The emerging impacts of climate change in recent years have made farming even tougher. Cyclones, storms, and other natural calamities have resulted in more destructive damage to property and to the environment. The effects of these calamities contribute to the challenges farmers currently face.
Whenever a flood hits farmland, it takes a lot of time for the water to subside and when it does, fields are left covered with sediment and debris which can contaminate the health of the soil. The soil is important not only because it grows the crops we eat, but because it also functions as the most significant carbon storehouse in a terrestrial ecosystem.
Traditional ways of cultivating lands such as excessive tilling and monocropping (producing a single crop every year on the same land) kills off important microbes and emits huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.
Approximately 10 to 20 percent of the 450 billion tons of carbon emissions worldwide can be attributed to soil carbon losses. When the soil releases carbon, it oxidizes in the air and transforms into carbon dioxide-a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere and contributes to the earth’s warming temperature.
Regenerative farming is an agricultural technique that focuses on the nourishment of the soil. It can also be an efficient way for farmers to cope with the emerging changes in climate and may even help solve agricultural problems.
Maximizing regenerative farming methods like using cover crops, which are fast growing plants intentionally planted on the ground after harvesting the primary crops, help hold the soil in place, slow down rainfall, bring back the nutrients of the soil, and prevents soil erosion and degradation. Monitoring and nourishing the soil is a great way to secure the quality of produce.