A review of regenerative agriculture by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has found there to be potential benefits for the State’s agricultural land.
The benefits however were likely to vary depending on climate and soil types.
Senior Research Scientist at the Department, Ravjit Khangura said regenerative agriculture was gaining traction in response to the challenges posed by climate change and rising input costs.
“The general principles of regenerative agriculture are to keep the soil covered, minimise soil disturbance, preserve living roots in the soil year-round or as long as possible, increase species diversity, integrate livestock and limit or eliminate the use of synthetic compounds such as herbicides and fertilisers,” Dr Khangura (pictured) said.
“Despite the purported benefits of regenerative agriculture in rejuvenating the soil and land, the vast majority of growers are reluctant to adopt these practices due to a lack of empirical evidence on the claimed benefits and profitability,” she said.
She said current literature suggested agricultural practices such as minimum tillage, residue retention and cover cropping, could improve soil carbon, crop yield and soil health in certain climatic zones and soil types.
“However, the benefits of regenerative agriculture practices can vary among different agroecosystems and may not necessarily be applicable across multiple regions,” Dr Khangura said.
“Agricultural soils in Western Australia are naturally low in soil organic carbon and the potential threat to soil biodiversity is currently very high due to intensive agriculture, decline in organic matter and climate change.”
She said the scale and success of implementing regenerative agriculture systems would depend on site-specific studies demonstrating their economic viability, as growers would be more likely to switch if there were no or acceptable financial or environmental risks.
Dr Khangura is currently leading research on investigating soil biology in long-term farming systems to gain insights into the intricate relationships between farming practices and soil health.
The review can be accessed at this PS News link.
