REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE IS PART OF THE CLIMATE SOLUTION
AGRICULTURE & CLIMATE CHANGE
Agriculture is responsible for roughly one quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, farmers are suffering from the consequences of climate change. What if we could solve both challenges and make agriculture a part of the climate solution?
THE SOLUTIONS LIES IN OUR SOILS
Our soils contain large amounts of carbon - the first meter of top soil alone contains more carbon than the complete 100 km thick atmosphere. And whilst global agricultural soils have lost roughly 50% of its carbon content since the onset of agriculture, there is a solution to reverse this trend.
REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE
Many common agricultural practices such as the use of monocultures, excessive tilling, pesticides, and herbicides destroy the humus content of the soil.
Regenerative agriculture, also called carbon farming, refers to agricultural practices which restore the soil and increase biomass & biodiversity, thereby capturing CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it in the ground. This way, the soil is regenerated, and its fertility and climate resilience improved.
REGENERATIVE PRACTICES
Regenerative agriculture refers to a range of different agricultural methods and its application is not limited to specific crops or plants alone. Regenerative methods include agroforestry, silvopasture, rotational grazing, cover crops, catch crops, intercropping, crop rotation, and minimal till.
Intercropping
Silvopasture
Forest Farming
Cover Crops
Agroforestry
Rotational Grazing
HOW TO STORE CO2 WITH REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE
The various methods listed above enable the transformation of atmospheric CO2, via photosynthesis, into plant matter (above ground and in roots) and into humus (the organic component of soil).
Regenerative farming is still in its very early stages, but it is a promising form of climate-smart agriculture with the potential to capture and store a significant amount of carbon each year - with estimates ranging between 4 and 11 gigatonnes of CO2 per year.
BENEFITS OF REGENERATIVE FARMING
Whilst the potential of carbon farming to capture and store CO2 is an amazing advantage offering significant climate benefits, the primary purpose of agriculture is a different one. Luckily, due to its regenerative nature, carbon farming also offers a wide range of additional benefits for farmers.
Higher resilience of farmland to climate change, e.g. through higher water retention
Higher yield and farm profitability, e.g. due to reduced need for fertilizers
Restoration of biodiversity above (e.g. via intercropping) and below ground
Higher nutrient density of the produced food
THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE
We believe regenerative agriculture is the future. It benefits the planet, the farmer, and the consumer. For this reason, it is our mission to accelerate its uptake as a farming practice and source for our food.