Regenerative agriculture: what does it mean, and what to regenerate?

In the modern world, where communication is something spectacular, allowing everyone to have knowledge of what is happening in a certain place on the globe almost in real time, “new” terms emerge all the time, in the most varied areas.

One of the terms in common use today among those who, in one way or another, deal with agricultural production, is “regenerative agriculture”. When we refer to regenerative agriculture, several things come to mind, the most frequent being , which is necessary to regenerate. According to the Portuguese Language Dictionary, Houaiss, regenerate means to generate or produce again;

The foundations of regenerative agriculture lie in the practice of sustainable agriculture, such as using crop rotation – cultivating different species each agricultural year; use mechanical, soil and vegetative practices to avoid surface water runoff – reduce erosive processes that cause so much harm to rural and urban society; adopt the direct planting system which involves crop rotation, soil permanently covered with straw or growing vegetables, minimal soil disturbance, sowing at level – never sow in the direction of the slope. When the good agricultural practices exemplified above are adopted, the negative impact of agricultural activity will be minimal from both a physical, chemical and biological point of view.

Even today, in the 21st century, many agricultural areas do not use conservation practices or use them incorrectly. The improvement of the direct planting system, carried out by Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste, is a significant action to prevent the degradation of agricultural soil. The distance between terraces cannot be limited by the size or width of an agricultural machine or implement.

To calculate the distance between terraces, there is a scientific methodology that takes into account several factors, not least of which is the size of the machine. Simplified agricultural systems, which are those where one or at most two species are cultivated, are extremely vulnerable systems. From a biological point of view, it is essential to provide conditions so that microbial life in the soil can effectively perform its main function, which is to ensure soil productivity, improving or maintaining the physical and chemical attributes of the soil at levels considered adequate.

Therefore, when we are talking about regenerative agriculture, it is essential to use agricultural practices that maintain or even improve the productive capacity of the soil. It is worth noting that the adoption of erosion control practices, direct planting systems, among others, contribute significantly to reducing the negative effects of “summer” periods, which are so common in the main agricultural regions of Brazil. By adopting agricultural practices that we already know about, we will avoid having to regenerate agriculture.

In areas with some degree of degradation, with the help of technical assistance, the first initiative to reverse the degradation process is to understand the reasons why that area is in a state of degradation. Based on detailed studies, agricultural practices are proposed aimed at recovering and maintaining the soil's productive capacity. Is this regenerative agriculture? I understand so. In reality, what is proposed as regenerative agriculture is the same thing that must be done to produce without degenerating or degrading.

It is worth highlighting here that, more important than regenerating is avoiding the need for regeneration. In this way, we will have ensured an increase in organic matter in the soil, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and food security for the population.

*Per Fernando Mendes Lamas, researcher at Embrapa Agropecuária Oeste