22 karma · joined January 1, 2016
Grazing operations can of course differ, but regenerative agriculture and HM are tools which can be used for the betterment of carbon-, nutrient and the water cycle. All tools can be used wrong and therefore cause harm.
I agree that industrial agriculture has gotten out of the planetary boundaries and according to this study actually the contributing factor transgressing 5 boundaries. [1]
There is no ecosystems without animals and we will have to steward the rewilding of things, over time restoring ecosystem. I am aware of the size needed, I am working with this professionally, the natural hydrology needs vast areas to function properly.
We are trying to set the right boundaries in the Anthropocene, agriculture is a vital part of this, I guess my argument is that agriculture can be the segway for stewarding the naturebased inititatives on the vast areas. Regenerative agriculture as an output orientated and holistic approach can function as the middle way granting us a planetary healthy diet [2] (mainly plantbased) and leave room for healthy ecosystem. So much work to do, it's important to recognize the conversion loss as you are stating in animal based nutrients. We can spare a lot of land changing our diets, but we need animals in the landscape to disturb the biological succession of ecosystem. Grass is a great perennial crop.
I will put no arguments forward maintaining the exaggerated industrial agricultural complex, besides we need a fair exit plan for all the involved people. We are only practicing for the much larger exit plan for petrol states.
[1] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320356605_Agricultu... [2] https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission/the-planetary-hea...
I could imaging you would enjoy reading <teaming with microbes> about the life of soils. Paul Hawken does a great job explaining a broader scene with <Drawdown> and <Regeneration> George Monbiot writes a fascinating book <Regenesis> but comes to my understanding to the wrong conclusion.
Planetary Boundaries is my go to reference and the documentary on netflix is always recommended.
I have worked at Richard Perkins farm in 2015.
The big majority of agriculture land is spend on producing fodder not husks, stems and so on. I mean an animal need calories too, yes a ruminant can digest cellulose, but the majority is soy, corn and wheat.
I look forward to hear more. Thanks.
I am using firefox with duckduckgo.
Firefox + DDG = Ctrl+L - Type "!yt apples", press enter
Regenerative agriculture is about harvesting sunlight (free resource), utilizing plants photosynthesizing abilities. Plants are a part of a larger ecosystem including producers, consumers and decomposers.
Plants exudate sugars feeding the soil microbial life, sugars from the photosynthesis where atmospheric carbon dioxide is converted into sugars. Large herbivores eat the grass, holistic grazing keeps the animals moving mimicking predators and the defensive herding mechanisms for efficient animal impact. The timed regrowth will let the plant photosynthesize more carbon dioxide, while the walking sun powered compost machine (cow) decomposes the organic matter and leaves it for further decomposition and utilization.
We have huge areas where desertification is happening [1] because of wrong management. Holistic Grazing is a easy implemented, low tech, approach with great benefits for capital, social and ecological level.
Regenerative agriculture is also covering land management in less brittle environments, field production, notill, utilizing plants, the soil community and the only truly free available resource sunlight.
The founders of Patagonia and The North Face brands did start conservacion patagonia together. [1]
It is one amazing project. [2]
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservaci%C3%B3n_Patag%C3%B3n... 2. http://www.conservacionpatagonica.org/aboutus_oh.htm
The prairies are amazing ecosystem pumping carbon into the ground when properly managed.
The knowledge is available, but this ted talk only has 2 million views. https://youtu.be/vpTHi7O66pI