What is Regenerative Agriculture?

Regenerative agriculture is a farming methodology focused on soil vitality, that aims to optimize both the production and longevity of agricultural systems by taking a whole-systems approach to ecosystem health. “RegenAg” continues to gain acclaim due to its ability to sequester atmospheric carbon, thus reducing the effects of global warming.

Techniques utilized in regenerative agriculture include the use of cover crops (plants grown in between production cycles that revitalize the soil nutrients), living mulches (plants grown intermixed with the production crop that shade the soil while minimizing evaporation and erosion), and no-till planting techniques (meaning that the ground is not mechanically plowed between each production cycle). While these methods represent a revolution for industrial agriculture, they are also a return to farming practices of the past.

It was Masanobu Fukuoka’s celebrated book, “One-Straw Revolution” that originally opened my eyes to a more naturally integrated way of gardening (and farming).  As a lifelong proponent of organic practices, steadfast in my refusal to use any synthetic fertilizers or pesticide/herbicide sprays in any of our gardens, “One-Straw Revolution” opened the door to “beyond organic” agriculture.  Using nature’s own tendencies to our advantage we are able to optimize growing conditions.

Biodiversity is not the norm in the industrial agricultural space, yet when we zoom-out in perspective we see that global biodiversity is critical to the planet’s ecosystems.  Zooming back in with this awareness, and then working with the knowledge that biodiversity is key, allows us to create verdant growing conditions that stimulate soil health and biological activity.  The term “polycultures,” refers to the practice of planting multiple types of plants within one area so to encourage symbiotic benefits (similar to the benefits of full spectrum hemp oil, in that the whole is often greater than the sum of its parts). 

Here at Catori, we are big advocates of Regenerative Agriculture (when actually practiced and not just utilized as a buzz-word): cover crops, biologically active compost teas, polyculture plantings, living mulches, and biodiverse ecologies are all important aspects of the Catori Farm.  We believe that healthy soil = healthy plants = healthy people.