Much has been made of the modern term ‘sustainable’. However, within the context of depleting and degenerating resources, we now understand that we need to regenerate our resources, not just sustain them in their current form.

The term “regenerative” describes processes that restore, renew or revitalize their own sources of energy and materials, creating sustainable systems that integrate the needs of society with the integrity of nature.

Our use of regenerative agriculture can be characterized by these principles:

• Use of ecological systems that sequester carbon and improve water availability.
• Development of multi-tiered perennial polyculture systems that maximise solar collection, fully utilize all soil depths, eliminate the need for fossil fuels and imported fertilisers, and have multiple high total yields that service the needs of our community.
• High use of management-intensive systems, rather than imported-resource-intensive systems
• Holistic management (Allan Savory)
• Intensive selection of species and cultivars, for the ‘best fit’ to the local environment and culture
• Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), to support our farmers and efficiently provide healthy food for the village

More detail to come and until then, watch this inspiring TEDx talk.