Based on organic farming principles, regenerative agriculture builds soil health for continued use while cutting down on greenhouse gases.
Based on organic farming principles, the idea is to build soil health and regenerate it for continued use while cutting down on the amount of greenhouse gas used in farming.
That’s done by avoiding synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and other chemical hazards that disrupt soil life and cause soil erosion.
Regenerative farming is not new. It dates back thousands of years. However, it gained traction as a wave of the future through the efforts of the Rodale Institute, a major proponent of the practice.
And it differs in a big way from common industrialized farming methods used by food producing firms like ConAgra or Tyson, argues Mark Spitznagel, chief investment officer of Universa Investments and owner of the organic-based Idyll Farms in Northport, Mich.
But not all regenerative farmers are organic.
“We do use GMOs (genetically modified organisms), so we’re not organic,” says Jay Hill, who helps run the nearly 700 acres of Hill Farms in Mesilla Park, N.M.
Still, Hill sees the benefits of soil conservation.
“We are trying to lessen our environmental imprint and do more conservation of the land by avoiding pesticides in the soil,” says Hill, who also raises small herds of cattle along with his main crop of alfalfa.
Read full, original article: Could this be an answer to Big Food?
