Most of us are aware of the Climate Change debate and the costly solutions being proposed in the government and media. What if there was a way to reduce global carbon emisssions that has proven results?
A documentary titled Kiss the Ground which is now airing on Netflix and also available online, highlights how Regenerative Agriculture can provide a means to sequester tonnes of CO2, and reduce emissions while at the same time providing increased yields per acre by changing the way we farm. It's not a dream or a vision but a realistic approach that is changing the way farmer's think about the food they produce. Better quality foods, with lower chemical inputs and pesticides, and higher net yields. It's a global action that is taking place without higher taxes or incentives.
It is a brilliant approach that should be required viewing prior to any further discussions about Climate Change. It should be taught in schools around the world to empower future generations with the skills and knowledge they will need to not only survive but thrive in the years ahead.
Regenerative Agriculture is a system of farming principles and practices that increases biodiversity, enriches soils, improves watersheds, and enhances ecosystem services. Regenerative Agriculture aims to capture carbon in soil and aboveground biomass, reversing current global trends of atmospheric accumulation.
At the same time, it offers increased yields, resilience to climate instability, and higher health and vitality for farming and ranching communities. The system draws from decades of scientific and applied research by the global communities of indigenous people, organic farming, agroecology, Holistic Management, and agroforestry.
Seven years ago, a group of friends gathered in Ryland Engelhart’s living room in Venice, CA, inspired by one thing – healthy soil microbes, working with plants and animals, can sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Their inspirational weekly meetings became the nonprofit Kiss the Ground. Their first “aha” was soil carbon sequestration, but as they learned more they discovered that communities all over the world have been pushing forward “regeneration.” Many indigenous communities have always practiced a regenerative, stewardship relationship to the planet, although they never called it “regeneration”.
In the decades before they sat in Ryland’s living room people such as The Regenesis Group, Carol Sanford, Bob Rodale, and Allan Savory were using the word, and bringing forward a “regenerative” vision for the future. When they discovered it, they found that it was a concept they couldn’t shake.
It's a concept that could be especially relevant to agricultural practices here in Costa Rica as well as throughout the Americas. Whether small scale subsistance farms or large scale mega farms, the methods are applicable and can show results in higher yields per acre, reduced use of water, pesticides and fertilizers, that will improve the land and reduce emissions in years not decades.
We have nothing to lose by trying.
Watch the trailer
