A new report from the British Ecological Society has confirmed the key role that regenerative agriculture will play within farming.
The report, titled ‘Regenerative Agriculture in the UK: An ecological perspective’, finds there is strong evidence that soil health and biodiversity can improve under regenerative agricultural practices.
But a whole systems approach is needed for the best results, as individual principals of regenerative agriculture used in isolation are rarely sufficient.
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 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 on farm diversity, integrating livestock, and favouring nature-based methods over synthetic inputs – the report finds the strongest evidence of benefits from minimising bare soil.
Keeping roots in the ground year-round, through practices like cover crops, can increase soil organic matter, improve soil structure, improve nutrient availability, and increase biodiversity.
The report also finds good evidence that integrating livestock into arable land benefits weed, disease, and pest suppression.
Regenerative agriculture
Despite the prominence of a no-till and minimum-till approach as a key regenerative agriculture practice, the report finds weaker evidence for the benefits associated with this.
While a whole systems approach achieves the biggest impacts, the report authors warn that this should not discourage farmers from taking up just a few approaches.
Dr Lucie Buchi, a researcher in crop and weed ecology at The Natural Resources Institute of the University of Greenwich, is the lead author on the report.
Dr Buchi explained: “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.”
Meanwhile, yield loss is a major concern for farmers thinking of transitioning to regenerative agriculture.
The report finds some evidence that initial yield reductions when transitioning may reduce or even reverse over the longer term through enhanced biodiversity and ecosystem services.
However, this has the added benefits of reducing reliance on external inputs and improved soil health.
But the evidence for this is variable, and realising these potential benefits takes time. A greater understanding of these impacts requires long-term experiments.
The report also warns that during a transition period of three to six years, there is a need for careful management to prevent issues like competitive weeds and pests.
