The Prince of Wales has endorsed efforts in the United Kingdom to transition to a more regenerative farming model. Prince Charles spoke at the 22nd World Congress of Soil Science in Glasgow on Thursday (4 August), describing soil as an asset that is all too easily “overlooked, degraded, and polluted.”
Prince Charles stated that farmers everywhere were facing enormous challenges due to increased input costs, particularly nitrogen fertiliser, and that it was critical that they knew the status of their own soils and enhanced their structure and carbon content.
Soil utilisation required a solid understanding of both classic natural sciences and more new techniques and information technologies.
However, Prince Charles also praised the role of field-led innovation, citing the Soil Association’s Innovative Farmers Initiative, which encouraged peer-to-peer expertise and emphasised the value of on-farm trials.
One of their most inspiring projects to date, according to Prince Charles, is living mulches, which studies the possibility for arable farmers to supply a food crop while employing a cover mulch.
Farmers can simultaneously fix nitrogen and develop soil fertility without tillage or synthetic inputs, retain more carbon, and reduce production costs by using a pollen and nectar combination to encourage beneficial insects.
He favours regenerative agriculture, which includes a variety of plants and grazing cattle, as well as the replacement of lost organic matter through the use of legumes, cover crops, and mulches.
He believes that with rigorous management and genuine care, it should be feasible to restore part of the 40-60% organic matter that croplands have already lost.
Read More: Truly Graceful and Regenerative
