Regenerative agriculture uses the natural dynamics of an ecosystem to repair soil or maintain fertility, resist pests and disease, and provide high yields. There is also an emphasis on fully utilizing the natural resources on a farm (rain, sun, soil nutrients) in a semi-closed nutrient cycle so that less external inputs (fertilizer, pesticides, etc.) need to be used for production. Because these systems are often more complex and intensive than traditional agriculture, they are most often used by small farmers. Examples of regenerative agriculture practices include intensive grazing (grazing animals on small parcels for short periods of time, and then moving them to other parcels) and traditional highland Vietnamese farming (food scraps go in the pond to feed the fish, biomass from the pond feeds the pigs, pig manure fertilizes the garden).
Source: Hellwinckel, C. and De La Torre Ugarte, D. (n.d.). Peak Oil and the Necessity of Transitioning to Regenerative Agriculture. Retrieved from http://www.farmfoundation.biz/news/articlefiles/1718-Hellwinckel%20and%20De%20La%20Torre%20Ugarte.pdf%5Bfrom the Food Systems Wiki Glossary http://foodglossary.pbworks.com/w/page/101088250/Regenerative%20Agriculture ]
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