The Carbon Livelihoods Fund is investing for the first time in Brittany, France, to support 100 farmers in their transition to regenerative agriculture for 10 years. Sols de Bretagne is a pioneering project carried out in collaboration with a French region particularly committed to agroecological transition, which has been implementing regenerative agricultural practices with measurable results for 20 years. What is Regenerative Agriculture? What are your practices? You will deepen here an agricultural practice still marginal in France but with promising benefits. Thanks to its holistic approach, regenerative agriculture improves soil health, preserves biodiversity and strengthens the farmer's entrepreneurial spirit.
Restoring soil health: what is regenerative agriculture?
Regenerative agriculture is based on agricultural practices whose main objective is to regenerate the soil, i. H increase its organic content to improve its fertility. This model conserves and restores soil organic matter by protecting the habitats of micro and macro organisms. Benefits also include better soil water conservation and better resistance to erosion.
Indeed, regenerative agriculture is based on a global approach that places the soil at the heart of the system to produce efficiently and sustainably: a triptych of soil, fauna and flora that allows the creation of food chains between the three ecosystems. It is the balance and diversity of the organisms in this triptych that ensure the restoration of soil health. Regenerative agriculture means a complete overhaul of the agricultural system, a change in the practices and standards acquired in conventional agriculture. Adopting regenerative farming practices is based on three fundamental principles aimed at reducing tillage, maintaining a better balance, and continuously nourishing the soil with a sustainable soil cover. The implementation of a regenerative agriculture also requires time, motivation and a necessary commitment which requires three to five years of preparation and training of farmers.
Permanent cover, crop rotations, less tillage: three key practices to regenerate the soil
Permanent cover crops provide long-lasting cover that nourishes the soil all year round:
Contrary to conventional agriculture which does not systematically practice catch crops between two productions, the continuous presence of catch crops helps the agricultural ecosystem to produce a maximum of biomass. This increases the organic matter of the soil, which promotes its fertilizing properties. Permanent cover crops improve the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil. This is what restores your health capital.
Longer and more varied crop rotations will also reduce pest pressure and balance the soil ecosystem:
The diversification of cultivated species makes it possible to control pathogens, the pressure of insects and weeds and thus limits the use of insecticides and pesticides.
Varied crop rotation also improves soil structure by varying the length of root zones, thus promoting water infiltration. Different crops with different nutrient needs and different wastes will promote a more resilient and balanced soil ecosystem. These rotations generally last between 4 and 6 years.
The implementation of these crop rotations requires in-depth agronomic considerations and must be defined according to the complementarity of nutrients from one crop to another. Farmers participating in the project benefit from the support of experienced agricultural advisers to design and manage their own rotation system according to the specific soil and conditions of their farm.
The third lever is to minimize tillage to limit soil depletion: tillage is traditionally used to weed between two crops. However, the intensification of this practice has led to significant soil degradation. The priority of regenerative agriculture is to avoid mechanical disturbances of the soil to make room for natural cycles between two crops. Only the top layer of soil is worked, which is less troublesome than with conventional tillage. With direct seeding, the seeds are planted directly into the ground using a special seeder, without destroying the catch crops. This practice helps keep the soil intact.
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White Clover Markets
The Carbon Livelihoods Fund is investing for the first time in Brittany, France, to support 100 farmers in their transition to regenerative agriculture for 10 years. Sols de Bretagne is a pioneering project carried out in collaboration with a French region particularly committed to agroecological transition, which has been implementing regenerative agricultural practices with measurable results for 20 years. What is Regenerative Agriculture? What are your practices? You will deepen here an agricultural practice still marginal in France but with promising benefits. Thanks to its holistic approach, regenerative agriculture improves soil health, preserves biodiversity and strengthens the farmer's entrepreneurial spirit.
Restoring soil health: what is regenerative agriculture?
Regenerative agriculture is based on agricultural practices whose main objective is to regenerate the soil, i. H increase its organic content to improve its fertility. This model conserves and restores soil organic matter by protecting the habitats of micro and macro organisms. Benefits also include better soil water conservation and better resistance to erosion.
Indeed, regenerative agriculture is based on a global approach that places the soil at the heart of the system to produce efficiently and sustainably: a triptych of soil, fauna and flora that allows the creation of food chains between the three ecosystems. It is the balance and diversity of the organisms in this triptych that ensure the restoration of soil health. Regenerative agriculture means a complete overhaul of the agricultural system, a change in the practices and standards acquired in conventional agriculture. Adopting regenerative farming practices is based on three fundamental principles aimed at reducing tillage, maintaining a better balance, and continuously nourishing the soil with a sustainable soil cover. The implementation of a regenerative agriculture also requires time, motivation and a necessary commitment which requires three to five years of preparation and training of farmers.
Permanent cover, crop rotations, less tillage: three key practices to regenerate the soil
Permanent cover crops provide long-lasting cover that nourishes the soil all year round:
Contrary to conventional agriculture which does not systematically practice catch crops between two productions, the continuous presence of catch crops helps the agricultural ecosystem to produce a maximum of biomass. This increases the organic matter of the soil, which promotes its fertilizing properties. Permanent cover crops improve the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil. This is what restores your health capital.
Longer and more varied crop rotations will also reduce pest pressure and balance the soil ecosystem:
The diversification of cultivated species makes it possible to control pathogens, the pressure of insects and weeds and thus limits the use of insecticides and pesticides.
Read Also : Is BTS releasing a new song in 2023?Varied crop rotation also improves soil structure by varying the length of root zones, thus promoting water infiltration. Different crops with different nutrient needs and different wastes will promote a more resilient and balanced soil ecosystem. These rotations generally last between 4 and 6 years.
The implementation of these crop rotations requires in-depth agronomic considerations and must be defined according to the complementarity of nutrients from one crop to another. Farmers participating in the project benefit from the support of experienced agricultural advisers to design and manage their own rotation system according to the specific soil and conditions of their farm.
The third lever is to minimize tillage to limit soil depletion: tillage is traditionally used to weed between two crops. However, the intensification of this practice has led to significant soil degradation. The priority of regenerative agriculture is to avoid mechanical disturbances of the soil to make room for natural cycles between two crops. Only the top layer of soil is worked, which is less troublesome than with conventional tillage. With direct seeding, the seeds are planted directly into the ground using a special seeder, without destroying the catch crops. This practice helps keep the soil intact.