating gardens where they could raise crops and animals.
The fine sediments of the lake and animal waste contributed to the cultivation of the land, and the system irrigated itself, making it fertile from rainfall and all year round.
Similarly, the Mayan people of ancient South America used a polyculture method called the milpa, commonly known as the Three Sisters method. They intercrop plants such as corn, soybeans, and squash, so the individual benefits of each crop can support the growth of others. Corn, the tallest of the three, forms the base on which climbing beans can grow. At the same time, pumpkin leaves grow along the ground, and the ground is not covered by weeds.
No to GMOs
This symbiotic cultivation practice helped regulate soil moisture and keep pests away from the crops. No pesticides, artificial fertilizers, soil damage, GMO manipulation of plants or animals, or agriculture were needed, and these methods successfully sustained the great ancient civilizations for hundreds of years.
Regenerative agriculture today
The Massey family has been farming in New South Wales, Australia for five generations. But young and inexperienced when he took over his family’s farmland in the 1970s, he followed the advice of local farmers and the Australian Department of Agriculture.
“I remember overgrazing and plowing beautiful native grasses.” he says.
Only later, when he met with recovering farmers, did he benefit not only their landscapes, but also their finances, their families’ health, and their mental health.
“The breakthrough came because I had to think about my first trip. I realized that I was ignorant. I didn’t know how it worked. I didn’t realize that it should have been in the hospital, in intensive care. It needed treatment.”
He started to study regenerative agriculture, switched to its methods and observed that the land he had mowed was recovering. He also began teaching the principles of regenerative agriculture and wrote several books reflecting his experiences.
Soil support
Regenerative agriculture pays more attention to soil health and biodiversity than conventional agriculture. The stock is moved regularly, so there is a long rest period to protect the grass and ground cover.
Other ways to support soil include reducing soil erosion, using minimal tillage, composting, using biochar, incorporating agroforestry (integrating trees into agricultural systems), and using aquaponics to grow plants.
Finally, the plants are grown alongside the fish, which ensures that the plants can feed on the nutrient-rich waste in the water, eliminating the need for pesticides or herbicides. Thus, food can be grown throughout the year. Vegetables that typically grow well with fish include collard greens such as Swiss chard, Chinese cabbage, collard greens, lettuce, and collard greens, but cucumbers, beans, broccoli, peas, spinach, and tomatoes also work well in this system. Along with fish, fruits such as watermelon, watermelon and cantaloupe are also shown.
Meanwhile, in the northwest…
About an hour’s drive from Johannesburg, you’ll find Jasmyn Boerdery and a sister company Food faira hormone-free family farm that uses only natural methods to assist nature’s cyclical processes.
Instead of using artificial fertilizer on their pecan trees, they plant feed for the Jersey cattle between rows of pecan trees. When dairy cows are sent to graze on wood, their urine provides excellent natural fertilizers and the farm saves money on animal feed.
Therefore, the farm can get a healthy harvest of walnuts, while its herd gives thousands of liters of fresh milk every day. They also deliver cheese, yogurt, butter and other dairy products to the region Jasmyn Farm produce marketwhich attracts a large number of visitors to the area every day and helps to support local farmers and producers.
Get inspired by these farmers
Whatever the animals leave is returned to the soil and helps restore the ecosystem of the field. After harvesting a portion of fruit and vegetable land, cows are sent to the harvested field to restore its balance and protect the health of the soil.
The farm also grows its own fruits and vegetables – watermelons, figs, pumpkins, baby brains, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, corn, lettuce, pepper, herbs, onions, edible flowers – based on crop rotation.
Nothing is wasted. All excess fruits and vegetables are bottled in the jam factory as jam and preserves. The scraps that cannot be consumed in this way are used as feed for pigs. While spraying fruits and vegetables isn’t completely removed from the equation, Jasmine growers are using pest-friendly methods. They aim to strengthen plants that produce their fruits and vegetables as much as possible by keeping the soil healthy, using good quality seeds for planting, and planting plants together that function symbiotically.
Cultivation of earthworms
They also maximize the natural sugar in plants, as high glucose is harmful to insects.
Planting bright, yellow flowers alongside rows of vegetables has also proven to be an effective way to keep pests away from plants, as insects choose flowers instead.
Finally, the farm has a tubeworm facility. All animal manure and manure are returned to the ground and used as fertilizer for planting vegetables.
Save the planet, one recovery at a time
In short, regenerative agriculture is a way of replicating nature’s natural and seasonal processes, such as animal migration, supporting the growth of tall native grasses to combat flooding and soil erosion, and restoring natural biodiversity.
In a video quote for The story of AustraliaMassey explains that he was visiting a friend who successfully restored a creek on his property.
“The day I was there, we heard it calling in this little patch of reeds that had just grown. It was probably the first time in 150 years that (this bird species) had come back to that jagged valley.”
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