Written by: Zoé Jouan | 10/2022

Regenerative farming, sustainable agriculture, agri farming…As we live more consciously, looking to harmonize our imprint on the planet, let’s understand what exactly is regenerative agriculture, the benefits of this practice, and why it is so important today.

Did you know that soil is responsible for providing us with 95% of the food we eat?  (According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). Healthy soil is the first step to ensuring that the food and water we put into our bodies are good for us and provide us with the nutrients that we need.

WHERE ARE WE NOW?
Industrialized agriculture has had the power to maximize crops by use of chemicals that over the years have depleted our soils. Great for the big corporations who subsidies farms, and keeping food cost very low. In consequence, the foods we grow contain traces of pesticides and are less nutrient dense, the biodiversity in the soil dies and makes it difficult to renew.

HOW DOES REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE WORK?
Regenerative agriculture restores natural reproduction cycles found in nature to produce crops, dairy or raise cattle. Instead of extracting nutrients and life from the soil, it builds matter and life in the soil, without the use of pesticides.
Each farm will have its own approach depending on what they achieve to grow.

“The benefits are endless”

Regenerative farming brings back bio diversity from insects to birds and mammals, it improves water cycles, expands woodlands, it increases our natural resilience to climate change, it strengthens the health and vitality of farm soil but also enhances bio sequestration. 

A SHIFT IN OUR MINDSET
Regenerative farming is about building functional biodiversity and soil health to produce yields without relying on chemicals. In simple terms, regenerative farming is about rethinking our relationship with the land. It is a shift in our mindset in which we feel ready to have a more sustainable and patient approach to nature and the food we produce. Today, a regenerative farm will produce less crops but that are far better for our health and our environment.

FOOD IS A GIFT FROM THE LAND
Food is a gift from the land that helps us nurture our bodies with the right vitamins and nutrients. It helps us to function, move, think, and literally live. Respecting our land and the soil that provides us food is and should be one of our main focuses. Regenerating farming is one of the many topics that will be brought up on Chew Choose as solutions that could change our way to consume food and will help to make a transition towards a more sustainable way to live.