Regenerative Agriculture
Ensuring the health of the soil to hold water is a gift to the future!
According to the Nature Conservancy "for the first time at a UN meeting, the role of agriculture and food systems in addressing the climate crisis was given appropriate attention. Investing in regenerative food production is one of the most powerful solutions the world has to help reverse the interconnected crises of climate change and spaces loss." As we learn from nature we are discovering how to do more with less, less cost, less work, but much of that new information flies in the face of the advertising coming from chemical manufacturers. Agriculture can contribute much to the whole system of water retention, just by focusing on healthy soil, a true win-win-win.
Regen Land Design
Landscape design looks a bit different for agriculture. Ideally understanding the sight from water's perspective, how it wants to flow and puddle, and enhancing that natural inclination, is a good place to start. However, noticing in the current landscape such inclinations and then taking advantage of them is something that can be done now. Some farmers are earning money by flooding their land as a stopover for migrating birds and feeding the aquifer at the same time.
|
Keeping Water
Keeping the water we get is critical in times of undependable weather. Most places get more water in rain than they use. Irrigation is one of the biggest uses of our aquifer water. By building the health of our soil, that dependence can be severely reduced as live soil holds water, yielding healthier, stronger crops with less cost and a built-in drought resistance. Farming to refresh the aquifer brings back underground water systems, and farming becomes truly regenerative.
|
Healthy Soil
Healthy soil makes healthy plants, and paying attention to the soil can reduce and even eliminate chemical additions and even herbicides Healthy soil, that holds water, means less water cost, drought resistance, and higher yields. Compost is the easiest and quickest first step, but soil additives of bacteria, fungi, protozoans, and nematodes are also good science along with soil analysis. Biochar, however, brings ancient techniques into the modern day.
|