Most of us recognise the value of converting from ‘sustainable’ to ‘regenerative’ practices. The trouble is – how do we do it?
There are so many different schemes coming under the regenerative umbrella that it is confusing: Climate-Smart Agriculture, Conservation Agriculture, Agroecology, Regenerative Agriculture, Syntropic Farming, Permaculture, Ecological Gardening, Sustainable Gardening…
Look for practical help. You’ll generally find a wealth of information on using different tools like compost and other biological fertilisers, zero-till or no-dig gardening, cover crops, crop rotations, raised beds, mulch, silvopasture, and so on…
We have enough challenges growing food without navigating a confusion of different choices to find solutions that will work well for our growing conditions.
Understanding the fundamental principles underpinning why different regenerative farming and gardening practices work, we gain the know-how to choose the best options for our growing conditions and respond constructively to emerging issues and threats.
Principles usually help simplify decision-making, but in this case, the principles themselves are remarkably straightforward. Our climate doesn’t matter, what we grow, or our property’s size – we need to bring back Nature’s free ecological services to our farms and gardens.
These ecological services are the functions – nutrient cycles, water cycles, solar energy capture, and beneficial connections provided by functioning ecosystems.[i] Biodiversity, organic matter and carbon levels in our soil, are useful measures to track our progress. But we need our ecosystems’ tuned up and running’ for these to improve!
While a small number of farmers benefit from using traditional practices maintaining functioning ecosystems, the majority of us are not so lucky. It has become the norm to substitute for these free ecological services by cultivating soil, applying fertilisers and pest controls. Virtually everybody does it!
This interventionist approach defines current ‘conventional agriculture’, whether we use ‘chemical’ or ‘organic’ inputs.
Using this principles-based approach established regenerative practices become the source and inspiration for ideas, rather than recipes to follow. We get our ecosystems working again, and break this ‘intervention habit’.
By way of example, standard regenerative practices used in Conservation Agriculture – diverse cover crops and crop rotations, together with zero-till and mob grazing, improve nutrient recycling in soils in temperate and other cool climates. Like the well-known American regenerative farmer, Gabe Brown, many farmers have improved their soil to the point where their soil ecosystem naturally supplies nutrients to their crops. The Brown family have stopped using fertilisers without sacrificing their yields.[ii]
However, these practices are not sufficient in warmer and wetter climates.
Cover crops and crop rotations produce adequate supplies of organic materials and root exudates for soil ecosystems in tropical climates. Farmers remain trapped in poverty with not enough manure, compost, or the funds to substitute with commercial fertilisers.[iii].
As growers realise that using prescribed practices is not the solution, applying the ecological principles they develop practices suitable for their growing conditions. For this reason, silvopasture (growing trees in pastures) is now ranked across Africa, Asia and South America as the most important climate-smart intervention graziers can make. [iv]
In Africa, south of the Sahel desert, there is a striking example of what we can achieve by using ‘eco-logic’!
Pastoralists, arable farmers and home gardeners use trees to improve yields and drought hardiness.[v] Understanding the ecological principles, they skilfully create agroforestry designs that work well for their conditions. Approximately 250,000 hectares of land is regenerated every year.[v] The change led mostly by families themselves, as they double or triple their incomes by improving crop yields and ‘growing-up’ – using trees to supply additional fruit, nuts, seeds, firewood, construction timber, and honey.[vi],[vii]
It’s incredible how quickly we can develop the skills to get the ecosystems in our farms and gardens functioning again and bring back Nature’s ecological services when we use ‘eco-logic’!
We become the innovators and agents of change; less reliant on extension services. We trial techniques, learn and share our experiences.
Discover how to use this ‘eco-logical’ approach with our Eco-logical Gardening and Farming Handbooks.
References for ‘The trouble with Regenerative Farming and Gardening’
[i] Wendy Seabrook, 2019, Eco-logical Farming Handbook. Learning from Nature Publ.
[ii] Gabe Brown,2018, Dirt to Soil. Chelsea Green Publ.
[iii] Roger R.B. Leakey, The Role of Trees in Agroecology, In ‘Routledge Handbook of Agricultural Biodiversity’ 1st Edition. Edited by Danny Hunter, Luigi Guarino, Charles Spillane, Peter C. McKeown. Routledge
iv] Bringing the Concept of Climate-Smart Agriculture to Life. Insights from CSA Country Profiles across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Sova, C. A., G et. al. 2018. “Bringing the Concept of Climate-Smart Agriculture to Life: Insights from CSA Country Profiles Across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.” World Bank, and the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, Washington, DC. (https://elibrary.worldbank.org/doi/abs/10.1596/31064)
[v]Wendy Seabrook, 2019, Eco-logical Farming Handbook.
[vi] Tony Rinaudo, from World Vision on Ecosia Podcast ‘How to bring forests back without planting trees’ (https://blog.ecosia.org/tony-rinaudo-fmnr/)
[vi] In Niger, Trees and Crops Turn Back the Desert (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/world/africa/11niger.html)
[vii]Reij C, Tappan G, Smale M. 2009. Agroenvironmental transformation in the Sahel – another kind of ‘Green Revolution’. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) Discussion Paper 00914.