Farms of the future will not only be places where food is grown, but will also become active agents in restoring the environment. This revolutionary concept is gaining traction around the world - the goal? Transform agriculture from a major cause of environmental degradation to a “regenerative” solution to eliminate it.
Regenerative agriculture: a new approach
Regenerative agriculture is an approach to farming that aims to regenerate soil and ecosystem health, rather than simply maintaining the status quo. This approach can help reverse damage caused by conventional agricultural practices such as plowing or burning. Practices that can degrade the soil and the surrounding environment.
Regenerative agriculture can help mitigate climate change both for us and for future generations. These techniques contribute to a 37% increase in crop yields. In summary? More income for farmers and better quality of life for their families.
Two models above all
The first effective approach to environmental restoration is the model of basin waters. A watershed is a region defined by rivers and streams that flow into a larger body of water. Working within watersheds is effective because life there is interconnected: positive change multiplies as environmental improvements occur and neighbors help neighbors. It is clear that to make this approach profitable and sustainable, we need to completely rethink it from a future perspective.
Another of the impactful changes we can make in global agriculture to make it truly regenerative is precisely the restoration of degraded agricultural land. The world has made more than a third of its arable land unusable in the last 40 years. In many cases, the soil has been depleted by decades of bad practices, such as the livestock overgrazing, the improper use of chemicals and fertilizers, or the planting of the same crops season after season.
If we employ techniques and technologies to restore degraded farmland, we can go a long way towards solving our planetary crises.
The challenge of transition
Despite the existence of solutions and technologies, the main challenge remains providing the financial incentives to support farmers in the transition to regenerative agriculture. In Brazil, for example, The Nature Conservancy e Syngenta Group they work together with ranchers, farmers and others to a plan to restore one million hectares of degraded grassland in the Cerrado, a vast savanna rich in plant diversity and wildlife.
Obviously technology can also play its part. And it's a lot of stuff, including new sensors that monitor the ground (there's a fantastic 'artificial seed' project of our Italian Institute of Technology) and devices that remove weeds without using pesticides.
Another example? A technology developed by the startup Chrysa Labs. What is it about? In essence it is a probe that can analyze carbon levels in just 20 seconds. The current waiting time for laboratory analyzes like these can be as long as a year and a half.
And I haven't mentioned the contribution that genetics can make as well. Especially with the improvement of gene editing techniques such as CRISPR. The theme is so broad that it deserves a separate article. And what about the vertical farms? Another broad discussion.
By adopting bold new approaches to restoring the world's degraded farmland, we can address the shared challenge of curbing climate change and meeting the food needs of a growing global population.
The future, it must be said, is all to be cultivated.
