The planet needs a lot of fixing if human civilisation is going to thrive into the future. We need to fix our soil health, repair ecosystems on the brink of collapse and reverse climate change.

One solution could fix it all – regenerative agriculture. It means farming organically, to stop the use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and artificial fertilisers, all poisons that are killing the soil microbes and base of the food web – minibeasts and insects.

But regeneration means more than just stopping spraying. It starts with the health of the soil – we must add organic matter and use machines that can sow seed without ploughing. Mycorrhizal fungi will lock carbon away, reducing climate change and ensuring we can rebuild fertile soils, enabling us to guarantee the future of our harvests.

You may ask, can regenerative agriculture feed the world? Unfortunately there is no choice – the industrial food system is on the brink of collapse, experts say we only have 50 harvests left if we continue on the same path. To find out more, the inspiring film ‘Kiss the Ground’, out on Netflix, covers all these points in much more detail than a short article can.

So what can we do about it right now? Despite all the bad press about cows, it really is ‘the how, not the cow’. Industrially-farmed cows fed on grain are a disaster environmentally speaking but pasture-fed livestock can be good for the planet. Their manure feeds the grass that locks carbon in its roots, so it can be carbon negative. To guarantee that beef is pasture fed, check out https://www.pastureforlife.org/ which will point you in the direction of local suppliers, or Riverford Organics can deliver.

Sourcing vegetables grown organically, and using the no-dig method, can be guaranteed by growing your own, or if the new group Wellington Community Food has enough support, we could get a regenerative market garden set up here. For more information contact wellingtoncommunity

wellingtoncommunityfood.wordpress.com/ or their Facebook page under the same name.

You can either pledge to buy a veg box from them when it’s up and running or pledge time or money as an investment. Please fill in the survey to offer support and make sure this new venture gets off the ground – https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/RX7ZHLR

Consumer demand definitely helps but real change will come from governments worldwide, subsidising all farmers to make the transition.

HELEN GILLINGHAM