Regenerative Farm Masters

Regenerative FOOd, FARMING & Enterprise MSc

The first 2 modules were the principles and practices for regenerative soil ecology (Certificate) and the next two are on the principles and practices for a regenerative economy (Diploma). The final module is the dissertation to complete the Masters' degree.

This degree was offered again, starting September 2025, as a full-time course - with a different order. It starts with practices and ends with soil health. But it seems to have disappeared.

“A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself.” — President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s letter to all state governors, Feb 1937

Rodale 'Original Principles of Regenerative Agriculture

What

What is Regenerative farming?

Farmers and land workers regenerate their soil, by bringing it to life, which improves food production and other 'eco-services'. This benefits the earth, the community, and ourselves.

Why

Why is regenerative farming so important now?

Food production systems at present are ruining the planet and our health, enriching markets rather than the soil. 'Regenerative' means bringing more to life to soil ecologically and benefitting economically.

Food & Farming are major contributors to globlal warming change, whereas they could be contributing to mitigating it. There is also a serious depletion of our most valuable resource - soils.

How

How is Regenerative farming different from conventional farming?

Farmers regenerate their food production by looking at their ecology, drawing the connections between components, in order to enhance natural systems of production, that can build natural capital and find innovative ways to improve their living and that of the community.

MSc

New Regenerative Farming, Food & Enterprise MSc

Offers participants to:

Find new ways of thinking and doing, that can help encourage ecological systems to improve farm and food production that is better for people and the planet

Investigate scientific methods of assessing existing practices to promote better future practices

Recognise that natural capital can offer opportunities. for future investment.

Key terms

Increase biodiversity

Improve soil health

Capture carbon

Mix crops and animals

Boost rural communities

#regenerativeagriculture #rotationalgrazing #carbonsequestration #watershed #soilhealth #soilfertility #biodiversity #grassfedbeef #thousandhills #landowner #landstewardship #regenerativefarming

Groundswell

At the Groundswell Conference, (Summer ‘21) the government Secretary of State Mr Eustice said: “Everyone recognises that we need to change our approach to tackle the environmental challenges both on climate change, but also on biodiversity. "Leaving the EU gives us a great opportunity to show the world how we can do this, through a seven year transition to reorder farming incentives so that we support a regenerative agriculture."

At the Cereals Event he said that farmers could be rewarded up to £70 / hectare for actions to improve their soil and that “Farmers will also be eligible for locally-specific and landscape-level schemes through Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recover", adding "Soil health is the key to delivering our targets on the environment and improving farm profitability.”

Regenerative International - how it started.

Definitions

Regenerative agriculture is a system of farming principles and practices that seeks to rehabilitate and enhance the entire ecosystem of the farm by placing a heavy premium on soil health with attention also paid to water management, fertilizer use, and more. It is a method of farming that “improves the resources it uses, rather than destroying or depleting them,” Rodale Institute.

Regenerative Agriculture describes farming and grazing practices that, among other benefits, reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil, biodiversity – resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the water cycle. Specifically , it is a holistic land management practice that leverages the power of photosynthesis in plants to close the carbon cycle, and build soil health, crop resilience and nutrient density ‘Kiss the Ground

Regenerative agriculture combines crops and livestock in circular ecosystems; essentially, the animals feed the plants, and the plants feed the animals. The regulated grazing of sheep or cows, for example, encourages plant growth, and distributes natural nutrients back over the land in the form of dung. Poultry also fertilises land, as well as eating unwelcome bugs and weeds. EIT Food is Europe’s leading food innovation initiative, working to make the food system more sustainable, healthy and trusted.

Conservation Agriculture is "an ecological approach to regenerative sustainable agriculture and ecosystem management based on the practical application of context-specific and locally adapted three interlinked principles of: (i) Continuous no or minimum mechanical soil disturbance (no-till seeding/planting and weeding, and minimum soil disturbance with all other farm operations including harvesting); (ii) permanent maintenance of soil mulch cover (crop biomass, stubble and cover crops); and (iii) diversification of cropping system (economically, environmentally and socially adapted rotations and/or sequences and/or associations involving annuals and/or perennials, including legumes and cover crops). These practices are complemented with other good agricultural production and land management practices. Conservation Agriculture systems are present in all continents. "

Discussion

There are a wealth of terms like Permaculture, Agroecol0gy, Organic, Conservation Agriculture, Sustainable Agriculture

How does 'Regenerative farming' compare with these?

" Regenerative agriculture is a term coined back in the 1980s in the USA and it is centered on the concept of soil health (*), aiming to restore its organic matter content and ecological functionality, boost its productivity and increase its resilience. Regenerative agriculture is identified by the Drawdown project as one key solution to suck CO2 out of the atmosphere and lock it in the soils, and is also one of the ten critical transitions identified by the FOLU to transform food and land use globally. ...

Regenerative agriculture can be considered broader than conservation agriculture. One of the most relevant differences is that regenerative agriculture can be applied to animal farming and not just to crop agriculture. Actually, it frequently involves the mixing of crops and livestock, to further boost soil quality and fertility. In many of their aspects, regenerative agriculture initiatives also seem to be inspired by other agroecological approaches to sustainable farming, described in length in the the IUCN report. ..

Regenerative agriculture has gained further attention in relation to “carbon farming”, due to its potential to sequester CO2 when degraded agricultural soils are progressively restored. " Jabier Ruiz WWD in Forum for Future in Agriculture.

Chat GPT
"Hey Chat GPT. Can you give me an explanation of what regenerative farming is?

Certainly! Regenerative farming is an agricultural practice that focuses on improving and revitalizing the health of soil, plants, animals, and ecosystems.

The goal of regenerative farming is to create a closed-loop system where nutrients and resources are continually recycled and replenished, rather than depleted. This is achieved through a variety of practices, including cover cropping, crop rotation, reduced tillage, and the use of natural fertilizers and pesticides.

In regenerative farming, the soil is seen as a living organism, and the focus is on building healthy, fertile soil that is full of beneficial microorganisms and organic matter. This is achieved by practices such as adding compost and organic matter to the soil, rotating crops, and minimizing soil disturbance.

Regenerative farming also prioritizes biodiversity and the integration of crops and animals. For example, farmers may incorporate animals into their farming system to help control pests, fertilize the soil, and provide additional sources of income. This can include practices such as rotational grazing and agroforestry, where trees and crops are planted together.

Overall, regenerative farming is a holistic approach to agriculture that seeks to improve the health of both the soil and the surrounding ecosystem. By creating a self-sustaining system, regenerative farming can help to reduce environmental degradation and improve the resilience of our food systems.

I love the response you gave! Can you give that same response in a more humorous way?

Sure, I'll give it a shot!

Regenerative farming is like the superhero of agriculture. It's all about saving the planet, one farm at a time. Instead of just growing crops, regenerative farmers focus on creating a whole ecosystem that's buzzing with life.

It's like a big, happy party in the soil, with worms, microbes, and all kinds of critters hanging out and having a good time. And the best part? The more the merrier! Regenerative farmers love to invite as many plants, animals, and insects as possible to the party.

They're like the ultimate hosts, always thinking of new ways to keep their guests happy and healthy. They'll serve up a delicious buffet of cover crops, crop rotations, and natural fertilizers, and everyone will leave feeling nourished and satisfied.

So if you want to be a hero of the earth, grab your hoe and get ready to regeneratively farm! "