Smallholders to regenerate can help farming

Small-scale farmers can play an important role in developing sustainable food systems that ensure both food security and the health of the planet. Marinda Louw Coetzee reports on how these producers can and should implement regenerative agricultural practices on their farms.

- Marinda Louw Coetzee

FAST FACTS

Regenerative agriculture (RA) is a conservation and rehabilitation approach to farming.

The main aim of RA is the restoration of natural ecosystems within the soil.

Planting cover crops and incorporating livestock farming can help to reinvigorate the biology of the soil.

Industrialised agriculture aims for high yields in order to deliver low-cost food to consumers. As such, it is mostly a corporate endeavour, and excludes smaller producers. Moreover, it stands accused of contaminating soil and water with excessive use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides, and creating antimicrobial resistance.

In contrast, regenerative farming takes a conservation and rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems, explains Alan Rosenberg, owner of Lindros Whole Earth Consultants, which specialises in agroecology.

Where conventional farming usually focuses on monoculture and maximum yield, regenerative agriculture targets the creation of relationships, such as those between plants and animals, and between soil microbes and plant roots.

Conservation agriculture (CA) and regenerative agriculture (RA) are two approaches to sustainable farming. CA is based on three principles: minimum tillage and soil disturbance, biological diversity through crop rotation, and maximum soil cover. "RA is based on these same principles, but also focuses on 'living roots' and the integration of livestock," explains Dr Johann Strauss, senior scientist in sustainable cropping systems research at the Western Cape Department of Agriculture.

One of South Africa's most prominent regenerative farmers is Danie Slabbert, who produces maize, potatoes and soya bean near Reitz in the eastern Free State. In 2008, he began practising CA on a piece of land by means of no-till, and over time has converted 1 300ha to RA.