​Scope of regenerative agriculture practices in the UK – who is doing what and where?

To address the challenges associated with conventional agriculture such as greenhouse gas emissions and soil degradation, many stakeholders in the agrifood sector are turning to regenerative agriculture (RA) as a more sustainable farming strategy. However, RA does not yet have a widely accepted definition in common use, hence, different practitioners use definitions and practices that suit them. This presents many challenges including difficulty in scaling practices, monitoring performance, verifying benefit claims, and making targeted policy interventions.

This project aims to assess farmers’ perceptions, knowledge, and practice of RA in the UK via a nationwide survey. This will reveal what practices are considered RA, which of these practices have been implemented, and their perceived impacts. Results of the survey will be used to create maps of RA practice in the UK, and summary reports that highlight knowledge gaps and where changes in practice and targeted policy interventions might be needed.

Project lead: Samuel Eze, Harper Adams University

Project members: Nicola Noble, National Sheep Association; Steven Jacobs, Organic Farmers and Growers CIC; Emma Adams, Farm Carbon Toolkit; Sarah Roberts, NIAB; Paddy Tarbuck, CIE; Jennifer Hodbod, University of Leeds; Nicola Randall, Harper Adams University; Richard Francksen, Newcastle University; Fiona Fraser, Scotland’s Rural College; Leonidas Rempelos, University of Lincoln; Payton Yau, Scotland’s Rural College

Findings

• Six identified stakeholder groups are interested in or promote regenerative agriculture (RA): 1) ‘key voices’ including individual farms, collectives and representative bodies/media, 2) non-profits and alliances, 3) RA certification codes and standards, 4) corporates (farm suppliers), 5) corporates (retailers) and 6) scientific community.
• Over 30 practices are considered regenerative agriculture within the UK context and are grouped and often promoted under eight broad themes or principles ranging from minimising mechanical soil disturbance to optimising resource use.
• Most regenerative agriculture farmers in our study are over 50 years old and manage cereals or beef cattle.
• Minimising mechanical soil disturbance is practised across the different parts of the UK whereas fostering plant diversity and maintaining living roots and soil cover are concentrated more in the Midlands and East of England.
• Environmental benefits such as soil health, nature restoration, carbon sequestration and biodiversity gains are the key drivers of farmers’ RA intentions and behaviour.

Suggestions for further research

Future research should focus on identifying the right combination of regenerative agriculture (RA) practices that are appropriate for context and deliver maximum benefits. Our study shows that there are over 30 RA practices that are being implemented by farmers in the UK with the goal of delivering environmental benefits such as soil health. However, the number and type of practices implemented by each farmer varies, which makes it difficult to assess impacts at scale. Also, the impacts of specific combinations of different RA practices remain unclear. Future research should therefore focus on assessing the practicality of implementing specific combinations of RA practices in different UK contexts and their impacts on the environment.