Go Natural Education interviews Dr. Andre Leu, co-author of The Regenerative Agriculture Solution. Published by Chelsea Green, this book describes a revolutionary approach to building soil, creating climate resilience, and supporting human and planetary health.
The post The Regenerative Agriculture Solution with Dr.
As I traveled around Mexico I witnessed wild agaves that scattered country sides slowly disappearing. I’ve witnessed Trees being pulled down as armed personnel block traffic to ensure they gather and collect what was being cut down. My concern for agave spirits is the preservation of its biodiversity, ensuring we can preserve agaves in the wild for its rich flavors that embody terroir, its genetic diversity and look at new sustainability methods to ensure minimal amount of energy and waste is created.
The post The Fight To Preserve Mezcal’s
Sustainable practices ensure the longevity of farms by restoring the natural resources they rely on. Soil health, the restoration of local ecosystems, and the use of organic methods combine to create a healthy, productive farm. At Sustainable Harvest International (SHI), we support low-income farmers during their transition to sustainable practices. Many farmers initially learn conventional methods that degrade the soil with harsh chemicals and deforestation. Alternatively, when farmers adopt sustainable practices, they experience higher yields as a direct result of caring for natural resources. Sustainable farming leads to increased food production, and increased food production leads to sustainable agribusinesses.
It is harvest season, and the high-clearance sprayer is on its way to desiccate a field. Desiccation may be the most widespread farming practice you’ve never heard of. Farmers desiccate by applying herbicide to their crops; this kills all the plants at the same time, making them uniformly dry and easier to cut. In essence, desiccation speeds up plant aging. Before desiccation, crops would have to dry out naturally at the end of the season. Today, there are examples of desiccation being applied to every type of conventional crop in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.1 Chances are that most of what you ate today was harvested using a desiccant, but you’d never know.
Our wardrobes are changing – for the better. Rapidly rotating collections and environmentally damaging production methods are making way for regenerative clothing, an approach to fashion that goes beyond sustainability to actively restore local ecosystems and communities. By leveraging regenerative agricultural practices, regenerative clothing contributes positively to the environment, offering a sustainable and ethical alternative to fast fashion that not only minimizes harm but actively promotes ecological regeneration. Regenerative agriculture is a farming practice that prioritizes the health of the land, promoting soil fertility, biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Regenerative agriculture employs a variety of techniques to achieve this.
Malawi — In the villages below Nyika Plateau in northern Malawi’s Rumphi district, coffee rules. It’s one of the most common bushes in the region, grown in back and front yards or in open fields where, elsewhere, maize would have been cultivated. Here, coffee shares space with banana and other fruit trees around fishponds and water holes, and scales up steep slopes among natural foliage. “Basically, the project was meant to integrate agroforestry into coffee production to enhance climate resilience and quality of coffee. Agroforestry has many benefits both to farmers as well as the ecosystem,” says Manvester Ackson Khoza, the SFCC’s national coordinator in Malawi and its international councilor for Southern Africa.
Leaves, brush piles, fallen logs, plant stems, and flower heads might not be growing anymore, but they aren’t trash — they are natural homes for wildlife! A layer of leaves is vital insulation from the cold for the many animals that hide within (or in the soil beneath), like quite a few butterflies. Others, like many native bees, nest within stems, flower heads, or pieces of wood. Throwing out all of your leaves and other plant material isn’t just taking away options for shelter; there’s a good chance you’re tossing out many animals that have already settled in!