REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

Regenerative agriculture is the practice of carefully conserving and increasing nutrients in the soil, while maintaining a high yield and preserving biodiversity. It can help store significant amounts of carbon in the soil, protect against erosion, and reduce the need for fertilisers and pesticides.

The objective of regenerative agriculture is to increase the number of microbiological organisms, worms, and the level of nutrients in the soil, thus reducing the need for mechanical and chemical assistance. It is about working with nature not against it.

There are five main principles to regenerative agriculture: 1. Limited soil disturbance 2. Covering the soil 3. Diversification 4. Living roots 5. Integrating animals

We already use these practices to some degree on our farms, and incorporating them further into our production will be a main part in our strategy to reach our goal of becoming synthetic-pesticide free by 2030.

LIMITED SOIL DISTURBANCE

No-tillage agriculture is a breeding ground for rich and diverse biological soils.

Tillage affects soil structure, aeration, temperature and water content. As the soil is constantly being torn apart, it affects the living organisms in the soil that help create natural soil fertility. This in turn affects the rate of decomposition and nitrogen mineralisation.

The less the soil is cultivated, the more earthworms and beneficial insects, such as ground beetles, spiders and other macrofauna will thrive. Earthworms play a crucial role in terrestrial ecosystems: They recycle organic material by digesting organic matter and thereby enriching the soil. Earthworms loosen, aerate, and improve the drainage of the soil by burrowing and channelling.

The crop residues left on the soil are favourite habitats for beetles and millipedes, springtails and mites. A rich and diverse fauna will increase the level of “natural pest control” and help us in our goal to become synthetic-pesticide free.

COVERING THE SOIL

We mimic what nature does. We always cover bare soil to protect the soil from wind and water erosion. By doing this we keep the moisture content in the soil, decreasing the risk of drought, and maintaining the soil temperature. All part of obtaining healthy soils.

By covering the fields most of the year with live and dead organic material, we also remove carbon from the atmosphere. This is one of the reasons why cover crops are one of the pillars in regenerative agriculture.

DIVERSIFICATION

Diversification is key in keeping soils healthy. It is all about using a variety of crops that compliments each other by having different attributes. It can be

Trial with mixed cover crops, Lithuania. Photographer: Jeppe Støchkel Jeppesen

crops with different root types (shallow roots, deep roots, and tap roots). Some crops are high-carbon, some are low-carbon, some are legumes. Each of them contributes to the soil's nutrients and physical properties, thereby maintaining soil health.

There is growing evidence that different cover crops have the ability to make nutrients available to plants. It may therefore be possible to reduce the need for fertilisers when compared to conventional farming methods.

LIVING ROOTS

This principle is about having living roots in the soil. Soils are most productive when soil microbes have access to living plant materials. A living root provides a food source for beneficial bacteria and promotes the symbiotic relationship between plant roots and mycorrhizal fungi. It also helps to reduce soil erosion.

INTEGRATING ANIMALS

Integrating animals is the fifth principle to healthier soils. When grazing is well managed, animals can help with carbon sequestration. They can help plants grow faster. As more grass is grown, more organic matter is available to recycle into the soil for feeding microbes. This captures and holds more water and nutrients, growing more and larger plants that can gather more sunlight for the photosynthesis process, and sinking more carbon back into the ground.

Rasmus Juul Christoffersen with oil radish cover crop, Lithuania Photographer: Katrine Hellesøe

Root of oil radish, Lithuania Photographer: Rasmus Juul Christoffersen

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