We may earn a commission, from companies mentioned in this article, at no additional cost to you.
Do you know how our food affects our health? If you’re eating foods that don’t have any nutritional value and are filled with harmful toxins, it’s going to negatively impact your body and make you more susceptible to diseases.
On the other hand, if you take the time to buy food that was grown in rich soil using regenerative agriculture techniques, you will be fueling your body with the nutrients it needs to function at an optimal level and stay healthy. For an informative guide on how regenerative agriculture leads to better health and how to use it in your own life, keep reading!
What is Regenerative Agriculture?
The term regenerative agriculture sounds like a buzzword, but it’s actually been around since pre-modern times. Originating around the world, it describes farming practices that build soil structure and plant diversity to improve ecosystem function. Farmers also apply techniques designed to keep carbon in soils, ensuring crops absorb less carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Regenerative agriculture is a more sustainable way of growing food. It uses techniques that restore soil fertility, biodiversity, and carbon storage. Regenerative farmers use farming methods that build healthy soils to grow a healthy food supply for us all. Instead of focusing on single solutions like fertilizer and pesticides, regenerative farming works with nature to create more stable ecosystems where more plants, insects, and animals can thrive.
This is good news for farmers because their yields increase—while decreasing their dependency on fossil fuels, chemicals, and synthetic fertilizers—and it’s good news for everyone else because it means healthier food with fewer toxins in it.
That’s right: You can have clean air AND clean food! As Dr. Rattan Lal, a soil scientist and a Professor at Ohio State University, says, Regenerative agriculture is an approach to food production that has been around for thousands of years. We have just forgotten how to do it.
Despite not being widely used, these methods offer benefits to humanity that is too compelling to ignore: healthier food, fewer pollutants released into air and water, reduced greenhouse gas emissions—even more nutritious soil! A few small changes can make such a big difference on Earth and in your body.
Why use Regenerative Agriculture?
A lot of us try to improve our overall health by eating a healthier diet. The problem is, that we often forget that what we eat has a direct impact on those who work in food production, from small-scale farmers to large factory workers. Farmers are an integral part of society and they provide healthy organic food. If they’re not healthy themselves, how can they provide that for you?
To ensure that everyone involved in food production is healthy, it’s important to make sure every person works in a safe environment and also makes at least a decent living wage. Luckily there’s a new type of farming called regenerative agriculture—and it could mean better food for everyone!
Regenerative agriculture uses techniques like cover crops, crop rotation, and natural fertilizers to restore soil fertility without harming ecosystems or people. And while it might sound like a lot of hard work, using these techniques actually helps reduce labor needs.
Regenerative farming provides benefits beyond just making food more nutritious: It improves biodiversity, reduces greenhouse gas emissions (which help mitigate climate change), conserves water sources, builds topsoil (which reduces erosion), and restores habitat for pollinators and other species.
Widespread Benefits from this Farming Method
Healthy soil, healthy animals, and healthy people are all linked. When we turn back to sustainable farming practices that regenerate rather than deplete soils, we’re working with nature in a very real way. Our soils not only support plant growth but also help filter water and air pollution from going into streams or downwind.
And what we put on those soils (through commercial fertilizers or pesticides) is often carried by rainwater directly into nearby waterways where they can contaminate drinking supplies or kill off sensitive aquatic lifeforms. Re-fertilizing depleted soil with natural fertilizer increases overall fertility and helps farmers increase yields while at the same time restoring beneficial microorganisms that protect crops from diseases and pests.
Healthy soil means healthier plants which in turn mean more nutritious foods.
Plus, since organic farms use fewer toxic chemicals like herbicides and pesticides, you can enjoy fruits and vegetables grown without exposing yourself to potentially harmful chemicals.
So it’s not just about saving farmland—it’s about saving ourselves. It’s simple: eat better food! Regenerative agriculture is here today because it offers so many benefits for us humans as well as for our planet; if we want a future of good food choices and safe living conditions for generations to come, we need it now more than ever before.
A recent study found:
“Several independent comparisons indicate regenerative farming practices enhance the nutritional profiles of crops and livestock. Measurements from paired farms across the United States indicate differences in soil health and crop nutrient density between fields worked with conventional (synthetically-fertilized and herbicide-treated) or regenerative practices for 5 to 10 years.
Specifically, regenerative farms that combined no-till, cover crops, and diverse rotations—a system is known as Conservation Agriculture—produced crops with higher soil organic matter levels, soil health scores, and levels of certain vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals.”
How we can make this happen in the USA
While much of America is on a path to improvement, with smaller farms and gardens becoming more common, there are some difficult issues that we need to work through to save future generations. We must deal with industrial-scale monoculture operations. Some argue that these types of operations produce higher yields at lower costs; however, larger farms also spread out their impact and make it more difficult for farming practices to have as positive an impact on soil fertility as they do in smaller operations. This means that if we truly want better quality food, working directly with small farmers will be one of our best bets. These organic growers practice regenerative agriculture without even realizing it and their food benefits us all.
By supporting them, we can help preserve what’s left of our soils and put more nutrients back into them. We can help rebuild our agricultural industry from within by building up those who choose sustainable practices rather than tearing down those who don’t. To truly create a better world for ourselves and our children, supporting these people is paramount. We cannot take what they are doing away from them; instead, we should focus on encouraging others to follow suit and letting everyone know how important regenerative agriculture really is!
Conclusion
If you’re concerned about your health, it might be time to consider changing your diet. And while switching to a healthy diet and lifestyle is key, farming sustainably can play an important role in improved overall health. By helping reduce pollution, improving soil quality, and conserving resources, farmers are setting an example that goes well beyond their own fields. When we farm sustainably, we’re investing in ourselves—and future generations. All thanks to a technique called regenerative agriculture.
One of my favorite ways to think about sustainability is through what researchers call the three pillars: people, planet, and profit. When any one of these pillars isn’t taken care of properly, you run into problems down the road. With regenerative agriculture, however, all three are being taken care of at once—not only will farmers see financial gains from selling more nutritious foods, but they’ll also see an improvement in their environment as they use fewer pesticides and fertilizers.
The best part? You don’t have to change your diet or completely overhaul how you live to benefit from regenerative agriculture. You just have to support sustainable food sources when possible, even if it’s just by buying local produce or meat from farms that practice sustainable methods.
Remember: Small changes add up over time! It’s never too late to start caring for yourself and those around you by making small changes every day.
What are your thoughts about regenerative agriculture? Please let me know, in the comments below!
References:
1. Montgomery1, David R., et al. “Soil Health and Nutrient Density: Preliminary Comparison of Regenerative and Conventional Farming.” PeerJ, PeerJ Inc., 27 Jan. 2022, https://peerj.com/articles/12848.
