6 Principles of Regenerative Agriculture

The cultivation of wine grapes is fraught with difficulties. Extremes in climate, such as heat and diminishing water resources, are already placing strain on the business. Consumer concerns about the grape cultivation process are putting producers under pressure.

1. Balancing Soil Nutrition Limitations

Input Balancers are important where “in a system that is trying to mimic a natural ecosystem, all nutritional inputs into that system should be organic (non-synthetic) and biological (Smith et al., 2018, p.20).

Furthermore, Plant Balancers make use of “a diverse group of plants from as many plant families as possible was the best way to balance out any nutritional issues” (p.20).

2. Keeping the Soil Covered

Cover crops increase water penetration in the soil by opening pores and tiny channels. They contribute by producing organic matter.

“In most undisturbed natural ecosystems, the soil has some sort of cover. This could be living plants, or it could be decaying plant material. Either way, the soil’s default mechanism is to have some sort of cover” (p. 21).

3. Minimizing Soil Disturbance (Cultivation)

“Excessive cultivation destroys soil aggregates, significantly decreases water infiltration rates, and accelerates the breakdown of SOM (soil organic matter)” (p. 22).

4. Increasing Plant and Microbial Diversity

“To help build resilience in soil a diverse range of plant species is needed above the ground to cultivate a diverse microbial ecosystem below the ground.” (p. 25)

5. Incorporating Living Roots into the Farming System all Year Round

“Living plants are the key to building up the diverse soil microbial community and building soil capacity through soil organic carbon storage” (p. 26)

6. Integrating and Managing Livestock

“There is great potential with animals to accelerate soil health and regeneration through planned strategic grazing management” (pg26)

For further reading, visit:

• Taking a regenerative approach to managing your orchard or vineyard – Marlborough was once a province with diverse land use but now there are only 26,000 hectares of vineyard. Vines have brought a lot of wealth into the province but also, a loss of diversity.
• Regenerative Agriculture White Paper Sets Out Pressing Research Priorities – A new white paper sets out 17 priority research topics identified by 200+ representatives of New Zealand’s agri-food system.
• Minimise Soil Disturbance Australian Government fact sheet outlining soil disturbance.
• Pinot Noir New Zealand – allows exploration of the characteristics of wine agriculture by region in New Zealand.