Development and demonstration of a reduced tillage system aiming regenerative agriculture optimised for organic farming using cover and catch crops in an on-farm experiment
Regenerative agriculture aims to increase the humus content of the soil, improve its structure and the functioning of soil ecosystem, and consequently improve its water management properties, by reducing soil disturbance, by providing permanent soil cover, by maintaining a living root system in the soil, by creating appropriate agro-biodiversity and by integrating livestock production. In this respect, the regenerative agriculture and organic farming movements agree on the central role of soil fertility and soil life.
Soil has been at the heart of organic farming from the beginning, that is why it is strait forward that regenerative farming practices compatible with organic principles should be incorporated into organic farming as widely as possible.
The truly committed organic farmers are increasingly using regenerative practices, such as using cover crops, soil loosening instead of ploughing, or the conscious use of soil-building plants, thus moving even further towards sustainable agriculture. However, when introducing regenerative organic farming, farmers face a number of challenges. These include the cultivation of cover crops, especially in drought years, and their mechanical termination without ploughing. It is also a challenge to manage weed control and nutrient management in addition to reduced tillage.
The aim of our research is to develop and demonstrate a reduced tillage system aiming regenerative agriculture optimised for organic farming using cover and catch crops in an on-farm experiment. The expected overall outcome is an even wider adoption of regenerative agriculture in organic farms.
Activities
Setting up on-farm experiments under real organic farming conditions on the application of regenerative agriculture practices, with particular emphasis on the optimisation of agrotechnology (tillage, cover crops, intercropping, weed control, nutrient replenishment).
Investigating the effects of regenerative organic farming on soil moisture, soil texture, nutrient management and biology, the presence of pests, and crop quantity and quality.
The experiment will be carried out under field conditions, mainly in the experimental fieldnear Szár, on pairs of plots from our former tillage experiments, with a view to observing long-term changes, and will also be set up on farms in other regions.
Expected results
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