Down to Earth: Identifying and Promoting Regenerative Viticulture Practices for Soil and Human Health

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to quantify the yearly soil carbon sequestration of regenerative vineyard practices and explore the enablers and barriers to their adoption. I found that soil regenerative practices can be beneficial when applied holistically and in concert with one another. There was no significant difference between the N= 345 measures of soil C sequestration I found across seven practices in viticulture but overall, animal integration (2.47 t C/ha) and non-chemical pest management (1.51 t C/ha), were highest and closest to the global average calculated in a previous study (2.05 t C/ha). Average sequestration was higher in viticulture than in annual crops, indicating a unique strength in viticulture for mitigating climate change and restoring soil and human health. From purposefully sampling and interviewing 20 winegrowers in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland, I found that smaller vineyards were more agile in adopting regenerative practices, and winegrower land ownership increased adoption. For women, winegrower adoption depended on their knowledge and competency in a practice. Agroforestry, animal integration, and redesigning the system at the landscape level were the hardest practices to adopt. What characterized regenerative winegrowers was that they cared for soil life and were intrinsically motivated. Using these findings, policymakers and winegrowers can take steps to overcome barriers to regenerative agriculture, and contribute to increasing healthy soils for climate mitigation, biodiversity regeneration, agricultural sustainability and human health.