Ed. — Archived from the Sunday, Jan. 7, print edition.
VIRGINIA BEACH — The internet is filled with articles and blogs written about regenerative agriculture, and organizations as varied as environmental groups and fast-food corporations are advocating it.
Some sources provide only very abstract, vague descriptions that make it sound like some sort of mysterious, New Age relationship between humans, the soil and the food that we eat. It can seem like a buzzword.
My colleague, J.D. “Farmer John” Wilson, writing this past year in The Independent News, noted that he has long been an advocate of sustainable farming approaches that are about “making smart, natural decisions that lead to healthier living soils.” Regenerative agriculture, Wilson added, includes some of those practices as well as a wider philosophy about how we use the land and produce food.
Regenerative agriculture seeks to use farming and grazing practices that fight global warming and potential negative effects of farming while also improving soils and communities, among other benefits, according to Regeneration International, an international nonprofit organization. In concrete terms, this is a methodology that includes techniques such as low-till farming and the use of cover crops, with the goal of improving soil health.
According to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, main principals of regenerative agriculture include avoiding disturbance to soil, keeping soil covered by vegetation or natural materials, greater plant diversity, keeping roots in the soil as much as possible and integrating animals into farms.
In some ways, it’s an old-fashioned way of doing things that’s come back into style.
“It goes back to the way my grandfather and great-grandfather did things,” Virginia Beach produce farmer Mike Cullipher told me.
In the days before chemicals drove agriculture, farmers relied on manure from their livestock and other natural products to fertilize their crops and stabilize soil. Cover crops, including grasses such as clover, added nutrients to the soil and reduced erosion and nutrient run-off that can occur in fallow fields.
Local farmers have returned to some of these practices to varying extents, but that does not mean they necessarily are regenerative agricultural businesses.
Still, newer, less invasive methods of tillage have replaced the deep plowing that was practiced a few decades ago.
Farmers, in some cases, can plant directly into the cover crop while at other times the cover crop can be plowed into the ground, where it will break down and add more nutrients.
Chickens and cows, in addition to fertilizing the soil, also help to keep it soft and pliable, Cullipher said. He and his son, Jeb, are integrating cows, which they periodically rotate from one area to another, into their farming, a practice advocated by Virginia meat farmer and author Joel Salatin.
Such techniques are aimed at reducing the use of chemicals as well as the greenhouse gas emissions produced by conventional agriculture. The goals include a healthier environment and healthier, more nutritious food.
The term “regenerative” has no legal or regulatory definition but instead encompasses a range of practices. It differs from “organic” in that an agricultural product must be certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in order to be labelled “organic.”
Cullipher acknowledges, however, that the use of the term regenerative agriculture does pose dilemmas.
Low till cultivation doesn’t eradicate the weeds in the way that deep ploughing does, so farmers may need to apply more herbicides, but organic herbicides do exist.
It’s also true that “regenerative agriculture” as a term sometimes can seem vague, and it lacks a regulatory definition though some of its practices sound simple.
That makes it easy to use as a marketing tool.
“I predict that it will be the next term to be hijacked by corporations,” Cullipher said.
Despite the lack of regulation, however, the basic concept of regenerative agriculture – using what’s available naturally – seems like an old idea whose time has come again.
Home gardeners can join the movement toward sustainability by working with nature, not against it, according to the American Horticultural Society.
There are some simple ways to do this.
Select plants carefully, use organic fertilizers and conserve water through rain barrels.
Whenever possible, plant natives, and always try to plant flowers that will attract pollinators and that are relatively hardy and resistant to drought and disease. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan and eschew animal-based fertilizers such as blood meal or bone meal, vegan alternatives are available.
You can also compost, and this not only provides nutrition for the garden but also reduces food waste going into the landfill. Mulches help reduce weeds, and cover crops also discourage weeds and increase soil health.
And some of them, such as hairy vetch, are also very lovely.
It may be a good idea to research carefully before falling for terms that are not well-defined.
Consumers can always ask questions, which is one of the benefits from buying produce directly from local farmers in Virginia Beach.
© 2024 Pungo Publishing Co., LLC
The author is a contributor to The Independent News. Her journalism has also appeared in The Virginian-Pilot.