Regenerative agriculture has many positive aspects. One of the main strengths is reduced tillage, which preserves the soil, and year-round ground cover, which protects its from erosion.
Learn moreA modern type of land use, where perennial woody plants are combined with arable crops and even animal husbandry in one area.
Learn moreBiocapacity refers to the ability of ecosystems to produce biologically beneficial material and to absorb waste materials produced by humans.
Learn moreBiodiversity corresponds to the biological diversity of different species, genes and ecosystems.
Learn moreBiomass is the total amount of organic substances that can store CO2 and thus act as a carbon sink.
Learn moreCO2 is the chemical formula for the molecule carbon dioxide, which consists of one carbon and two oxygen atoms.
Learn moreThe term CO2 budget or carbon budget refers to the total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that can be emitted in order to stay within a threshold of global warming (such as limiting the rise in global surface temperatures to 1.5°C as set out by the Paris Agreement).
Learn moreThe Carbon Disclosure Project is an independent and non-commercial organization founded in 2020.
Learn moreCarbon credits are permits, which allow the holder of the permit to emit one ton of carbon dioxide or one ton of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Learn moreThere is a continuous, natural exchange of carbon between the atmosphere, water bodies, living organisms, rocks and soil. However, anthropogenic activities such burning fossil fuels, forest clearing, and intensive land cultivation negatively impact this cycle by releasing too much CO2 into the atmosphere.
Learn moreCarbon dioxide equivalent is a measure used to compare the different greenhouse gas emissions based on their global warming potential (i.e., the amount of time of a greenhouse gas remains active in the atmosphere, calculated over a period of 100 years).
Learn moreThe carbon footprint provides a measuring unit of the amount of CO2 emissions that a person, company or organization produces in a given period of time.
Learn moreThe carbon market refers to the market on which carbon credits/carbon certificates can be purchased and sold, also called carbon trading.
Learn moreCarbon offsetting consists of any activity or processes that seek to compensate for the emissions of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases, by participating in programs that reduce emissions elsewhere (e.g., through regenerative agriculture).
Learn moreA variety of carbon standards exist including the Gold Standard, Verra Standard & TÜV Standard, which set guidelines and principles for a variety of carbon offsetting projects and provide a transparent and credible certification for them. Find out more under carbon offsetting.
Learn moreCarbon storage captures CO2 over the long term and thus reduces the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Learn moreA carbon tax is a fee imposed on polluters such as companies and/or individuals that burn carbon-based fuels, with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Learn moreCarbon trading is a market-based system and consists of buying and selling emission permits, with the permit holder being allowed to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide.
Learn moreClimate change refers to the long-term changes in temperature and weather patterns.
Learn moreClimate change mitigation refers to the activities and processes to reduce emissions in order to address the issue of climate change at its source, being the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Learn moreClimate neutrality refers to a state where the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere is equal or lower than the amount of greenhouse gases removed from the atmosphere. See also: net-zero.
Learn moreBeing climate positive refers to the process of removing and/or saving more greenhouse gas emissions than are being emitted into the atmosphere.
Learn moreClimate resilience stands for the ability to withstand changes in the climate.
Learn moreClimate targets encompass all the targets and goals that a company and/or government sets itself, in order to promote climate mitigation.
Learn moreCorporate Social Responsibility, or CSR for short, is the social responsibility of companies as part of promoting sustainable business.
Learn moreIn agriculture, a cover crop or main crop is a type of crop (i.e. winter cereals), under whose protection a later developing second crop (i.e. grass species) is sown as undersow.
Learn moreDirect emissions refer to all emissions which stem from an owned or controlled source by a company.
Learn moreESG reporting consists of companies or organizations publishing their impacts in environmental, social and governance areas.
Learn moreAn ecosystem is a complex an interconnected system, which is comprised of a community of living organisms, that live and interact with each other and their physical environment.
Learn moreEnvironmental conservation refers to the restoration, protection, preservation and sustainable management of the natural environment and its ecosystems.
Learn moreEnvironmental regulations are rules and actions enforced by a government in the attempt of protecting the environment through measures such as pollution control and the sustainable management of natural resources.
Learn moreUnder the extenive management concept, the capital and labor input is relatively low in ocmparison to a certain area.
Learn moreFertilizers are natural and synthetic substances that are used in agriculture to increase plant growth.
Learn moreForestry is the science and the craft of managing, planting, operating, maintaining and rehabilitating forests and the associated resources for the benefit of people and the environment.
Learn moreFossil fuels originate from the decomposition of plants and animals and can be used as a source of energy.
Learn moreFungicides are chemical or biological agents that kill or inhibit the growth of fungi and spores.
Learn moreGrain legumes refer to the legumes that can be used as fodder. Some examples are i. e.g. peas, soybeans, field beans or lupine.
Learn moreGrassland is a cultural landscape that is used by farmers as pasture, alpine pasture or meadow.
Learn moreGreenhouse gases refer to any gases with the characteristic to absorb the infrared radiation stemming from the Earth’s surface, thus contributing to the greenhouse effect.
Learn moreThe Greenhouse effect refers to the natural process by which gases such as carbon dioxide and methane trap the heat emitted from the Sun in the troposphere (lower atmosphere) and warm the Earth.
Learn moreIndirect emissions refer to all the emissions that are a consequence of a company’s activities but are owned or controlled by another entity.
Learn moreLivestock farming that includes holistic pasture management plays a central role in regenerative agriculture.
Learn moreThis concept describes the intention to operate sustainably and responsibly so that future generations will also have an environment worth living in with sufficient resources.
Learn moreWorldwide, there are already numerous organisations such as Regeneration International, Kiss the Ground, Rodale Institute, Soil Capital, RegenAG, Grounded Growth, Terra Genesis International and Soil Carbon Initiative that promote regenerative agriculture.
Learn moreThe term ‘joint implementation’ is one of the three flexibility mechanisms set out in the Kyoto Protocol, with the goal to help countries achieve their emission reduction targets.
Learn moreThe Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement that was adopted by 192 parties on the 11th of December 1997 with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and tackling global warming.
Learn moreThe life cycle assessment is a systematic and standardized framework to assess the environmental impacts of a product at all stages of its lifecycle.
Learn moreMicroorganisms (bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists) occur naturally in the soil.
Learn moreIn monocultures, the same type of plant is grown in the same area for several years.
Learn moreNitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas that is mainly emitted in agricultural processes (e.g., through the use of fertilisers) & livestock farming, waste management, energy use and combustion processes.
Learn moreNutrient density refers to the content of nutrients (fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals) in foods in relation to their energy content.
Learn moreSoil is a dynamic body, which needs a constant supply and extraction of nutrients.
Learn moreThe Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on tackling climate change, which was adopted by 196 countries on the 12th of December 2015.
Learn morePerennial field fodder is an important source of basic fodder production in livestock farming.
Learn moreIn agriculture, permanent cultures are plant stocks that are used over several years.
Learn morePesticides are crop protection products that are used to control weeds, insects and other diseases in cropland.
Learn morePhotosynthesis describes the process in plants for the conversion of water and CO2 into glucose and oxygen under the influence of solar radiation.
Learn moreREDD+ is a framework created by the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) to provide guidance on activities in the forest sector (e.g., reducing the emissions from deforestation and forest degradation), as well as promoting the sustainable management and conservation of forests stocks in developing countries.
Learn moreTo regenerate means to develop, renew or restore something that has been damaged or lost. In the context of sustainability for instance, regeneration can refer to the ability of an ecosystem to replenish and recover from anthropogenic damage such as pollution or deforestation.
Learn moreRegenerative agriculture is a system of farming practices that promote and enhance biodiversity, improve soil fertility and water cycles, sequester carbon and increase nutrient availability in the soil.
Learn moreRenewable energy refers to an energy source that is not depleted when used and is naturally replenished.
Learn moreThe Representative Concentration Pathways (4 scenarios in total) seek to predict how the concentrations of anthropogenic greenhouse gases will progress in the future, to subsequently gain a better understanding of how the climate itself may change in the future.
Learn moreWith rotation pasture management, a pasture is divided into small plots that are only grazed for a short amount of time with a high number of animals.
Learn moreThe so-called SPAC (eng. “Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum”) describes the path of water out of the soil, through the plant and into the atmosphere.
Learn moreScope 1 emissions refer to all the direct emissions resulting from a company’s activities and/or under their control.
Learn moreScope 2 emissions refer to all the indirect emissions owned by a company and resulting from their energy consumption, for instance from the electricity that is purchased and used by the company.
Learn moreScope 3 emissions refer to all other un-owned indirect emissions resulting from a company’s activities such as business travel, waste and water usage.
Learn moreAn important element of regenerative agriculture is to cover the ground at any time of the year.
Learn moreA self-planted fallow greening is a fallow agricultural area on which spontaneous vegetation development is permitted.
Learn moreSelf-regulation is the ability of ecosystems and their populations to recover from disturbances and to rebalance themselves.
Learn moreSeveral definitions and approaches to social sustainability exist, however generally speaking, social sustainability seeks to promote the well-being of humans for current and future generations, through tackling issues related social equity, intergenerational equity, human rights, social justice, labour rights and so on.
Learn moreSoil erosion is understood as the erosion of the earth's surface by wind, rain, snow and landslides, whereby valuable, fertile soil is lost and CO2 is released from it.
Learn moreSpecies diversity refers to the number of different types of living organisms present in a habitat.
Learn moreA stubble field is a field on which the lower parts of the plant remain rooted.
Learn moreSustainability describes a system that is economically, ecologically and socially stable and viable for the future.
Learn moreThe term fallow refers to a temporary, unused agricultural area. If this area is targeted and planted with i. e. wild herbs and other suitable plants it then can be referred to as targeted fallow greening.
Learn moreWithin climate science, tipping points refer to the critical threshold where the smallest change could generate significant and irreversible change or damage in the whole climate system.
Learn moreTree Planting is a mechanism to offset carbon emissions, by which trees absorb carbon dioxide during the process of photosynthesis, therefore reducing the emissions in the atmosphere.
Learn moreClover-like forage plants and grasses are often referred to as undersown crops.
Learn moreIf certain emission-intensive activities cannot be reduced, voluntary offsetting of greenhouse gases offers the possibility to compensate for those unavoidable emissions by purchasing certificates.
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