Analysis of Regenerative Agriculture Practices on Soil and Energy

• Main Author: Paul Joseph Hill 1994-
• Other Authors: Háskóli Íslands
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Umhverfis- og auðlindafræði; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1946/44534

This study is a baseline quantification of soil chemical and physical properties and the energy return on investment (EROI) of a regenerative agriculture farm in southwest Iceland. It examines basic indicators of agricultural soil quality and food energy exported from the farm relative to energy inputs. Regenerative agriculture (RA) refers to agricultural practices, such as reduced use of synthetic fertilizer, no-tilling and steered grazing of farm animals, aimed at improving the health of degraded soils and in turn increasing water quality, soil organic carbon (hence sequestering carbon), crop production and water retention. Soil samples were taken from a RA site and a non-RA site and analyzed for their chemical and physical properties. Energy return on investment was found to be 0.24, an increase of 23% from 2019 to 2021. Analysis of chemical and physical properties of the soil revealed that all samples are within healthy ranges. There were significant differences in the trace cation levels (Al3+, Fe3+ and Mn2+), pH of the soil and pH versus C:N ration between the two locations tested, but no other significant differences were found. This study thus finds that regenerative agricultural practices are healthy for the soil and provide an increased EROI from conventional agriculture. As global food demand increases and peak oil and phosphate production has passed, conventional farming has become more expensive, due to high fertilizer prices, as well as being detrimental to the environment. Regenerative agriculture practices show promise for a more sustainable future. Þessi rannsókn er grunnmagngreining á efna- og eðlisfræðilegum eiginleikum jarðvegs og orkuarðsemi (EROI) auðgandi landbúnaðarbús á Suðvesturlandi. Í rannsókninni greini ég grunnvísa um gæði landbúnaðarjarðvegs og matvælaorku sem flutt er út frá býli miðað við orkuinntak. Auðgandi landbúnaður (RA) vísar til landbúnaðaraðferða, svo sem minni notkunar á tilbúnum áburði, engrar notkunar plóga og stýrðrar beitar búdýra, sem miðar að því að bæta gæði ...