Boosting Food Security and Ecosystems through Regenerative Agriculture

Conservation Agriculture

Conservation agriculture aims to boost yields while reversing environmental degradation. This approach uses minimum tillage or no-till techniques. Traditional tillage, which involves soil manipulation through digging, stirring, or overturning with machinery, can lead to soil erosion, nutrient runoff, and greenhouse gas release.

Conservation agriculture leaves crop residues or cover crops on the soil surface to protect it from erosion, retain moisture, and improve soil structure. Crop rotation helps break pest and disease cycles and maintain soil fertility. The long-term benefits include increased soil water retention and reduced heat and drought stress. 

Many countries, especially those with limited resources or fragile environments, have adopted conservation agriculture.^[4] 

Agroecology

Agroecology, promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is a holistic approach that applies ecological and social concepts to sustainable agriculture and food systems. It guides public policies towards sustainable agriculture, offering contextualized and people-centered solutions to local challenges. 

According to the FAO, diversified agroecological systems are more resilient to shocks and stressors. For instance, after Hurricane Mitch hit Central America in 1998, biodiverse farms employing practices like agroforestry, contour farming, and cover cropping retained 20–40% more topsoil, suffered less erosion, and experienced lower economic losses than neighboring monoculture farms. Additionally, agroecological systems resist pests and diseases better, contributing to broader control across agricultural landscapes. 

There is no single way to apply agroecological approaches; local contexts, constraints, and opportunities need to be considered. However, several common principles are outlined in the 10 Elements of Agroecology (FAO, 2019). 

1. Diversity: Varied crop types ensure food security and nutrition while conserving and enhancing natural resources.
2. Co-creation and sharing of knowledge: Agricultural innovations address local challenges more effectively when co-created through participatory processes.
3. Synergies: Building synergies enhances key functions across food systems, supporting production and multiple ecosystem services.
4. Efficiency: Innovative agroecological practices increase output while reducing reliance on external resources.
5. Recycling: Agroecology promotes production with lower economic and environmental costs.
6. Resilience: Strengthening the resilience of people, communities, and ecosystems is crucial for sustainable food and agricultural systems.
7. Human and social values: Protecting and improving rural livelihoods, equity, and social well-being is essential. 
8. Culture and food traditions: Supporting healthy, diversified, and culturally appropriate diets, contributes to food security and ecosystem health.
9. Responsible governance: Effective governance mechanisms at all scales are required for sustainable food and agriculture systems.
10. Circular and solidarity economy: These economies reconnect producers and consumers, fostering sustainable and inclusive development.

Nature-based solutions

Regenerative agriculture, which uses natural processes to support environmental health and biodiversity, is considered a nature-based solution. 

Nature-based solutions in agriculture have four essential functions: (i) promoting sustainable practices with a focus on production; (ii) developing green infrastructure, specifically for regulating water, improving soil, or stabilizing slopes; (iii) restoring flora, water, soil, and air, and mitigating climate change; and (iv) conserving biodiversity and ecosystem connectivity.

Like regenerative agriculture, nature-based solutions offer flexible and cost-effective solutions to environmental issues. However, they should not be perceived as a quick fix. They require careful implementation with appropriate consideration for biodiversity and community needs.

Simelton et al. (2021) developed a framework to address agricultural challenges and solutions, from production to landscape conservation. This includes land use functions that (i) preserve local knowledge with low intervention levels, (ii) integrate conservation and restoration pathways, and (iii) promote production systems with various land use management technologies for restoration and sustainable land uses. This framework has the potential to bridge the divide between production and conservation.

Table 1: The Nature-Based Solutions Framework for Agricultural Landscapes

Essential function	Nature-based solution contributory mechanism	Indicative temporal scale of effectiveness
Sustainable practices (must have a productive element)	(1) Sustain or increase agricultural production through alternative approaches to ensure the availability of water, nutrients, and enable plant breeding.	Short to medium term
	2) Retain or increase nutrient availability in soil, water, and plants.	Short to medium term
	3) Improve the microclimate at the soil surface or in the cropping zone through beneficial regulation of moisture, humidity, air movement, or temperature
Green infrastructure (must have a structural engineering function)	(1) Regulate water flows (energy, rate, or volume) on soil surfaces, in soil masses and at water body peripheries.	Medium term
	(2) Prevent soil erosion by armoring a slope or watercourse bank or by catching eroding material (thus safeguarding topsoil quantity).	Medium term
	(3) Enhance slope stability against shallow mass failures by using roots or other natural products, increasing soil shear resistance, anchoring through failure planes, and supporting soil masses through buttressing and arching (safeguarding soil masses).	Medium term
Amelioration (must have a beneficial biochemical, biological, or microbial function)	(1) Remove, degrade, or contain pollutants in water, soil, or air through any one or combination of natural, physical, chemical, or biological agents (bio and phytoremediation).	Medium term
	(2) Restore or stimulate beneficial biota for soil health, pollination, or pest control, in the soil, cropping zone, or nearby environment.	Short to medium term
	(3) Remove or store atmospheric carbon in soils or plants.	Medium to long term
Conservation (must have a species preservation benefit)	(1) Increase or protect biological diversity and habitat, either wild or modified (field scale).	Medium to long term
	(2) Enhance connectivity, area, or health of ecosystems (large scale).	Long term

Source: Simelton et al. 2021.