What is Regenerative Organic Agriculture?
Regenerative agriculture is a collection of practices that focus on regenerating soil health and the full farm ecosystem. These practices come from traditional and Indigenous practices throughout the globe, and are a result of individuals farming as part of the natural system.
In practice, regenerative agriculture can look like cover cropping, crop rotation, low- to no-till, compost, and zero use of persistent chemical pesticides and fertilizers.
Conservation Tillage: minimal soil disturbance maintains soil biology and structure, retains water, prevents erosion, and carbon loss.
Cover Crops and Crop Rotation: diverse and nitrogen-fixing cover crops drawdown carbon, return nutrients to soil, control pests, prevent erosion, and decrease weeds.
Rotational Grazing: grass-fed and grass-finished ruminants like cattle rotate through paddocked pastures, return nutrient-rich manure to topsoil, and give land time to rest between grazing cycles.
Compost: Adding compost to fields, forests and ranges boosts soil health and super-charges carbon sequestration. Microbe rich compost can improve soil structure, suppress diseases, increase water holding capacity, and support soil biodiversity.
No Synthetic Fertilizers or Pesticides: land is spared from toxic chemicals and soil ecology is sustained; fertility and pest-control are achieved by composting and rotating in beneficial plants, animals, and insects.
Layered into these practices, depending on a farm’s needs, could be the addition of perennials, development of pollinator and wildlife habitats, incorporation of agroforestry systems, vegetative barriers, and other regenerative practices that are shown to contribute to the development of soil organic matter. And to be truly regenerative, a system must consider all players in the farm system, from the soil microbiome to the animals to the workers. After all, farmers are the stewards of our lands, and with the power of regenerative organic agriculture, can completely change the direction of our future.
Even though the term “regenerative” is a buzzword in the industry right now, the concept is far from new. Both the term “regenerative agriculture” and the practices that define it are not modern creations. As mentioned above, it is imperative to always note that regenerative agriculture practices draw from Indigenous wisdom and practices. As Regenerative Organic Alliance Board Member A’dae Romero-Briones (Cochiti/Kiowa) puts it, “The indigenous universal connection is the idea that you absolutely need to be part of the natural cycles around you, whether they’re negative or positive. You need to adjust to them. You’re part of that system. You need to become embraced in that system in order to create not only a healthy food system, but also healthy people, a healthy environment, and a happy mental state.” The term regenerative agriculture was first introduced by Dr. George Washington Carver, and was popularized by Robert Rodale of the Rodale Institute, who coined the term “regenerative organic” to distinguish a kind of farming that goes beyond sustainable.
The Regenerative Organic Alliance believes that “regenerative” should always go hand-in-hand with “organic”. Though the USDA Certified Organic seal continues to be a rigorous standard, it has some gaps when it comes to soil health and animal welfare requirements. Most importantly, it omits the treatment of farmers and farmworkers. Many brands, farmers, ranchers, and nonprofits felt that a more holistic standard could go above and beyond the organic label.