28 September, 2026
By Mr José Ángel Carrillo, agricultural engineer at Incatema, specialist in new technologies and agro-industrial digital transformation
For decades, we have viewed agricultural soil from a strictly utilitarian perspective, as a mere physical medium in which to anchor roots and apply the necessary inputs to maximise crop yields. This way of working the land, given the challenges posed by the current climate crisis, demands a radical shift in perspective. We can no longer continue with the paradigm of soil science as a purely productivity-focused discipline, because living soil is now our first line of defence and one of the most powerful yet underutilised carbon sinks on the planet.
In this sense, regenerative agriculture is not a passing trend, but an indisputable agronomic necessity. In contrast to the traditional intensive model, which accelerates the degradation of organic matter and weakens soil biodiversity, regenerative practices aim to restore the soil’s natural biological functionality – as Incatema is already doing in several of the projects it is developing in Africa. Reducing or eliminating excessive tillage, maintaining living plant cover throughout the year and introducing complex crop rotations are not merely conservation techniques. They are the biological mechanisms through which we transform land that produces greenhouse gases into genuine reservoirs of stable organic carbon.
Carbon sequestration as a cross-cutting theme
Carbon sequestration, far from being an abstract concept, is perfectly defined. Through photosynthesis, plants capture atmospheric carbon dioxide, and a significant proportion of that carbon is transferred to the rhizosphere in the form of exudates and organic residues, feeding an underground food web of microorganisms that fix the element in complex and long-lasting forms. From our day-to-day work in the fields of engineering consultancy and rural development, we have observed that when we integrate this approach into large-scale agronomic management, the impact on climate change mitigation is direct. Increasing soil organic matter through regenerative management can increase soil carbon stocks, while improving water retention capacity — a critical factor in areas subject to chronic water stress — and resilience to extreme weather events.
Towards a new agronomic paradigm
The challenge facing professionals in the sector is not a technical one, but one of scale and transition. Demonstrating that economic profitability and environmental regeneration can go hand in hand is essential if farmers and managers are willing to take the decisive step. Current technological tools and the digitalisation applied to agro-industrial monitoring provide us with unprecedented precision to measure, verify and certify this carbon sequestration in the field. The objective is clear and unavoidable. It is a matter of transitioning towards agri-food systems that not only produce sufficient food for a growing population, but also actively restore the ecosystems on which they depend. The future of agriculture inevitably lies in looking downwards, rebuilding the soil to stabilise the climate.