The first in a series of blog posts from Environmental Voices Rising designed to educate and inspire action. Enjoy!
Regenerative Farming | Solutions for a Healthy Planet
“Black and indigenous farmers have been practicing this form of agriculture without any specific title or performative acknowledgement for generations. This is the way I learned to farm from my grandparents.” Angel Dawson, 40 Acre Cooperative
This farming practice begins by regenerating and restoring the soil with organic nutrients, diverse cover crops, on-farm fertility (no external nutrient sources required), and no-tillage. Here are three positive reasons to learn and support regenerative agriculture.
Reason 1: Regenerative agriculture improves the health of the soil
--Healthy soils means healthy crops
--Healthy crops mean people eat healthier food
--Eating better food means improved human health
Reason 2: Regenerative farming brings life back to dead to land
Healthy soils means people can stay in their countries and communities and grow their own food
They don’t have to become migrants who flee their homelands because of food insecurity
Regenerating the soil with natural processes is practical and saves on expensive chemical fertilizers
Reason 3: Regenerative agriculture restores degraded soil by increasing biodiversity
Continually improving the health of the soil restores its carbon content
This helps capture carbon dioxide from the air through photosynthesis
This helps reduce the carbon that is in the atmosphere
Where Do I Begin? Hint: You Don't Have to Be a Farmer
Watch the movie "Kiss the Ground"
Support your local farmers, farmer’s markets, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
Grow your own food. You can find resources online or from your local gardeners and farmers.
For More In Depth Information
For more in depth information, please visit Regeneration International.
“Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, advancing economic growth... These are one and the same fight. We must connect the dots between climate change, water scarcity, energy shortages, global health, food security and women's empowerment. Solutions to one problem must be solutions for all.”
~Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General, United Nations
Until next time,
Michal