Regenerative Agriculture

I have recently had the opportunity to watch the 2020 documentary “Kiss the Ground” with narrator Woody Harrelson, and let me tell you – if you haven’t seen it yet, PLEASE DO! We are dealing with many pressing circumstances as a global society, and none poses as existential a crisis as climate change. This is what the documentary tries to tackle. A difficult task, I’m aware, but one I have come away from the documentary knowing has solutions that are not as difficult to implement in themselves as we might initially believe. As ever, it has shown that the main obstacle is our willingness and commitment to change the way we do one thing – grow our food. It’s not some alien-like technology still in its infancy, or barely a twinkle in a future-innovator’s eye. No, when its boiled down, it is a few changes that could mean the world and it all has to do with our soil.

Elegantly put, soil is the foundation, the lifeblood of our food and our survival. It naturally sequesters carbon and greenhouse gases which are released exponentially in our modern, tilled farming operations. Soil must be cared for, and to do that we need to look back to nature. Does healthy, fertile soil untouched by humanity ever look like THIS in nature?

No! And there’s a reason. A thriving soil, as intended by nature, always has living roots and more diversity and life in a single handful than people on the planet. When we till our farmland to plant a single crop, not only are we releasing enormous amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere, but we are also leaving the soil open and bare for extended periods of time. This kills the microorganisms we depend on and the thriving ecosystem in the soil. Thus, to replenish those nutrients we then must turn to chemical fertilizers, which, I hope everyone can agree soon, destroys our health. The now barren, lifeless soil quickly becomes dirt and dust, easily eroded away in the wind and rain. Anyone heard of the Dust Bowl? The devastating dust storms and drought brought on by this type of farming and directly killing about 7,000 people while displacing hundreds of thousands more in the 1930s? Yeah, how could we forget? Though not many people understand the reality of its cause and the increasing likelihood of these disasters happening more frequently.

Solutions such as always covering the soil with a diversity of plants and cover crops is one simple yet effective change we can implement nearly immediately. It will allow the soil to begin to reabsorb the carbon in the atmosphere, retain more moisture and reduce our dependance on watering, and actually reduce crop risk for farmers. I had no idea this could change a microclimate, and actually bring more rain! As well, in growing just a single crop, if a disease or pest becomes an issue, it has the potential to take out the entire farm’s production. However, with more diversity, the chances of the numerous types of plants all getting sick or eaten by pests at the same time is exceptionally rare. If you lose one type of crop, there are plenty of others to get the farmer through the year.

This was one of my absolute favorite documentaries, and I am so thankful there is a shift in how we produce our food. So let’s build food forests that will last for generations and help build back our soil. This truly is the legacy we will be handing down to our children, so let’s make it a good one.

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