3. Good Organic Gardening - May-June 2016 AvxHome.in

are, undermining the ability of ecosystems to
extract carbon from the atmosphere.
What does regenerative agriculture
involve? The philosophy and design science
of permaculture are employed to create
food-producing farms set within their
surrounding ecosystems. There’s no point
applying methods suitable for farms in another
bioregion if they don’t work where you are.
The soil food web, the teeming micro-life
that makes soil a living entity, is the key. With
the addition of thermal compost and compost
teas, lifeless soils get a kick-start and microorganisms
(bacteria, fungi, nematodes etc) get
to work, storing carbon and creating healthy
soil, much in the way our own gut flora work.
No-till crop production methods are used to
maintain a healthy soil ecosystem and to limit
soil compaction, increase nutrient availability
and soil fertility, as well as improve water
infiltration rates.
The use of perennial crops ensures there
are living roots in the soil 100 per cent of
the time, which prevents soil erosion and
compaction while also feeding the soil food
web and creating more soil.
Polycultures — growing different plants
together — are used over monocultures, which
aren’t found in nature. Polyculture reduces
plant diseases, ensures insect diversity,
improves soil fertility, increases habitat and
improves crop resilience to climate stress.
Effective ways to capture water that would
otherwise run off are achieved using keyline
strategies and watershed regeneration. The
innovative Australian farmer Peter Andrews
developed Natural Sequence Farming, which
employs these methods to great success.
Regenerative agriculture is capturing the
enthusiasm of a young generation desperately
looking for ways to turn the climatic Titanic
around. It’s a much-needed response and
a movement that’s gathering momentum
because it offers tangible solutions.
Resources
* Regeneration International
regenerationinternational.org
* The Soil Story thesoilstory.com
* Kiss the Ground kisstheground.com
* Ecological Agriculture Australia
ecoag.org.au
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Good Organic Gardening | 9