A new report by the British Ecological Society brings together the expertise of over 40 academics, practitioners and farmers across the UK to assess the evidence that regenerative agriculture approaches can achieve positive outcomes like improving soil health, increasing biodiversity and minimising environmental damage.
Dr Roy Neilson, soil ecologist at the James Hutton Institute and lead author on the report said, “There are five principles of regenerative agriculture but there’s no one principle that delivers clear change on its own. To achieve meaningful change requires a good understanding of the context of the individual farming system. When possible, multiple principles ideally need to be adopted.”
Of the core principles of regenerative farming – minimising soil disturbance, minimising bare soil, increasing farm diversity, integrating livestock, and favouring nature-based methods over synthetic inputs – the report finds the strongest evidence of benefits come from minimising bare soil.
Brown fields of bare soil are a common sight throughout the UK in the winter months but keeping roots in the ground year-round, through practices like cover crops, can increase soil organic matter, enhance soil structure, improve nutrient availability and increase biodiversity.
Dr Lucie Büchi, researcher in crop and weed ecology at The Natural Resources Institute of the University of Greenwich, and lead author on the report said, “Moving from one farming system to another is complex, difficult and risky. A whole systems approach is an ideal end goal, but this shouldn’t discourage farmers from picking up certain regenerative agriculture elements that they can implement on their farms. People need to start somewhere.”
Advancing technologies and experimentation will also be vital in this transition. Professor Nicola Randall at Harper Adams University, also a lead author of the report said, “Science and ecologists have a big part to play in regenerative agriculture along with farmers. There’s a perception that regenerative agriculture or nature friendly farming is going backwards, rediscovering past ways of farming. In actual fact, there’s a lot of exciting new technology and developments involved. The movement is very much forward looking.”
With 70% of land in Scotland dedicated to farming, it’s vital that as much as possible delivers for both food and nature. Regenerative agriculture, with its emphasis on soil restoration, addresses both and has been attracting increasing attention from farmers, governments and corporates.
