GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - A Regenerative Land Management Course was presented by Mohair SA in Graaff-Reinet from 20 to 24 October and was attended by two local farmers, together with Mohair SA's farmer liaison manager, Karla Esterhuyse. 

The training combined theory and practical fieldwork and attendees explored ways to improve veld health, strengthen grazing systems, and rebuild soil through natural processes. 

Through this initiative, Mohair SA aims to empower farmers through education and collaboration to work towards a more regenerative, resilient mohair industry.

Regenerative farming

Regenerative farming goes beyond production - it’s about restoring soil health, improving biodiversity, and creating resilient farming systems for generations to come.

This holistic approach to agriculture focuses on restoring soil health and ecosystems, rather than just sustaining them. 

It works with natural processes to improve biodiversity, water management, and carbon sequestration, while reducing or eliminating synthetic chemical inputs.

Practices include no-till farming, cover cropping, crop rotation, and integrating livestock to heal the land and build long-term resilience.

Biodiversity

Regenerative management increases biodiversity. 

By avoiding harsh chemicals and using diverse crops, farms become hubs for beneficial insects, pollinators and other wildlife. 

This way of farming manages water cycles, where healthy soil with good structure absorbs and retains water more effectively, which helps mitigate drought and flooding. 

Practices like minimising tillage and keeping soil covered help capture atmospheric carbon and store it in the soil, assisting in fighting climate change.

Methods

Regenerative land management works holistically with nature. It mimics natural processes and aims to reverse environmental degradation, making farms more resilient to climate impacts.

The key practices of regenerative land management are:

• No-till farming, which minimises soil disturbance to protect its structure and the micro-organisms living within it
• Cover-cropping, where non-cash crops are planted between main crops to prevent soil erosion, improve soil health, and suppress weeds
• Crop rotation, where different crops are planted in the same field in a planned sequence, which assists in restoring soil fertility and break pest cycles.
• The integration of livestock to graze pastures assists with the fertilisation of soil and creates a management system by means of vegetation

A step further

While conventional methods uses synthetic inputs and organic farming, which avoids synthetic chemicals, is more sustainable, regenerative farming goes further by actively restoring and improving the land's ecosystem. 

Rather than just preventing harm, regenerative farming focuses on building a self-sustaining system.

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