How Regenerative Agriculture Heals: A Guide to its Benefits & Our Certification Program
There is a reason why humanity’s earliest communities around the world revered nature. They knew that our well-being was tied to access to sunshine, clean water, the richness of our soil, and the ebb and flow of seasons.
However, the overexploitation of resources over the last few centuries has endangered the future of our ecosystems and food. Research reveals that an estimated 90% of Earth’s soils could be degraded by 2050, and modern agriculture has already led to an 80% loss of native habitat.
Instead of getting disheartened by the numbers, we are fearlessly taking action. It’s time for communities to reconnect with their soil and rediscover the knowledge to nourish our land and people. To us, the answer lies in regenerative agriculture. Our goal is to grow more farmers by offering educational programs that empower people to bring regenerative agriculture to their communities and build a thriving, climate-resilient future.
If you’re curious about the benefits of regenerative agriculture and how you can play a part in building sustainable, community-based food systems, then this guide is for you.
Regenerative Agriculture Benefits
At its core, regenerative agriculture is a holistic approach that focuses on natural ways to restore the health of our soils and ecosystems, creating more equitable access to resources, building resilient communities, and leaving our lands healthier for future generations. Let’s look at some of the most important benefits of this philosophy
Heal Our Soils
Conventional agriculture has focused on monoculture to meet the increasing food demand. Today, over 90% of crop varieties have already disappeared and only nine plant species account for 66% of total output. These methods have severely degraded our lands in the process by exhausting the soil of its organic matter and destroying biodiversity.
By contrast, regenerative practices rely on natural processes like nitrogen fixation, more diverse crop rotation, minimal tilling, and planting cover crops to increase biomass production and prevent degradation. Over time, this revitalizes the soil’s fertility and brings rich nutrients back to our soil web. Not only does it replenish the ecosystem, regenerative agriculture improves the crop yields and nutrient density over time.
Heal Our Selves
Regenerative agriculture goes beyond restoring the richness of our lands—the health of our soil directly impacts our physical and mental well-being. This is because the nutritional value of the crops we eat is dependent on the quality of the resources they utilize to grow.
A study published in 2022 in PeerJ revealed that crops grown with regenerative methods were found to have higher levels of phytochemicals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds than those grown with conventional methods. These compounds are crucial in reducing our risk of developing chronic diseases.
The study also found that pork and beef products from regenerative farms had higher levels of healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fats than meat from conventional farms. Plus, the reduction in the use of harmful pesticides and chemicals leads to better health for farmers and communities alike.
Heal Communities
The key to building thriving, climate-resilient communities for the future is to empower them to farm regeneratively. Such practices help build a network of farmers who can share knowledge, learn from one another, and foster a sense of community. Organizing farm and ranch visits and farmers’ markets can also help growers and ranchers build stronger relationships between consumers and their food.
There are important emotional benefits too. In these times marked by climate change and systemic injustices, it’s easy for people to feel vulnerable and disconnected from nature. Regenerative agriculture involves communities and uses natural methods, grounding us in the process by rekindling our primordial bond with nature.
Bring the Benefits of Regenerative Agriculture to Your Community
Our Fearless Farmer Eco-Literacy Program is an enriching holistic program designed to teach people about the joy of regenerative agriculture and how to bring it to their communities. Our curriculum combines weekly online sessions with an optional on-site intensive and has been designed by experts in ecology, education, agriculture, and experiential learning.
Our training covers four broad aspects of regenerative agriculture to get you started on the right note:
Mighty Microbes:
The diversity of microbes in our soil is directly linked to our soil health, and our course introduces you to this wondrous hidden world. Ranging from beneficial bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and more, they build symbiotic relationships with the soil and perform crucial processes such as nutrient cycling of compounds such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous. They also play an important role in stimulating plant growth and breaking down plant residue to reintroduce organic matter back to the soil.
Radical Roots
We believe that to embody the essence of regenerative farming is to recognize our deep-rooted relationship with our soil and plants and appreciate our place in the interconnected web of life. Our program rekindles this bond, as well as the role seeds play in ensuring a thriving, biodiverse future.
Love and Livestock
Traditionally, raising livestock together with crop production was the norm, but the recent specialization in modern agriculture broke this important link. Our course highlights how reintegrating livestock with farming can help growers reap rewards such as increasing the soil’s microbial density with manure, reducing the need for fertilizer, cutting machinery costs, and boosting carbon sequestration.
Farm-to-Table
The old adage ‘you are what you eat’ takes on a more profound meaning with regenerative agriculture. Our program takes a holistic approach to teach our connection with local and global food systems, and how it affects our overall wellness. We highlight the importance of incorporating local, seasonal ingredients in cooking, and how it can support local growers and build economically-resilient communities.
Who Our Program is For
We have especially designed this program to cater to two groups of fearless changemakers in the agricultural community:
Formal and informal educators: Our training is perfect for educators who are passionate about introducing a love for holistic farming to their communities and bringing its benefits to them. Our place-based curriculum allows you to adapt and implement its learnings to your local community.
Farmers and Ranchers: Our training is especially valuable for growers and ranch owners who would like to get a jump start on adding educational tourism to their community offerings. This can not only unlock additional revenue streams but also increase local awareness of restorative farming practices for all visitors to your farm.
How to Join Our Fearless Program
We offer our programs asynchronously, so you can begin and experience on your time. All participants must begin with our Grounding Down introductory offering. Learn more on here.
We look forward to you joining us on this mission to nourish the earth and safeguard our food systems for future generations!
Citations & Important Reads: