Which farming practice is which?
At Vuna Agri, we base our values and practices on a sustainable, biological approach to soil health, plant growth, development and protection. For us this means:
Creating and contributing to better and more sustainable agro-ecosystems;
Production and growing practices that focus on sustainability and that build resilient plants, crops and animals that thrive; and
Connecting 'FORK' to 'FARM' to continuously improve on current methods of sustainable food production.
There are many types of agricultural practices that sometimes it’s hard to make sense of them all. That’s really the purpose of this blog - to help you understand what we mean when we say “organic farming” or “conventional agriculture”.
Some of these types of practices share certain principles and intertwine with each other, which can be confusing. We’d like to take some time to go over these methods and explain what makes these practices different from each other and how they can work together.
In this blog post we explain more about:
Conventional Agriculture
Conservation Agriculture/Farming
Organic Farming
Agroforestry
Regenerative Agriculture
1. Conventional Agriculture
Also known as industrial or modern agriculture, this refers to the widely practised approach to farming. It is characterised by the use of modern technology, ploughing/tillage (turning of the soil) integrated pest management (IPM), synthetic and chemical inputs, GMOs, and standardised practices to maximise crop yields and livestock production.
It’s important to note that even though we don’t promote conventional agricultural methods at Vuna Agri, we understand that this has played a huge role in addressing global food hunger and has enabled large-scale food production.
The practice of conventional agriculture also raises concerns about environmental impact, sustainability, and long-term effects on soil and ecosystem health which has led to approaches like organic farming gaining traction as more sustainable alternatives.
Conventional farming involves tillage or ‘turning the soil’
2. Conservation Agriculture/Farming
Conservation agriculture/farming, is a practice that prioritises the sustainable use and management of natural resources while maintaining or improving agricultural production. This approach is aimed at reducing soil erosion, improving soil health, enhancing sustainability, and ensuring the long-term viability and productivity of the land. Conservation Agriculture consists of 3 main principles (also shown in the Figure below):
Minimum soil disturbance through conservation or minimum tillage of the soil.
Conservation of soil moisture through mulching of organic matter on the surface of the soil.
Crop rotation/diversification to improve soil health and fertility.
Overview of the main principles of Conservation Agriculture
3. Organic Farming/Agriculture
"Organic agriculture is a holistic production management system which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity. It emphasises the use of management practices in preference to the use of off-farm inputs, taking into account that regional conditions require locally adapted systems. This is accomplished by using, where possible, agronomic, biological, and mechanical methods, as opposed to using synthetic materials, to fulfil any specific function within the system." (FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission, 1999).
Practices like cover cropping, crop rotation, composting and the use of organically certified inputs are used in organic agriculture. Organic farming integrates practices that work with natural systems to promote biodiversity, and soil fertility while minimising the negative impact it has on the environment.
Organic farming integrates practices that work with natural systems to promote biodiversity, and soil fertility
4. Agroforestry
According to the FAO, ‘Agroforestry is a collective name for land-use systems and technologies where woody perennials (trees, shrubs, palms, bamboos, etc.) are deliberately used on the same land-management units as agricultural crops and/or animals, in some form of spatial arrangement or temporal sequence. In agroforestry systems there are both ecological and economical interactions between the different components.’
There are three main types of agroforestry systems:
Agrisilvicultural systems which combine crops and trees.
Silvopastoral systems which combine forestry and grazing of domesticated animals on pastures, rangelands or on-farm.
Agrosylvopastoral systems which combine trees, animals and crops and are illustrated by homegardens involving animals as well as scattered trees on croplands used for grazing after harvests.
Example of an agroforestry system
5. Regenerative Agriculture/Farming
This is a holistic and forward-looking approach to farming by actively restoring and refreshing the health of ecosystems, soil, and communities. Its core philosophy is to leave the land in a better condition for future generations by increasing biodiversity, improving soil health, and fostering resilience.
According to Regeneration International, “Regenerative Agriculture” describes farming and grazing practices that, among other benefits, reverses climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity – resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the water cycle.”
Regenerative Agricultural Practices are practices that:
Contribute to generating/building soils and soil fertility and health;
Increase water percolation, water retention, and clean and safe water runoff;
Increase biodiversity and ecosystem health and resiliency; and
Invert the carbon emissions of our current agriculture to one of remarkably significant carbon sequestration thereby cleansing the atmosphere of legacy levels of atmospheric carbon.
For further reading please see: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://regenerationinternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Regen-Ag-Definition-2.23.17-1.pdf
Regenerative agriculture focuses on building soil organic matter
So which practice is best fit for you?
It is important to remember that every practice has its place. One type of practice should not be disregarded without considering the circumstances behind it or the reasoning why a farmer or grower has chosen to use a certain method of agriculture.
