Regenerative farming shows transformative potential

Beijing's crisp autumn air mingled with the earthy scent of freshly tilled soil as I visited Yinhuang Farm in Beijing's Changping district.

Yinhuang is the first Bayer ForwardFarming project in the Asia-Pacific region, and offers customized regenerative agricultural solutions to farmers in China.

Tucked away on the outskirts of the capital, this experimental plot embodies the future of agriculture, one that promises more yield with less input, all while nurturing the planet.

The soil, water, and insects here are not merely resources to be exploited, but active partners in a delicate ecological dance.

I arrived curious about this cutting-edge approach known as regenerative agriculture, but left pondering over its transformative potential for China's vast agricultural landscape.

The tour began in the tomato greenhouse — a modern marvel where the scent of ripe fruit greets visitors like a warm embrace. These tomatoes, unlike the ones I'm used to, aren't grown in soil. Instead, they flourish in a carefully crafted mixture of grass ash, vermiculite, and perlite.

This soilless medium, I'm told, offers a unique advantage: it shields the plants from root-knot nematodes and other pests. As I walked down the rows, I was struck by the clarity of purpose behind this method — every step, from planting to harvesting, is designed with soil health in mind. Regenerative agriculture, it turns out, is as much about what isn't used as what is.

Standing beside me, Qin Aiteng, general manager of Yinhuang Green Agricultural Ecological Park, explained that the regenerative agricultural solution has allowed farmers to cut pesticide use dramatically while improving yields.

"During the Spring Festival, we've seen our tomato prices climb as high as 60 yuan ($8.5) per kilogram, and customers accept that because they understand the value," Qin said.

The confidence in her voice mirrored the farm's success story — a tale of integrating innovation in order to boost both quality and profitability.

The most fascinating part of my visit, though, was Bayer's Phytobac system, a whole setup that farmers use to clean pesticide wastewater by microbial means, or bioremediation, that ensures no harmful chemicals seep into the water table.

It's a quiet, unassuming hero in the fight against agricultural pollution. As we passed by, Qin pointed to it with pride. "Farmers used to dispose of leftover pesticides in the fields. Now, we have a system that ensures zero pollution," she said.

Yet, it isn't just about technology. The farm itself felt like an ecological sanctuary, where the lines between agriculture and nature blur.

Surrounding the greenhouses were flowering plants, strategically placed to attract bees and other pollinators. Insect hotels and no-pesticide zones provide a safe haven for biodiversity, offering shelter to beneficial insects crucial to the farm's health. This is farming re-imagined, not as a war against nature, but as a partnership.

Bayer's project, I learned, goes beyond this farm. Over the next decade, the Germany-headquartered life science enterprise plans to launch 10 blockbuster agricultural products to help farmers worldwide transition to regenerative agriculture practices.

By embracing innovative practices, Bayer is on its way to scale regenerative agriculture on more than 400 million acres (161.94 million hectares) of land globally by the middle of the next decade.

At the Beijing Yinhuang Farm, Bayer has already seen significant results: a 10 percent increase in income for farmers, 20 percent savings in costs, and the treatment of over 4,000 liters of pesticide waste from 2021 to 2023.

"Bayer ForwardFarming initiative is an open platform where we hope to bring global wisdom and experience to China and encourage innovation," said Guo Jingping, business development head in China at Bayer Crop Science, one of the three divisions of Bayer.

The sense of purpose here was palpable.

Li Lin, deputy head of Beijing Plant Protection Station, emphasized that regenerative agriculture offers a path to greater food security and ecological balance. With China being an agricultural powerhouse, she explained, the country is urgently seeking ways to shift toward a more sustainable, low-carbon model.

As my tour drew to a close, I was left with a profound respect for what I had seen.