SWITCH TO REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

Regenerative agriculture is well researched and documented, but what actually happens on farm level might differ from results achieved during controlled trials. Stehan Cloete provides advice on how to address these challenges and introduce regenerative practices while remaining profitable.

- Stehan Cloete

The transition from conventional farming, which is generally driven by maximizing yield, towards a fully regenerative farming ecosystem is not a one-season project. Neither can it be achieved by following a generic approach.

Conventional agriculture has served its purpose and still does, but at what cost to the environment and sustainability of agriculture?

No-till farming was accepted years ago throughout South Africa. To accommodate this new type of farming, some farmers replaced their entire conventional fleet with no-till equipment, expecting to see operational, environmental, and financial gains. Some were disappointed, because their land was not ready for no-till practices. These failures caused other farmers to take a step back.

Ideally, farmers would like to see a clear map of how to get from a conventional operation to a profitable regenerative one. While there are a multitude of options to get a farm ready for regenerative agriculture, or at least improve its readiness, no one plan will work on every farm.

The most aggressive approach may be to establish crops focused on improving soil health and incorporate well-proven grazing practices, to a point where the soil is not just a growth medium but contributes to the biological ecosystem.

This might mean that a reduction in income must be accepted from those lands until such time as they are ready for regenerative practices.

LESS EXTREME

The less extreme alternative is a managed introduction of regenerative practices to start building up soil health while still running a profitable enterprise. This more cautious approach will take somewhat longer to reach the goal of running a fully regenerative enterprise.