Regenerative farming

Regenerative farming involves strengthening the health and vitality of farm soil by taking a rehabilitation and conservational approach to the land, with a focus on topsoil regeneration, increasing biodiversity and enhancing the ecosystem, improving the water cycle, and making the land more resilient to extreme weather events.

At SouthEast Vegetables we believe the future lies in regenerative agriculture and we are progressively improving our entire agroecosystems.

We have already taken a number of key steps on our journey to improving soil health, water quality, biodiversity and the environment and help us all avoid the impacts of climate change.

Regenerative Farming Programmes

Carbon Removal

We are currently running a science-led and peer-reviewed carbon removal test programme on SouthEast Vegetable land which mineralises carbon in the geosphere, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it for millennia as ground limestone, simply by speeding up a natural geological process.

Diverse Cover Cropping

Instead of leaving the fields bare when they are not planted with crops, we are now covering the land with off-season crops which both protect against soil erosion and additionally add nutrients to the land.

Composting

Our inedible, decomposed organic waste creates a rich natural fertiliser for our soil in advance of sowing future crops, reducing waste and nurturing the soil and replacing the requirement for manufactured fertilisers. 

Little or no-tillage

To preserve the carbon in the soil and help make our farming practices more sustainable, we are currently engaging in a crop planting process of little or no tillage, where crops allow.

Multiple crop rotations

We engage in the practice of multiple crop rotations, changing the location of crops from year to year, in order to prevent the depletion of nutrients in the soil. This practice also reduces pests.

Our ambition is to become Ireland’s leading regenerative farm, by adopting an agriculture system which puts more back into the environment and society than it takes out. 

By naturally reintroducing more carbon and nutrition into the land, we can support our local ecosystems while at the same time helping mitigate global climate change and playing our role in reaching emission targets for 2030.

 72% of people surveyed in the US said it was critical when choosing a supplier that they supported a regenerative agricultural programme and promoted the health and vitality of farm soil. 100% of us at SouthEast Vegetables agree!!

South East Vegetables

Sustainability Practices

  • Bee and insect preservation. We try to work alongside bees and other important insects through safe spraying practices, spraying in the late evening, to bringing native bee hives to our crops where possible.

  • Lapwing Conservation is an important part of Ireland’s biodiversity. The Northern Lapwing is Ireland’s bird giving another reason to help renew this bird in the Irish countryside. The Lapwing nests in cultivated fields during the springtime, trying to identify nest sites and preserve them as best possible. Consulting research where possible helps to mitigate the risk to this native bird.

  • Using recycled lime from concrete, we are trying to improve the carbon capture capacity of the soils. The Silicate Team are conducting research here at SEV to perfect their method of carbon capture.

  • Pollinator Strips in fields to help pollinators.

  • Putting in place a wildlife conservation programme to improve the standard of the farm.