The case for regenerative agriculture (#journal)

 The imperative for regenerative agriculture

A review is made of the current state of agriculture, emphasising soil erosion and dependence on fossil fuels. Soil has been described as "the fragile, living skin of the Earth", and yet both its aliveness and fragility have too often been ignored. Regenerative agriculture has at its core the intention to improve the health of soil or to restore highly degraded soil, which symbiotically enhances the quality of water, vegetation and land-productivity. By using methods of regenerative agriculture, it is possible not only to increase the amount of soil organic carbon (SOC) in existing soils, but to build new soil. This has the effect of drawing down carbon from the atmosphere, while simultaneously improving soil structure and soil health, soil fertility and crop yields, water retention and aquifer recharge.