A week watching nature.

I am writing this blog a few days later than normal, as I have been out and about in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire with DofE groups over the last week.

I was lucky to have the time to be able to sit quietly and observe nature and this got me thinking. It also made me think of something that I am sure I read in "Dirt to Soil" by Gabe Brown and that is many answers lie in observing nature.

Before I share my thoughts I have also started to read "Cows save the planet" by Judith D Schwartz and am reading about solar energy capture, topsoil building and liquid carbon flows. All these things added to my thoughts and observations.

So there am I walking along many hedgerows bursting with blackberries, sloes, elderberries as well as all the grasses, trees, bushes, vines and other plants and it got me thinking. These are the biological systems at play and by the diversity and sheer amount of foliage and fruits present, it demonstrates how much more productive one square metre of hedgerow is verses the field of wheat next to it. This is before I bring in the creatures and animals that also call this place their home.

My view on why the hedgerow is more productive is that the carbon, nutrient and water cycles are working. The ground is undisturbed which means that the mycorrhizal fungi are intact and can flourish. They can trade minerals for soluble carbon generated by photosynthesis. This supports a good soil structure with the right amounts of water and air, thus allowing the millions of organisms to ensure healthy living soil and highly productive plants. When you compare this to the field of wheat which will have been sprayed with pesticides and fed with artificial nitrogen and phosphorus, at significant cost may I add. These treatments along with ploughing will have stopped these biological cycles from working, thus limiting the potential of that soil. Additionally, if you look at the field closely, there is significant bare ground, which without plants is not turning sunlight into physical matter.

Taking the positive approach, when I look across all the fields that in my mind could be farmed differently the opportunity we have to change our methods and start to capture carbon, grow topsoil and improve biodiversity is huge. This was evidenced by at least one farm direct drilling. On examination of their soil, it certainly felt better than the ploughed fields next door. Hopefully, this farmers profitability per hectare will be better and so will encourage others to follow.

The reminder is that diversity of species, no cultivations and maximum ground cover are vital to regenerating soils, high productivity and I am sure healthier food.

Whilst direct drilling is only a part of regenerative farming, there is a really interesting magazine in the UK called Direct Driller. If you are interested in this subject then go to www.directdriller.com and sign up.

Moving away from myself it is encouraging to see Regenerative farming feature positively in the UK media. The Independent has run an article on Organic September: Could farming be a solution to the climate crisis Lizzie Rivera explores the connection between soil health and human health in celebration of all the farmers – organic and otherwise – who are reversing environmental damage, cultivating biodiversity and harvesting hope. The Guardian features an article on "We're stewards of the land": The rise of female farmers. Which talks about regenerative farming, closed-loop systems and how they are trying new things. This raising of awareness is very encouraging and will I am sure over time help to develop a consumer demand for food grown on regenerative farms, this will then give more farmers the confidence to move away from chemical farming to biological farming.

To finish this week I want to share with you a Ted Talk by Gabe Brown who's book I mentioned earlier.