Intensive Agriculture is Degrading Landscapes - Do This Instead

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[@philiptaylor7902]

It seems to me there is very little new about regenerative farming, rather a return to the tried and trusted methods we used before “modern” agricultural methods attempted to shortcut nature herself. Crop rotation and under cropping have been practised across the world for centuries. In New Zealand in the 80’s I worked on a dairy farm that practiced mob grazing and arboriculture is a modern term for the common land grazing that died out in the UK after hundreds of years of sustainable husbandry.

[@tadblackington1676]

Figuring out how rewilding fits together with regenerative agriculture, green infrastructure and circular economy is the key issue. This is the focus of permaculture design which seeks to weave together all these strands.

[@billthompson8182]

Me and my family have successfully rewilded nine acres on the plot we own. When we first moved here it was, literally, being farmed for soybeans. The ground was rock hard and wash outs were common. Flooding would happen and then when the sun came out, the ground would crack and dry out within the day. Turns out that running over the soil with a thirty-ton tractor six times a year caused compaction.

[@PaulCoxC]

Such an important topic, I'm really interested in how this plays out over the next few years, more regenerative practices do seem like a win:win from an environmental and food production point of view. It feels like many current practices are effectively taking out greater and greater loans on the land, which isn't going to be sustainable as the debt will have to be paid back at some point.

[@simolatham03]

One thing you missed which bolsters the rewilding argument is that although food production has increased the nutritional content of the food has decreased, more is less.

[@matthewdavies5875]

Having grown up in an area of intensified agriculture and incidentally not far from the Knepp Estate, I am eager to see what the coming years will look like for regenerative farming in the south of England. Great video as always!

[@lukask2597]

As a citizen of the US I’m curious whether we also suffer from such great food loss or even more based on our large need for food. I would assume all of these methods would also work in the US too.

[@claireskrine4837]

We generally need to eat less anyway, particularly red meats, sugar and processed carbs. We also have a staggering level of food waste. However, although we can theoretically feed everyone in the country a couple of times over, we don't, as there are issues all along the way from how to get all the fruit and veg into the inner city, how to encourage cash and time poor inner city dwellers buy and cook the fruit and veg (bearing in mind in a single parent family, if mum is on shift then teenagers are just going to go to the chicken shop). We need organisations rescuing food waste at both ends - the stuff that never makes it to the shelves and then also the stuff that is going to go in the bin....but also organisation able to make this food into cheap, nutritious meals readily available to the shift workers and the take-away kids.

[@markg3025]

Rob I admire your passion on this important topic. Keeping the conversation alive is a most important step toward re-wilding.

[@jammiedodger7040]

Vertical Farming is crucial for Britain to get food security and not have to rely on other countries for food

[@tepidtuna7450]

The key for me is the condition of the soil. Whatever improves soil health, preferably in a complex web of interaction, is the optimal outcome. Consistent yields with vastly lower expenses is sustainable for the land and for the farmer/land owner.

[@Isaacmantx]

For an excellent example of a real world farmer successfully using this process at scale is Gabe Brown. Brown's ranch farms and ranches cattle on about 5,000 acres (2,023 Hectares) in exactly this way. Their results have been astonishing. From wildlife numbers skyrocketing to soil carbon levels rapidly climbing... It really is the solution.

[@johnshields3658]

As someone who is active in this field, I'd point out that options ref cover cropping are v much reduced if one can't apply herbicides. There are trade offs all through; Q of balance

[@RicardoLeonardoAugusto]

Overgrazing by definition is when a plant is grazed again before being able to recover. It's a function of time rather than number of animals

[@023Elaine]

Nutrient quality of the crop produced should be a major consideration. Also the biome of the produce, such as the healthy bacteria that live within the produce and consumed which then support the human biome. I'd be interested to see the science for this too. Lower yields may be justified by a higher nutrient quality with all of the wider ecological benefits , seems a win win. Thanks for your great work, gives great optimism for a sustainable future in worrying times.

[@chinaski2020]

As you say, there are infrastructure problems that arise when changing to regenerative grazing, such as water access.

[@joywebster2678]

Mob grazing is what in Canadian beef farms when i was growing up, the farmers called it rotational grazing. We'd drive up to a friend's big cattle farm from the city, and Dad and us kids would help the farmer and his family, "chase" the cows into the next grazing area having laid down boards over the cattle gates so they could cross.

[@nicolediedrichsen3000]

Great video, thank you. I think regenerative farming would be a big step in the right direction. It would benefit soil fertility and keep it from eroding. Which is really important to secure the future. I do share the concern mentioned in another comment that too much meat takes a big toll on the earth. I would like to raise another topic which is sustainable foraging in addition to sustainable agriculture to augment the diet. Berries, nuts, mushrooms, leaves, herbs... can be collected. Adding wild food to the diet was common practice in past generations. It would leave more space for wilderness and it is actually healthier than a standard diet alone. I don't know if you've covered this before (I haven't had a chance to catch up on all your videos yet) but I'd love to see a video on that. Thanks for everything you do and keep on raising awareness.

[@Thebritsonthatsmoke]

I like to see how far the uk can come with rewinding it’s a amazing idea that the uk is doing

[@esbeng.s.a9761]

Im from Denmark and where I lived the dirt used to be farm land, but it was left alone to regenare, and my dad bought the land. And now some of it is a wild forest while most is tall grassland