Discover Sustainability (Dec 2024)

Importance of regenerative agriculture: climate, soil health, biodiversity and its socioecological impact

  • Alam Sher,
  • Hongxing Li,
  • Aman ullah,
  • Yasir Hamid,
  • Bukhtawer Nasir,
  • Jiwang Zhang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-024-00662-z
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 1
pp. 1 – 23

Abstract

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Abstract Agriculture is facing a severe threat to its sustainability due to the growing demands for food, feed, and other renewable nonfood raw materials in the face of global warming. Regenerative agriculture is increasingly recognized as a vital solution to a range of ecological and social issues. It actively revitalizes ecosystems, focusing on soil health, biodiversity, and mitigating climate change, going beyond sustainable practices. Governments and other organizations at all levels, from global to regional, are exploring how regenerative agriculture can be integrated into climate change initiatives to sustain ecosystem. This powerful benefit can be achieved without reducing yields or farmer profits. Soil, as a living and dynamic environment, is home to a diverse range of micro- and macro biota that contribute to its characteristics. Healthy soil is characterized by favorable physical properties (texture, water-holding capacity), chemical properties (pH, soil organic matter; SOM), and biological properties (microbial diversity, and soil respiration), which are essential for nurturing nutritious and profitable crops and improve human health. Regenerative farming is attracting interest from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to improve soil health and sustain ecology. Several academics and non-governmental organizations have attempted to explain the scope and significance of regenerative agriculture. This review outlines how regenerative agriculture practices can mitigate global warming, improve soil health, boost biodiversity, and its socioecological impacts. For future prospects, further scientific research required to examine the effects of regenerative agriculture on both livestock and human health, in order to promote a healthier community.

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