Abstract:
Regenerative agriculture has gained attention as a holistic approach to farming that prioritizes environmental and public health outcomes while reducing adverse outcomes associated with conventional, industrialized agriculture. A primary goal of regenerative agriculture is to improve soil health through practices such as minimizing soil disturbance and increasing soil organic matter. Although improving soil health is assumed to improve the nutritional content and health benefits of crops, such as those that come from phytochemicals and micronutrients, the relationships by which soil and environmental conditions impact food’s nutrient density are not fully understood. This preliminary study aims to contribute insights into how soil health impacts nutrient and phytochemical density of produce, and ultimately human nutrition. This study first investigates four plots farmed regeneratively for different lengths of time. This diverse time horizon produced a spectrum of soil health scores in which we grew two crops, Beta vulgaris (Swiss chard) and Phaseolus vulgaris (beans). These crops were harvested and analyzed for their mineral and phytochemical concentrations. These results were combined with soil health scores to test the hypothesized relationship between nutrient/phytochemical density and soil health. Results for both minerals and phytochemicals were mixed, with some non-associations found in Swiss chard and beans, and some positive or negative relationships with soil health score. These findings suggest four potential mechanisms worthy of further investigation.
Regenerative agriculture has gained attention as a holistic approach to farming that prioritizes environmental and public health outcomes while reducing adverse outcomes associated with conventional, industrialized agriculture. A primary goal of regenerative agriculture is to improve soil health through practices such as minimizing soil disturbance and increasing soil organic matter. Although improving soil health is assumed to improve the nutritional content and health benefits of crops, such as those that come from phytochemicals and micronutrients, the relationships by which soil and environmental conditions impact food’s nutrient density are not fully understood. This preliminary study aims to contribute insights into how soil health impacts nutrient and phytochemical density of produce, and ultimately human nutrition. This study first investigates four plots farmed regeneratively for different lengths of time. This diverse time horizon produced a spectrum of soil health scores in which we grew two crops, Beta vulgaris (Swiss chard) and Phaseolus vulgaris (beans). These crops were harvested and analyzed for their mineral and phytochemical concentrations. These results were combined with soil health scores to test the hypothesized relationship between nutrient/phytochemical density and soil health. Results for both minerals and phytochemicals were mixed, with some non-associations found in Swiss chard and beans, and some positive or negative relationships with soil health score. These findings suggest four potential mechanisms worthy of further investigation.