Sustainability is a term we encounter with increasing frequency, but what does it truly mean? At its most basic level, sustainability describes a process that meets present needs while ensuring that future generations will also be able to meet theirs by adopting similar methods. While the concept can apply to many human endeavors, farming is the context in which the word is most often used.
Yet sustainability in farming is not always well understood. For example, American farms produce food on one of the largest and most successful scales in the world, year after year — so why do many argue that this system is not “sustainable”?
To answer, we must first look at biology. Successful plant growth requires sunlight, water, and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. In modern industrial farming, nitrogen and phosphorus are supplied directly to crops through chemical fertilizers. These fertilizers are extremely effective — However they meet criticism sustainability.
Chemical fertilizers bypass natural biological processes — specifically the relationship between plant roots and the microbes that thrive in the richest, most fertile soils. In a non-chemically fertilized system, plant roots release carbohydrates that microbes consume. In return, microbes supply plants with essential nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus.
When chemical fertilizers are introduced, this relationship breaks down. Plants no longer need the microbes for nutrients, and thus they provide no carbohydrates to them. Starved of energy, microbes cannot perform their basic life functions, including producing organic waste or breaking down into “necromass” after death. Their necromass, often referred to as “new soil,” is a crucial component of fertile, living earth.
This cycle of microbial activity and necromass production is what differentiates industrial agriculture from what is often called “organic” or “regenerative” farming. In regenerative systems, old biomass and necromass continually replenish the soil, creating fresh, nutrient-rich, and biologically active ground year after year.
But if industrialized farms can still produce abundant harvests, why is regenerative farming necessary? The answer is that regenerative farming is not only essential for healthy crops — it is essential for the health of the planet.
While certain crops can indeed be grown without soil (as in hydroponic farming), soil itself is an irreplaceable part of Earth’s ecosystem. As the foundation of the pedosphere, soil supports terrestrial life in countless ways. It houses organisms that sustain both plant and animal life, retains moisture vital for survival, helps regulate global climate, balances carbon dioxide levels, and prevent deserts from spreading into fertile regions.
Thus, when we speak of sustainability in farming, we are talking about far more than food production. We are talking about the health of the entire planet. Current industrial methods, while efficient at producing food, disrupt a critical cycle of soil regeneration. That cycle is what preserves water, sustains wildlife, and moderates the climate itself.
For more on regenerative farming techniques — and the rediscovery and reapplication of these ancient, natural methods — Upton Tea Imports invites you to visit Finca Luna Nueva, a regenerative enclave in San Isidro de Peñas Blancas, La Fortuna de San Carlos, Alajuela, Costa Rica. Our ally at the forefront of sustainable agriculture, Finca Luna Nueva works to ensure a future of nutritious food, clean air, and Pura Vida for all.