Regenerative Agriculture Research Articles

Moderating Influence of Environmental Factors on the Relationship between Participatory project Management Life Cycle and Performance of Mango Farming Projects in Makueni County, Kenya

The objective of this research, based on a PhD thesis, is to highlight the need for crafting a resilient and robust environmental policy for managing the effects of anthropogenic social hazards in numerous mango projects. The rate at which human-caused anthropogenic pressures have deteriorated pristine ecosystems has converted them into multi-faceted areas of environmental concern. Unplanned activities caused by human economic factors have drastically intensified the growth of uncontrolled polluting projects across the globe and in Africa. They influenced climate change, global warming, and desertification in sub-Saharan Africa. This study advocates for a pragmatic and resilient environmental policy that acts as a catalyst for reducing environmental degradation, which stifles long-term economic growth in mango-growing regions. The performance of the Mango projects did not achieve economic efficiency and optimality yields in this research due to variable rainfall, climate change, and global warming, among other natural and human economic consequences. Reduced forest cover resulted in environmental disruption that impacted the well-being of water catchment towers and their self-sustaining and self-replenishing riparian ecosystems. It also endangered the biosphere, the life-support compartment, the only part of unique biotic and abiotic compartments that supply nutrients and support flora and fauna in a wide range of riparian ecosystems. The study examined how environmental factors influenced the relationship between the participatory life cycle and project performance. The study also sought to investigate how “strategic-fit” those project environments in mango zones were due to the emerging existential risks occasioned by the sporadic proliferation of polluting projects on the global and local scene. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, interviews, and observation guides. The pragmatism research paradigm was selected since it collects both quantitative and qualitative data.From the statistical analyses of correlation and regression, results indicated that, with DF (2, 367) =9.23, t=6.511 at the 95 % significance level P=0.000<0.05, r=0.324 and R2= 0.124, depicted, the test was statistically significant and the null hypothesis rejected. The paper recommends designing a resilient environmental policy to manage the adoption of SMART regenerative agriculture on mango farms, with the backup of participatory regulations that guide carbon sequestration measures to control emerging anthropogenic disasters. In this study, mango fruit was adversely affected by extreme weather conditions and erratic environmental changes. Majorly, the environmental changes were triggered and exacerbated by uncontrolled human activities that disrupted the self-replenishing steady state of nature, leading to global warming and climate change in many mango project environments. For this reason, people should have the smallest ecological footprint to enhance environmental justice and foster sustainable development in volatile mango project environments.

GLOBAL INNOVATION MANAGEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF ENCOURAGING THE DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE AGRIFOOD SYSTEMS

Purpose. The purpose of the article is to generalize the practice of supporting sustainable global competitive advantage due to the mechanisms of global innovation management aimed at encouraging the development of regenerative agrifood systems. Methodology of research. As a scientific method of cognition, system analysis has been involved as the theoretical and methodological basis of the research. General scientific and special methods were used during the research, particularly: induction and deduction – at the stage of collecting primary data and analyses; abstract thinking and logical analysis – in the process of formulating conclusions in respect to advantages of agrifood systems with the focus on the development of regenerative agriculture; monographic – to summarize the practice of global companies in achieving competitive advantage by stimulating the development of regenerative agrifood systems, graphical – to illustrate the process of achieving sustainable global competitive advantage due to mechanisms of global innovation management aimed at encouraging the development of regenerative agrifood systems. Findings. The effects of the negative impact of industrial agriculture were identified, and the needs in stimulation of regenerative agrifood systems’ development were revealed. The necessity of observing the principles of HR’s social development and the reflections of social values in entrepreneurial activities of global companies have been determined. The main attention is focused on the growing threat of environmental problems, global warming and changes in the world water cycle, which reflects the urgency of applying innovative management mechanisms to solve the urgent problems of the agrarian sector of the economy. The need for the formation of business models focused on the circular economy and the sustainable development of the agrifood sector has been revealed. Forecast data related to sale volumes of products produced on the basis of regenerative agriculture technologies around the world were analyzed. The experience of global companies in the formation of regenerative agriculture development projects has been summarized. The possibilities of the formation of sustainable competitive advantage due to the mechanisms of global innovation management aimed at stimulating the development of regenerative agrifood systems were highlighted. Originality. The conceptual approaches to understanding the role of global innovation management in stimulating the development of regenerative agrifood systems were deepened. The scientific and methodological approaches to the analysis of the dialectical relationship between the concepts of corporate social responsibility, global innovation management and the basic principles of the development of regenerative agrifood systems have been improved. Practical value. The theoretical and methodological approaches and recommendations related to the development of regenerative agrifood systems can become the basis for the implementation of methods of strategic positioning of the global companies on the world markets and for the further scientific investigations on these issues. Key words: global environmental problems, global innovation management, regenerative agrifood systems; sustainable competitive advantage, global positioning.

Can fisheries be “regenerative”? Adapting agroecological concepts for fisheries and the blue economy

Regenerative design, in which agricultural practices are organized to work with nutrient cycles and successional processes, is increasingly being explored in food systems research and practice. In this commentary, I explore whether regenerative design concepts can be adapted to marine contexts, given increased global interest in the potential of marine ecosystems to support sustainable development, i.e., the blue economy. There are numerous fundamental ecological differences between terrestrial and marine ecologies that make it difficult to directly translate regenerative farming's focus on managing the nutrient cycle. However, building on a framework for regenerative food systems that focuses on how production activities are organized rather than the specific practices and technologies in use, I find multiple useful parallels to familiar patterns in the fisheries literature, specifically, fishing down the food web, poverty traps, and portfolio-based fishing. I conclude with a discussion of directions for research on regenerative fisheries and concerns regarding the potential for greenwashing under the banner of a regenerative blue economy.

Soil–Plant–Microbe Interactions Determine Soil Biological Fertility by Altering Rhizospheric Nutrient Cycling and Biocrust Formation

Understanding soil–plant–microbe inter- and intra- interactions are essential for ensuring proper soil health, quality, and soil-mediated ecosystem services (e.g., nutrient cycling) required for human–plant–animal life. Intensive and unsustainable farming practices can decrease soil microbial biodiversity, fertility, and quality leading to soil degradation, impaired nutrient cycling, and the incapability of soil to support plant growth. Under such a context, soil biological fertility can appear as a regenerative component that has the potential to harmonize and improve soil’s physical, chemical, and biological parameters. This study defines and discusses the microbiome in the rhizosphere, microbial nutrient cycling, and biological soil crusts as the major components of soil biological fertility, and explores the answers to the following questions: (i) how does the rhizosphere promote plant growth, development, and nutrient cycling through soil microorganisms (e.g., bacteria, fungi)? (ii) How can soil microorganisms regulate macronutrient cycling and facilitate biocrust formation? This review reveals that soil biological fertility is crucial for increasing crop resilience and productivity as well as sustainability in agriculture. Additionally, the reintroduction of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, a quantitative estimation of the root exudate’s composition, identifying the spatiotemporal dynamics of potassium solubilizing bacteria and establishing biological soil crusts in agricultural lands remain the major tasks for improving soil biological fertility and the transition towards regenerative agriculture.

Reliance on Organic Farming Resulted in Food Crises in Sri Lanka: A Review

The organic agriculture approaches for the betterment of food security at a global position. It is a disputed subject for discussion. Although, there are several types of research on the different factors in different aspects of organic farming. Most of the given data come from the deep suffering crisis in Sri Lanka. How organic farming implemented in Sri Lanka and how it performed till now in the context of farmers having small holdings remains poorly understood. Additionally, we found that somehow organic agriculture is responsible for the crisis in Sri Lanka. The major challenges for the rapid collapse of Sri Lanka were limited capacity, lack of suitable inputs and market access. Organic farming gives the impression of being one of the center stages of the crises. Some commentators have blamed Sri Lanka’s decision to go organic as the root cause of this crisis. Additionally, the event was used to smear the regenerative agriculture movement.

Optimisation of urban-rural nature-based solutions for integrated catchment water management

Nature-based solutions (NBS) have co-benefits for water availability, water quality, and flood management. However, searching for optimal integrated urban-rural NBS planning to maximise co-benefits at a catchment scale is still limited by fragmented evaluation. This study develops an integrated urban-rural NBS planning optimisation framework based on the CatchWat-SD model, which is developed to simulate a multi-catchment integrated water cycle in the Norfolk region, UK. Three rural (runoff attenuation features, regenerative farming, floodplain) and two urban (urban green space, constructed wastewater wetlands) NBS interventions are integrated into the model at a range of implementation scales. A many-objective optimisation problem with seven water management objectives to account for flow, quality and cost indicators is formulated, and the NSGAII algorithm is adopted to search for optimal NBS portfolios. Results show that rural NBS have more significant impacts across the catchment, which increase with the scale of implementation. Integrated urban-rural NBS planning can improve water availability, water quality, and flood management simultaneously, though trade-offs exist between different objectives. Runoff attenuation features and floodplains provide the greatest benefits for water availability. Regenerative farming is most effective for water quality and flood management, though it decreases water availability by up to 15% because it retains more water in the soil. Phosphorus levels are best reduced by expansion of urban green space to decrease loading on combined sewer systems, though this trades off against water availability, flood, nitrogen and suspended solids. The proposed framework enables spatial prioritisation of NBS, which may ultimately guide multi-stakeholder decision-making, bridging the urban-rural divide in catchment water management.

Novel approaches and practices to sustainable agriculture

The world population is increasing in a disquieting rate while the quantity of food to gratify this snowballing human population is an annoyance to agrarian scientists and policymakers around the globe. Today's population is snatching natural resources from the future which can endanger the future generation's right to have nutritious food and clean air. The causes for this challenge can be enumerated and listed out, but singled out as lack of and/or poor implementation of novel approaches and practices for sustainable agriculture. Some of the novel approaches are but not limited to climate smart agriculture (CSA), organic farming, biodynamic agriculture, sustainable intensification and regenerative agriculture; and novel practices as integrated farming system (IFS), precision agriculture, integrated nutrient management (INM) and integrated pest management (IPM). The adoption of these approaches and practices has been proven to safeguard agricultural sustainability. • Novel agricultural approaches are solutions for the sustainable production. • Novel agricultural practices imply sustainable production. • Sustainable agriculture has a direct positive impact on food and nutrition security. • Adopt novel approaches and practices in all scales of agricultural production.

Soil mycobiome in sustainable agriculture.

The soil microbiome contributes to several ecosystem processes. It plays a key role in sustainable agriculture, horticulture and forestry. In contrast to the vast number of studies focusing on soil bacteria, the amount of research concerning soil fungal communities is limited. This is despite the fact that fungi play a crucial role in the cycling of matter and energy on Earth. Fungi constitute a significant part of the pathobiome of plants. Moreover, many of them are indispensable to plant health. This group includes mycorrhizal fungi, superparasites of pathogens, and generalists; they stabilize the soil mycobiome and play a key role in biogeochemical cycles. Several fungal species also contribute to soil bioremediation through their uptake of high amounts of contaminants from the environment. Moreover, fungal mycelia stretch below the ground like blood vessels in the human body, transferring water and nutrients to and from various plants. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing combined with bioinformatic tools have facilitated detailed studies of the soil mycobiome. This review discusses the beneficial effects of soil mycobiomes and their interactions with other microbes and hosts in both healthy and unhealthy ecosystems. It may be argued that studying the soil mycobiome in such a fashion is an essential step in promoting sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

Forecasting Food Innovations with a Delphi Study.

Food innovations can create novel nutritious food, improve agricultural sustainability, and increase the agri-food industry's market profits. Our study proposes a consensus definition of food innovations and forecasts food innovations that will be available to consumers in the next five years by using a Delphi study. Thirteen experts aged 35 to 85 from the US and the UK researching or working in agriculture and nutrition, public health, the agri-food industry, or food policy participated in three rounds of this Delphi study. The experts were chosen using the snowball sampling method. This study followed the implementation and data analysis guidelines popularized by the Rand Corporation. The consensus definition for food innovations (with 76.9% agreement) was that 'food innovations aid in the development, production, or transportation of new food products, processes, or technology to promote human health, food security, or environmental sustainability'. The specific food innovations, which had over 69% agreement, are ranked as (1) plant-based meat alternatives, (2) personalized nutrition, (3) natural foods, (4) new genetically modified organisms, (5) regenerative agriculture, (6) urban agriculture, (7) packing innovations, (8) alternative flours, (9) improving shelf life, (10) supply chain technologies, (11) improved soil health, and (12) technology for traceability. The food innovation definition and identified specific food innovations could further connect the agricultural value chain to develop novel nutritious foods and improve agricultural sustainability. Agri-food industry specialists, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers can advance food innovation development and research pinpointing the specific food innovations along the agricultural value chain.

Different Stakeholders’ Conceptualizations and Perspectives of Regenerative Agriculture Reveals More Consensus Than Discord

A range of content analyses have recently sought to define the term “regenerative agriculture”, which has gained a surge of attention in the last few years. However, these studies have not incorporated the voices of those using the term to define their work: the farmers, private companies, researchers, and NGOs giving energy to the movement. In this study, we conducted qualitative interviews with 19 stakeholders from across the United States. Key points of consensus were that regenerative agriculture moves beyond sustainability, is outcomes-based, and, as such, is context-specific: focusing on outcomes provides opportunities to be adaptive to a specific context and that, depending on one’s context, different practices may be used to achieve target outcomes. We identified three categories of outcomes: climate adaptation and mitigation, socio-economic benefits, and integrated systems. We also found several opportunities within the energy of the movement. First, regenerative agriculture remains a “big tent” that is still accessible to a broad range of farmers. Participants also underscore the need to move toward systems-based research as opposed to reductionist research. Finally, we present participants’ mixed perspectives on the role of government, the private sector, and third parties in moving regenerative agriculture forward.

Synthesis and Analysis of Experiences in Ecosystem Services

Considering that the initiatives of payment for environmental services (PES) are already a reality in Brazil, the present work aimed to promote a critical analysis of experiences in ecosystem services, so that new initiatives can take advantage of it to overcome difficulties in the implementation of PES projects and programs. Using systematization methods, ten experiences were synthesized and analyzed (Oásis Project; Bolsa Floresta Program; Conservador das Águas Project in Extrema/MG; Water Guardian Program; Ecosystem services in APA da Fazendinha; Quintais Amazônicos Project; BioREC Project – Mamirauá; REDD+ projects in practice and the evolution of voluntary markets; REDD+ opportunities for the Amazon; Carbono RECA Project). They were presented and discussed at the Amazon Ecosystem Services Experiences Seminar (online), held between March 23 and 26, 2021. PES projects are consolidated as important instruments to support the recovery and conservation of natural areas, and can contribute, in a transitional way, to other sustainable development initiatives in the Amazon. In deforested regions, crop converted lands, and regions under pressure of illegal deforestation, PES can support reforestation initiatives, combined or not with production systems, for the purposes of biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration and water supply. Combining nature conservation through PES with sustainable production systems (Agroforestry, Forestry and Non-Timber Forest Products Management, Fisheries management and aquaculture, Regenerative Agriculture, Agroecological Livestock, among others) presents itself as a good alternative for the sustainability of the Amazon and for their people.

A Leap of Faith: Regenerative Agriculture as a Contested Worldview Rather Than as a Practice Change Issue

Regenerative agriculture (RA) is emerging as one alternative model for agricultural production. However, RA has not matured sufficiently for a clear definition to have emerged, or for claimed benefits to be rigorously tested. Thus, numerous competing discourses have emerged around what RA is, and its potential role in the future of farming, leading to a level of contention about is value. This research aimed to better understand RA as a social phenomenon by using Q methodology to explore and evaluate how common discourses around agricultural sustainability, the goals of farming, and RA resonated with different Australian beef farmers. Three perspectives emerged from the data, labelled as the regenerative, environmentally conscious, and productive perspectives and represented diverse views around the goals of agriculture, the role of RA in the future of Australian agriculture, and comfort level producers have with the term and approach to farming it represents. As RA continues to grow as a movement, worldview, and farming approach, understanding the differences in thinking and worldview of proponents will be important for better understanding the goals of RA, how to reach them and measure their impact, and improve communication around RA. This is important to avoid and resolve unnecessary or destructive tensions between the range of agricultural sustainability discourses.

Regenerative agriculture — the practices involved and its position within modern agricultural systems

Agriculture alone produces 10% of UK greenhouse gas emissions, despite constituting less than 1% of gross domestic product (GDP). Climate mitigation targets set by the United Nations Paris Climate Agreement look to land management strategies to limit global warming below 2°C. At present, it is estimated that a minimum of 40% of earth's farmed land is poorer in quality than it was in the 1970s. Simultaneously three quarters of the earth's species are being lost within a short geological time frame described as the sixth, mass extinction event. Unlike the past five mass extinction events, the cause this time is exclusively the result of human activities, of which land use change associated with agriculture is one. Increasingly the argument for changing how we farm is gathering momentum. This article aims to provide a review of regenerative agriculture practices, and a reasoning as to why it should play a part in a sustainable farming future. The green revolution enabled the planet to keep feeding an expanding global population with production of cereal crops often tripling with only a 30% increase in land use; what is now needed is an ability to maintain production while providing part of the solution to the twin global threats of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Place in legal geography: Agency and application in agriculture research

AbstractSystemic failure of our land management, legal, and regulatory institutions is revealed by the serious and adverse social and environmental impacts of land use practices in private agriculture, evident in severe land and water degradation, precipitous decline in biodiversity, and reduced resilience to natural hazards and climate change. The efficacy of the standard treatment of environmental law and regulation is often hampered by the cultural and legal priority of property rights. We take a different approach, using legal geography to refocus attention on the salience and agency of place and responses to degradation, such as conservation farming and regenerative agriculture, which are reforming dominant land management cultures and institutions from within. By recognising the role of place in leading geographically responsive land use decision‐making and more sustainable, resilient, and productive agricultural practices, an alternative model of private land ownership may be possible, as well as greater environmental sustainability. For researchers, our approaches too must be sensitive and responsive to place agency and our methodologies must evolve to acknowledge the agency of place. Place agency in legal geography has great potential for application in reforming suboptimal industrial agricultural practices and legal models of property ownership, and also for revitalising our scholarship.

Recovering from quinoa: regenerative agricultural research in Bolivia

ABSTRACT Our objective was to research ways to introduce regenerative agriculture into the fragile landscape of the Southern Altiplano of Bolivia. The quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) boom (2010–2014) had stimulated farmers to clear large areas of native vegetation: a climax community of shrubs, grasses and cacti. Most fields were soon abandoned, and native plants did not grow back spontaneously. Wind was rapidly eroding the sandy soils. Botanical exploration, informed by local knowledge, discovered species and ecotypes of wild plants, especially shrubs, legumes, grasses and cacti that could be grown as intercrops and as live barriers to control erosion. These plants were evaluated in farmers’ fields, using participatory research. New varieties of quinoa were developed by conventional plant breeding. Researchers learned to grow wild shrubs and grasses in live barriers, to control soil erosion. Wild, native lupines were cultivated for the first time, to use as cover crops. Native cacti were grown in nurseries to encourage farmers to plant them near fields. The new quinoa varieties were better adapted to the local environment. We conclude that this innovative, broad-spectrum research agenda is a kind of plant breeding at the level of the whole landscape. These multiple lines of research are important for developing a diverse, integrated, regenerative agriculture.

Diversification increases the resilience of European grassland‐based systems but is not a one‐size‐fits‐all strategy

AbstractDiversification of grassland‐based systems is highly valued in agroecology, organic farming and other forms of regenerative agriculture. For lowlands, mountain and Mediterranean areas, we illustrate that diversification of grassland types, livestock species, products and farm labour allows coping with market, climatic and workforce‐related risks. However, diversification is not a one‐size‐fits‐all strategy and the type of diversification strategy should be adapted according to socio‐economic, structural, technical and pedoclimatic conditions of each farm. Farmers' technical skills and ability to re‐organise and monitor the system must be considered to avoid ineffectiveness of the diversified system. Moreover, it is essential to account for site‐specific conditions so that the ecological processes to be optimised can provide the expected benefits. Diversification occurs on different levels, from grassland management to the entire farm activity. There may be trade‐offs among these different levels impairing grassland ecosystem services. For instance, if diversification of farm activities dilutes the workforce, simplified grassland management can lead to the loss of vegetation communities of high ecological value. In contrast, case‐adapted diversification benefits from local opportunities, available resources and external supports to secure the system and favour sustainable resource management. Diversification thereby preserves grassland ecosystem services and enhances farm socio‐economic resilience to withstand perturbations.

‘Regenerative’ Social Innovation for European Rural Regions? Lessons from Regenerative Farming

The paper aims at positioning regenerative agriculture within the theoretical discussions on rural social innovations. By analysing the concept and practices of regeneration it argues that there is an emerging shift towards grassroots rural initiatives which re-imagine farming and food production as socio-ecologically embedded processes which encourage shared societal responsibility for resources use and food production. Moreover, the paper argues that these processes can suggest a path to rural social innovation that rethinks the mainstream concepts of development and growth, offering epistemological transitions to non-extractivist economies and production systems.

The potential of regenerative agriculture to improve soil health on Gotland, Sweden

AbstractBackgroundRegenerative agriculture has gained attention in mainstream media, academic literature, and international politics in recent years. While many practices and outcomes relate to RA, there is no uniform definition of the term, and only a few comprehensive scientific studies exist of “real‐life” farms and the complexity of what is considered regenerative management and its impact on soil health.AimsThis study aimed to relate the impact of single and various combinations of regenerative management practices to soil health indicators on Gotland, Sweden.MethodsSoil health of 17 farm fields and six gardens was assessed on 11 farms that had applied regenerative agricultural practices for zero to 30 years. We measured a variety of physical (bulk density, infiltration rate, wet aggregate stability, root depth and abundance, penetration resistance), chemical (pH, electric conductivity, C:N ratio, total organic carbon) and biological (earthworm abundance, active carbon, microbial biomass carbon) soil indicators. These parameters were related to regenerative practices (reduced tillage, application of organic matter, livestock integration, crop diversity, and share of legumes and perennials) through a combination of hierarchical clustering, Analysis of Variance and Tukey's tests, principal component analysis, and multiple linear regressions.ResultsAt our study sites, the application of organic matter had a positive impact on bulk density, carbon‐related parameters, wet aggregate stability, and infiltration rate, while reduced tillage and increased share of perennials combined had a positive impact on vegetation density, root abundance and depth, and wet aggregate stability. The field plots were divided into four clusters according to their management, and we found significantly higher values of total organic carbon (*), C:N (*), infiltration rate (**), and earthworm abundance (*) for crop‐high‐org‐input, the management cluster with highest values of organic matter application and no tillage. We found significantly higher values of vegetation density (***) and root abundance (**) for perm‐cover‐livestock, the cluster with no tillage, integration of livestocks, and permanent cover (*** p < 0.001, ** p < 0.01, *p < 0.05, °p < 0.1).ConclusionsWe support existing knowledge on positive impacts of regenerative practices, namely, the addition of organic amendment that improved carbon‐related parameters, as well as the positive effects on soil structure of reduced tillage in combination with an increased share of perennials. We argue for an outcome‐based, and principle‐led concept of regenerative agriculture as a context‐dependent agricultural approach.

Electrochemical Sensor Mediated Assessment of Carbonate Moieties in Soil Matrix

Carbon sequestration is a major global phenomenon that is particularly relevant now with the effect of climate change monitoring and regenerative agriculture. It refers to different practices that contribute to the absorption and storage of carbon in the soil. While the impact of sequestration of carbon is majorly from organic sources, the effect from soil inorganic carbon accumulation is not trivial especially in arid and semi-arid regions where the inorganic carbon (IC) share in sequestration is significant. Movement of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) into soil resources via photosynthesis and root respiration with the subsequent formation of bicarbonate in soil, which exists as bicarbonate in solution phase in groundwater sources or precipitates into CaCO3 in soil phase. Current soil carbon monitoring is either based on extensive soil sampling for analyzing in the laboratory or using proximal sensing methods, which are less accurate. Thus, implementation of novel soil sensors for accurate in-situ measurements could fundamentally improve soil carbon assessment and monitoring. Comparatively, the level and depth of assessing inorganic carbon in soil is significantly lower than that of soil organic carbon (SOC) monitoring. Electrochemistry as a transduction mode is highly viable in this regard due to its ease of applicability in various environments including the complex-soil matrix is a vital component that holds together the Earth’s ecosystem. The key mechanism of releasing the inorganic carbon relies on capturing the different pools that encompass the inorganic/ mineral carbon in soil including- carbonate ions in soil from Calcium (Calcite) which is the major pool of the IC in soil contributing to around 90% of this source and Magnesium (Dolomite). The other minor fraction that is present in the IC pool arises from Bicarbonates (HCO3-).In this sensor development study, we have designed a modified 3-electrode system which is functionalized with a correlated ion-capture film that is functional to changes in carbonate moieties in the soil electrolyte test system. Then this composite sensor was introduced into test soil setups with varying carbonate content to measure the sensor response- wherein, cyclic voltammetry (DC based) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy was used to determine signal output as a function of increasing dose. It was seen that the peak current around 0.4-0.5V on the positive axis was modulated to increase with carbonate content (% or ppm) and correspondingly- changes in the Rct (charge-transfer resistance) and Zw (Warburg impedance) along with the capacitive element shift was noticeable in the EIS spectra. The experimental cycle was performed using an in-house designed portable potentiostat device which was integrated into a probe head setup that could be inserted into soil for testing. The results from these experiments yielded linearity metrics from regression fits as R2 > 0.97 and measurable sensing range from 0.01% (100 ppm) to 1% (10,000 ppm). Therefore, a first-of-a-kind sensor system was developed for determining carbonate content in real soil samples using an electrochemical mode which will be subsequently tested in-field to survey field deployable and point-of-use capability of the system. Figure 1

Gejala Produktivitas Rendah dan Pertanian Degeneratif

Agronomy examines complex agricultural production concepts such as Sustainable Agriculture, Good Agricultural Practices, Regenerative Agriculture into the best practical technologies that farmers can apply. Important agronomic variables in agricultural cultivation include production and productivity. Plant productivity is influenced by many interacting factors. This paper aims to examine the symptoms of decreased productivity and symptoms of degenerative agriculture. The decline in production and productivity that continues in the long term indicates a degenerative agro-ecosystem. Degenerative agriculture is an agricultural practice that causes productivity to continue to decline as a result of a decrease in the carrying capacity of agro-ecosystems, including soil, plants and other flora, fauna, microbes, climate and society. The decrease in the carrying capacity of the soil is shown, among others, by land degradation, a decrease in soil organism diversity and activity, declining of organic matter content and the availability of nutrients in the soil due to nutrient depletion transported by harvest, erosion and inappropriate cultivation practices. In addition, it will discuss the factors driving the degenerative agroecosystem that interact with each other. These factors include land degradation, decreased biodiversity, continuous planting of varieties and species of plants, use of chemical inputs, pest and disease attacks, and climate change. Mitigating these factors means choosing a path to regenerative agriculture. Key words : Agroecosystem, biodiversity, degenerative, sustainable, regenerative, productivity