This advanced program will have students work with faculty to learn about the scientific basis of building and using soil organic matter to grow food. Regenerative agriculture is rooted in the disciplines of Agroecology; the fundamentals of these will be taught to illustrate how farms are managed ecosystems bounded by climate, soil health, photosynthesis potential, cycles of carbon, nutrients, and water, and species interactions that determine energy flow and farm yields. We will begin the quarter by examining how carbon and nitrogen travel and cycle through different agroecosystems, and how these two processes are coupled in both the soil and living organisms. Our fundamental understanding of these biogeochemical processes will then be used to critically evaluate regenerative agriculture research studies and practices, with an emphasis on the integration of livestock, pasture, and perennial grasslands with annual cropping systems. Through in-depth quantitative analysis of the dynamics of soil organic carbon pool amounts, fractions, composition, and turnover, faculty and students will begin to develop mathematical models to predict rates of organic matter stabilization and decomposition. We will use our own campus farm as an in-depth case study to give practical context to this work, while identifying farm-based research and data collection systems that could be implemented to help guide our farm towards the ideals of Regenerative Agriculture.
Successful participation requires students to have a solid understanding of general chemistry and biology and excellent quantitative reasoning skills. This program is well-suited for students interested in research-based agriculture systems, agronomy, Natural Resource Management, and ecology.