That’s a good question, thanks for asking! Regenerative agriculture can mean different things to different people, so I’ll tell you what it means to me.
You may have heard about sustainable agriculture, which is closely tied to the idea of sustainable development — a concept that is meant to convey a distinction from “conventional” agriculture or development which disregards the long-term effects of a system or consumption model. Sustainability in this sense means that we replace what we take from the environment and try to limit the negative effects of our actions and processes. In simplistic terms, think of it as replanting at least one tree for every tree that is cut down (e.g. for paper products, lumber, etc.), by using energy efficient machines that minimize or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and minimizing the long-term impacts on the land from which the trees were harvested.
It’s right there in the name – to “sustain” is essentially to keep something the same, or at the very least not make things worse. But in these times of climate crisis and declining ecosystems, that’s not going to be enough to pull us out of this rut and get on track to leave a better world for future generations.
That’s where regenerative agriculture comes in. You can probably see where I’m going with this — if sustaining means maintaining, regeneration means improving ecosystems. When I’m long gone, I want my work on the land to have made the soil richer so it can support more types of life. I want there to be more and healthier trees and plants and bugs and worms and fungi and all the other nearly invisible strands in the web of life. I’m accomplishing this by establishing systems that mimic natural ecology and that retain as much water and as many nutrients on the property as possible, such as harvesting rainwater by capturing it as it runs down slopes and sending it deep down into the water table instead of running off the property in a creek or ditch, and by composting as much as possible and incorporating it as a bacteria- and fungus-rich amendment into the soil to improve fertility and resilience to pests and disease. This also allows me to avoid using chemical sprays and fertilizers to manage crops because my plants and veggies will grow healthier on their own and the local pest population is kept in balance with their predators.
An example of my use of regenerative agriculture is the way in which I manage my livestock. Take the pigs as an example: they are raised outdoors in areas that I cleared of invasive buckthorn from the understory of the forest. Their natural tendency to root around and disturb the earth helps suppress the buckthorn’s regrowth, and the fact that I frequently move them from one section of the forest to another limits their destructive potential. It also means the pigs have a more natural diet and an environment in which they can thrive. And since I also supplement their diet with additional feed, their poop becomes fertilizer for the forest and injects provides habitat and food for all kinds of microbiology that enhances the overal health of the ecosystem. It also means I don’t have overly high concentrations of manure in any particular area, or a need to have it shipped off the farm for processing or spreading elsewhere. When I move the pigs to a new pasture, I make sure to re-seed the area that they’ve left behind with native grasses and plants that will support more forest life and provide even more forage for next year’s pigs.