Regenerative agriculture is a conservation and
rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems. It focuses on topsoil
regeneration, increasing biodiversity, improving the water cycle,
enhancing ecosystem services, supporting biosequestration, increasing
resilience to climate change, and strengthening the health and vitality of
farm soil.
Regenerative agriculture is not a specific practice itself. Rather,
proponents of regenerative agriculture use a variety of sustainable
agriculture techniques in combination. Practices include recycling as much
farm waste as possible and adding composted material from sources outside
the farm. Regenerative agriculture on small farms and gardens is often
based on philosophies like permaculture, agroecology, agroforestry,
restoration ecology, keyline design, and holistic management.
Large farms are also increasingly adopting such techniques, and often
use "no-till" and/or "reduced till" practices.
As soil health improves, input requirements may decrease, and crop yields
may increase as soils are more resilient against extreme weather and
harbor fewer pests and pathogens.
Regenerative agriculture mitigates climate change through carbon dioxide
removal, i.e. it draws carbon from the atmosphere and sequesters it.