How can soil be improved through regenerative agriculture?
We can effectively reduce carbon dioxide in the air by practising regenerative agriculture while increasing the carbon content of our land. It's important to note that when farming practices are designed to achieve this, biology is used to achieve results.
Work done with power tools is the obligatory evil, so efforts should be made to reduce these processes. It is necessary to go from minimum tilling (maximum depth of 8 cm) to tilling only at sowing (the drill only opens the seed trench and then closes it back after seed placement, this is no-till technology).
Briefly about regenerative agriculture
Regenerative agriculture builds on natural processes, a system of management principles and practices that increases biodiversity, promotes soil organic matter and improves water balance.
This approach minimises soil disturbance, promotes the natural incorporation of organic matter and reduces the use of chemicals.
Regenerative agriculture not only improves the health of farmlandbut also contributes to climate change mitigation by increasing the efficiency of carbon sequestration while producing healthy food in a sustainable way.
The meaning of regenerative agriculture is therefore restoring natural ecological processes and maintenance of agricultural activities in order to develop a sustainable and healthy system for the long term.
The urgent need to restore balance
Hans Joachim Schellnhuber's model also highlights the critical situation that calls for the urgent regeneration of the earth's carbon sponge. This carbon sponge plays a key role in regulating water cycles, which, together with aridification, also known as desertification, are the main drivers of climate change.
Broken water cycles contribute to the worsening of climate change, which we could increasingly experience in Hungary in 2024. Severe drought is becoming increasingly difficult to reverse, so we give priority to it is important to act as soon as possible, and start working from workable models.
Attila Kökény, an expert on soil renewal practices in Hungary, also writes about this several very well put together articles.
A regenerative agriculture follows the patterns of nature, correct application increases the organic matter content of the soil and improves its water balance. Based on years of experience at home and abroad, it makes sense to move towards good agricultural practice.
Intensive tillage is extremely damaging, and even with significant amounts of organic fertiliser it is not effective in increasing soil carbon. I mention this because many people are still under the misconception that they are improving their soil by ploughing up animal manure, and that is why they insist on this bad practice. Moreover, the amount of available organic manure is already very low due to the decline in livestock production.
It is important to understand that the soil can be improved by the biota it contains. However, ploughing is severely destroying this habitat. For example, fungi are particularly sensitive to ploughing. Carbon sequestration, i.e. soil improvement, cannot take place without microbial activity. Only after a certain level of species richness and single species density has been reached, soil regeneration will start.

The role of soil microbial life in carbon sequestration
In regenerative agriculture, there are several methods to help soil regeneration, such as holistic grazing and holistic management. These techniques not only support soil health but also increase carbon sequestration, contributing to more sustainable agricultural systems.
There are well-defined relationships between the six different identifiable components in soil, which are synthesised and regulated by soil microbial activity. From this close relationship it is easy to understand that the intensity, efficiency and amount of carbon sequestration directly depends on the presence and activity of microbial populations.
As microbial activity increases, soil health and fertility improve, leading to sustainable farming systems in the long term.
The figure below illustrates that decomposing and undecomposing organic matter makes up the bulk of soil organic matter. Soil improvement and the incorporation of organic matter is most stimulated by a greater and more diverse microbial life. And for them, the most important factor is water-soluble organic carbon, such as sugar, at the bottom of the list.

Stable soil organic matter and nutrient ratios
The stable organic matter content in soil is formed from unstable organic matter that decomposes over time. The root mass of perennial crops such as trees is much smaller per hectare than that of grasses or, in our case, annual crops.
Trees are perennials, so their roots do not decompose every year, unlike annuals. As a consequence organic matter is fixed in trees rather than returned to the soil, which explains why the organic matter content of grasslands is higher than that of forests.
Soils with high organic matter content have excellent cation exchange capacity, which makes it easier for plants to take up nutrients. Although this type of test is less common in Hungary, knowing the quality of the soil, the cation exchange capacity can be roughly determined based on certain rules of thumb. For example:
- Sandy loam: 4-8 mgee/100 g
- Loam: 9-16 mgee/100 g
- Clay soil: 16+ mgee/100 g
Adequate levels and ratios of calcium, magnesium and potassium are essential to maintain soil nutrient balance. Magnesium contracts soil particles, while calcium has the opposite effect. Therefore sandy soils need more magnesium, while in clay soils a higher calcium ratio is more favourable. For example:
Ideal Ca:Mg ratio:
- Sandy soil: 4-5:1
- Loam soil: 7:1
- Clay soil: an even higher calcium ratio is needed
Ideal Ca:K ratio:
- Loam soil: 14:1
Ideal Ca:Mg:K cation ratio:
- Sandy soil: 65:18:4
- Loam: 70:12:4
- Clay soil: 76:10:4
Knowing these ratios is key to choosing the right soil improvement methods. Missing nutrients are often supplied by biological methods, usually in liquid form.
In most cases of conventional farming, solid fertiliser is spread by a fertiliser spreader and worked into the soil by a machine. This is possible with minimum tillage, but not with no-till. This is a minor disadvantage, but it outweighs the many advantages of the system.
The nitrogen - as our most important element - depends on whether the soil life is shifted towards fungal or bacterial: ammonium (fungi) or nitrate (bacteria). Fertilisers are typically nitrate-based and overuse inhibits fungal growth. Too high a dose can be detrimental to soil life, so it is best to apply nitrogen in smaller doses, several times. In general, a dose of 30 kg/ha is still acceptable.
The other two macroelements are, 200 mg/kg for phosphorus and potassium may be a realistic target for farmers.
In addition to soil testing, there are now several options available for mid-year assessment of plant condition and correction of possible errors, such as NDVI (normalised vegetation index), leaf sample analysis and plant sap analysis.

The key to healthy soils: regenerative agriculture
By increasing soil organic matter and supporting microbial life we can create a sustainable system that ensures the long-term health of agricultural land. This not only makes our crops more resilient and nutritious, but also makes our food healthier.
Organisations supporting such efforts, such as the Soil Restoration Farmers Association, play an important role in the dissemination and use of regenerative practices by farmers.
The decision and the action are in our hands.