Story brought to you by THE REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE ALLIANCE and FARMING TOGETHER PROGRAM.
Recently, the National Farmers Federation (NFF) set the target of economy-wide zero net carbon by 2050.
Whilst I applaud the initiative, the science is clear that we don't have 30 years to act. This target sits in contradiction with the plan for a $100 billion agricultural industry by 2030 - up from $60 billion.
This seems ludicrous with a changing climate and depleting soils.
Surely, agriculture should instead be value-adding more nutritionally-dense food whilst at the same time achieving zero net carbon; not extracting more from our already depleted landscapes.
Below are the core (and evolving) principles of regenerative agriculture that my family and I follow in the management of our own farm.
They are based on our experience and research, as well as discussions with likeminded colleagues.
Many organisations have started talking about the 'principles' of regenerative agriculture - but all they do is list a set of practices.
Principles should instead reflect more fundamental truths about how we approach and perceive agricultural landscapes.
The practices, on the other hand, are the actual application of those principles.
These principles propel us into a new way of doing agriculture. Practices such as 'maintaining ground-cover' are the result of deeper shifts in thinking. They are not principles themselves.
If we instead continue exposing bare soil, creating monocrops that kill biodiversity, spraying out paddocks prior to sowing new pastures or crops, set stocking, overusing synthetic chemicals, fertilisers and pesticides and so on - we will destroy the very resource we rely on for productivity. There's no $100 billion industry in that equation.