With modern times dealing with the issue of climate change and global temperature rise, the use of certain words has become prominent. We call them “The Agri- Buzzwords.” From Tik-Tok feeds to global convention speeches, we constantly hear these words but have a piece of very limited knowledge about what they are.
To eliminate that lack of knowledge, here are some of those buzzwords that are gaining social importance day by day:
Regenerative Agriculture
Those farming practices that help in combating climate change by rebuilding and restoring the soil’s power to absorb carbon dioxide. Regenerative agriculture includes a wide range of land management practices like – no-tillage (aids in increasing biodiversity in the soil and its water holding capacity), applying more cover crops, crop rotations, and compost. These practices help to promote the cycling of essential nutrients, as a result reducing the need to apply methane-intensive synthetic fertilizers.
Re-wilding
Re-wilding basically means giving nature a ‘helping hand’ after the degradation we have caused, then allowing it to manage itself. It is an approach to conserve rather than farming specifically. At its heart, this practice carries the spirit of letting nature do its own work and take care of itself. Evidently, humankind has caused destruction to nature, so re-wilding comes to the rescue to do the repairs. It is all about repairing damaged ecosystems and landscapes and reintroducing those species that have been lost and it allows the natural processes to be restored, enabling wildlife’s natural way of creating biodiversity habitats to return.
Organic Farming
It is a method of producing food that can benefit the environment and people. There are several principles that come under organic farming like – reducing the use of pesticides, no artificial fertilizers, no antibiotics or GMOs, and no artificial colors and preservatives. Not only plants, but the management of livestock also comes under organic farming. To verify whether the food is organic, many different certifications and standards are there. They vary by region and specifications like the USDA in the US – a four-tier system, or the EU green logo in Europe – known for its stricter rules from farm to plate.
Permaculture
It is a sustainable practice, which emerged on the idea of ecological living, being resource-efficient, and cooperating with nature, ultimately creating a self-reliant system. Its application includes our management of backyards, farms, and conservation areas. Unlike the conventional industry-based farming that degrades the soil into non-arable land, this practice allows the land to be used forever productively. Common practices in permaculture are – rainwater harvesting, agroforestry, and vermin-composting.
Biodynamics
Similar to organic farming, biodynamics is a holistic and ecological approach to farming, but it also incorporates some additional concepts which are drawn from Rudolf Steiner, the Australian philosopher. One of them is seeing the farmland as an organism that needs to be self-sustaining and treats different aspects of agriculture, from soil fertility to plant growth as ecologically related tasks. Many of its practices coincide with organic farming measures like avoiding synthetic fertilizers and having a diverse crop rotation.
Veganic Farming
This specific term has been developed to refer to ‘regenerative farming’ that is ‘vegan’. Although it follows the same regenerative agriculture techniques, but does not exploit animals or use inputs from animals like bone meal, animal feces, or other animal-derived matter and instead uses green manure, green wastes, and composted vegetable matter.
