Home Institution
Colorado State University
Publication Date
Fall 2022
Abstract
Context: Regenerative agriculture is a farming approach that uses soil health as the entry point to contribute to multiple objectives, such as improved nutrient cycling and climate regulation. Farmers can apply different practices to reach these objectives. The objectives and practices, however, are not equally relevant or applicable for farming systems on island ecosystems and the local context.
Objectives: The main objective of this paper, therefore, is to find out how solutions towards regenerative agriculture can be identified and evaluated as such that they result in meaningful advice for farmers on island ecosystems in order to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Methods: In this study, a well-established modeling framework to redesign farming systems is applied to three typical but diverse Azorean farming systems. The modeling framework combined the regenerative models of Shrefeefel et al. to create an innovative and equally applicable model for farms on island ecosystems. The modeling framework covered a crop farm on andisoil, a dairy farm on andisoil, and a mixed farm on rocky soil. A multitude of solutions is subsequently composed of combinations of practices for these farming systems, each showing solutions that contributed in varying degrees towards the objectives of regenerative agriculture and climate change mitigation.
Disciplines
Agriculture | Biodiversity | Climate | Human Ecology | Place and Environment | Soil Science | Sustainability
Recommended Citation
Hunter, Mya, "Regenerative Agriculture Framework for Island Ecosystems Using São Miguel as a Case Study" (2022). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 3518.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/3518
Included in
Agriculture Commons, Biodiversity Commons, Climate Commons, Human Ecology Commons, Place and Environment Commons, Soil Science Commons, Sustainability Commons
Program Name
Portugal: Sustainability and Environmental Justice