Regenerative and other types of viticulture Flashcards
How does regenerative agriculture differ from organic farming?
- Organic = “Don’t do harm” (by avoiding synthetics).
- Regenerative = “Do good” (by actively restoring the land).
They can definitely overlap — many regenerative farms are organic, but not all organic farms are regenerative.
Organic Agriculture
Main Focus:
Avoiding synthetic inputs and promoting natural processes.
Core Principles:
- No synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers.
- No genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
- Emphasis on crop rotation, compost, and biological pest control.
- Certification standards (like USDA Organic) define what’s allowed.
Goal:
Produce food in a way that reduces harm to the environment and human health.
** Regenerative Agriculture**
Main Focus:
Improving the health of the entire ecosystem — especially soil health and carbon sequestration.
Core Practices:
- Minimal soil disturbance (no-till or low-till).
- Cover cropping to protect and enrich the soil.
- Integrating animals for natural fertilization and grazing.
- Agroforestry and polyculture systems.
- Focus on increasing biodiversity and water retention.
Goal:
Restore and regenerate ecosystems, draw down atmospheric carbon, and create resilient farming systems.
How does regenerative viticulture help fight climate change?
By sequestering carbon
How does regenerative viticulture make the system more resistant to climate change?
By improving the overall health of the vineyard agroecosystem
What are the advantages of regenerative viticulture?
Soils are rehabilitated, carbon is sequestered, vineyards become more resilient, biodiversity improves, and grape growers’ lives improve
What are the disadvantages of regenerative viticulture?
It’s not legally defined, growers need to experiment, results take time, producers cannot rely on inputs, and certifications cost money
What can be a barrier to adopting regenerative viticulture?
The cost of certifications
What is a core tenet of regenerative viticulture?
Soil health
What is regenerative agriculture?
A holistic method of farming that aims to continually improve environmental, social, and economic measures
Regenerative viticulture: What is the benefit of adding compost to the soil?
It increases organic matter and replaces nutrients
Regenerative viticulture: What is the impact of limiting tilling on soils?
Soils sequester carbon rather than releasing it into the atmosphere
What is the importance of cover crops in regenerative viticulture?
They prevent erosion and reduce water loss
Regenerative viticulture: What is the relationship between mycorrhizal fungi and plants?
They form symbiotic relationships that allow plants to better absorb essential elements like phosphorous, nitrogen and water.
Regenerative viticulture: What controls can animals provide in vineyards?
They can create natural controls for vineyard pests
What perspective do regenerative grape growers have on their vineyards?
They view their vineyards as agroecosystems
Regenerative viticulture: What role do healthy soils play in a functioning ecosystem?
They are packed with water, nutrients, and biodiversity
Who coined the term regenerative agriculture?
The Rodale Institute in the 1980s
Why do regenerative grape growers limit tilling and irrigation?
To build up biodiversity, carbon, and pathways for connections
Why is biodiversity essential to a functioning agroecosystem?
It improves the health of the entire vineyard
Why might claims by grape growers about regenerative viticulture be exaggerated?
Because it’s not legally defined
A core tenet of regenerative viticulture
soil health, because are packed with water, nutrients and biodiversity. Many of the organisms that live in soil have evolved mutually beneficial relationships that can improve the quality of water, vegetation and the productivity of a site.
Regenerative grape growers view their vineyards as…..
Agroecosystems or ecosystems that have been modified for agriculture. This shift in perspective encourages grape growers to create functioning ecosystems, rather than a system that only meets the needs of one crop, as in monoculture. When an agroecosystem is fully functioning, the system’s needs are met naturally, so inputs like fertilizers are significantly reduced.
Biodynamic: what are preparations 502-508
Biodynaicm grape growers believe biodynamic composts need to be ‘activated’ by a series of started added in tiny quantities (yarrow, chamomile, nettle, oak bark, dandelion or valerian). Yarrow is buried in a deer’s bladder.
What is ashing in biodynamic vitculture?
Spreading the ashes of burnt weed seeds or harmful animals (e.g. rats or sparrows) on the vineyards to ward
off these hazards.
What is the active chemical in RoundUp
Glysophate
