Breaking down the principles of regenerative farming

Jean Hugo, a post-graduate student at the Tshwane University of Technology, and Leon Hugo, author on environmental matters and former professor of geography at the University of Pretoria, write about the importance of regenerative agriculture for small-scale farmers, and the challenges related to making the shift.

- Leon Hugo

The growing global population requires more food, but an increase in production must not come at the cost of sustainability. Large-scale, high-yield farming often leads to issues like heavy machinery compacting topsoil and disrupting soil structure. Monocropping depletes soil fertility, while pesticides not only target harmful pests but also harm beneficial organisms.

In response, there is a strong global movement advocating for a return to traditional, small-scale, and environmentally friendly farming methods that focus on restoring natural resources.

Over the past few decades, various eco-friendly farming approaches have emerged, each with its unique characteristics and techniques.

The terminology used for these initiatives varies, including conservation farming, permaculture, organic farming, integrated organic farming, regenerative farming, sustainable farming, holistic farming, and deep bed farming, among others.

The definition of each differs but all of them have the following in mind: they conserve land, water, and plant and animal genetic resources, and are environmentally non-degrading, technically appropriate, economically viable, and socially acceptable.

Regenerative farming is an overarching term encompassing various eco-friendly approaches. It is a system of farming principles and practices designed to enhance biodiversity, enrich soils, improve watersheds, and strengthen ecosystem services. Regenerative agriculture aims to capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it in soil and above-ground biomass, helping to reverse current global trends of carbon accumulation.