Farming of the future:
Regenerative agriculture
Right across the sector, in many publications and throughout the length of the supply chain, regenerative agriculture is being cited as the future of farming. The movement has gained significant momentum, but what is regenerative agriculture and is it really the future for Scottish Agriculture? REBECCA AUDSLEY, PRINCIPLE CONSULTANT AND ENVIRONMENT TEAM LEADER
Broadly speaking regenerative agriculture is a farming system
Over the past five years, SAC Consulting has been working with
which adheres to five core principles. These include, limiting
five farmers on their journey to becoming increasingly
soil disturbance, developing armour on the soil surface, building
regenerative, under the ‘Farming for a Better Climate’ initiative
crop diversity, keeping living roots in the soil and integrating
– a programme which aims to help farmers find practical ways
animals.
to cut carbon, increase sustainability, and move towards netzero emissions within their farming systems.
These principles mean many things to many people, and often context is lost between businesses. However, the level of
The project has been overwhelmingly positive, with the initial
flexibility this method of farming has, is arguably the
group being adopted into the FAS Connect programme under
movement’s biggest asset, allowing farmers to adapt the
the Farm Advisory Service (FAS) and quadrupled in numbers as
principles to their own businesses. The principles can also
interest has grown. However, there have also been some
provide a ‘pick n mix’ approach, reducing barriers to trying
challenging conversations, particularly around future support
different farming system, allowing farmers to build confidence.
mechanisms, the development of markets for novel crops and around the practical challenges this system can create. To develop regenerative farming systems in Scotland, it is essential to set and monitor clear objectives upon which a farming system can be measured. To do this, it’s worthwhile returning to the definition of sustainability to understand how a business can enhance its sustainability to become regenerative. There are three elements to sustainability: environmental, social, and economic. Being sustainable means that we can meet the needs of today, without compromising the ability for future generations to meet their own needs. Therefore, to be fully regenerative, we need to be able to meet our own needs, whilst enhancing our environmental, social, and economic standing for future generations.
Perspectives | Autumn 2023
