Regenerative Agriculture and Sustainable Plant Protection: Enhancing Resilience Through Natural Strategies

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Environmental Science
• Ecology

Background:

• Global food, environmental, and human security issues are exacerbated by an overburdened agricultural sector.
• Conventional agriculture, particularly monoculture, meets demands but causes resource depletion and environmental damage, especially in developing regions.
• Regenerative agriculture presents a solution to enhance food production, protect the environment, and promote social equity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the principles and practices of sustainable plant protection in regenerative farming.
• To highlight the role of biological and ecological processes, reduced non-renewable inputs, and traditional knowledge in pest control.
• To provide strategies for transitioning from conventional integrated pest management (IPM) to agro-ecological crop protection.

Main Methods:

• Focus on systemic approaches to agroecosystem design.
• Emphasis on biological and ecological processes for pest control.
• Integration of traditional ecological knowledge and diverse, appropriate pest control methods.

Main Results:

• Regenerative agriculture aims to restore soils, forests, waterways, and the atmosphere.
• It seeks to minimize offsite environmental and social impacts.
• The review advocates for a wide array of culturally, mechanistically, physically, and biologically suitable pest control methods.

Conclusions:

• Regenerative agriculture promotes ecological, economic, and social sustainability.
• Transitioning to agro-ecological crop protection is essential for resilient agricultural practices.
• The approach fosters more controlled and sustainable food production for the future.