Project
Regenerative Agriculture in Europe
Regenerative agriculture has surged to the forefront of political discourse as a viable solution to combat global challenges such as climate change, land degradation, and loss of biodiversity. Despite garnering widespread endorsement, regenerative agriculture has not been without its critics. The primary concern stems from its necessitation of a radical redesign of the existing food system without a clear understanding of the exact consequences on factors such as primary productivity, climate regulation, biodiversity, and nutrient cycling. This project, therefore, aims to contribute valuable insights and knowledge to support the upscaling of regenerative agriculture and guiding radical redesigns of today’s food systems that respects human, animal, and planetary health.
The global food system is a major driver of environmental issues, encompassing concerns related to greenhouse gas emissions, terrestrial acidification, land degradation, and water eutrophication. Agriculture, being the cornerstone of this global food system, has demonstrated remarkable advancements in production levels over the past decade. However, it is accompanied by a persistent apprehension concerning its cumulative environmental impact. In response to these concerns, regenerative agriculture has emerged as a prominent strategy to address and mitigate these environmental challenges. Regenerative agriculture is an approach to farming that takes soil conservation as its entry point to contribute to multiple ecosystem services. Nonetheless, transitioning to regenerative agriculture requires a fundamental redesign of the food system, sparking debate over its environmental and socio-economic implications, as well as the roles of food system actors committing to regenerative agriculture.
This research project examines regenerative agriculture in the European context with three core objectives: 1) mapping the landscape of actors engaged in regenerative agriculture, 2) investigating the knowledge sources that inform farmers' decisions on regenerative practices, and 3) assessing the availability of data on soil health, biodiversity, and other key indicators to support the development of a comprehensive database. Ultimately, this research aims to serve as a valuable resource for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners, offering critical insights into the current state of regenerative agriculture in Europe and guiding its future implementation.
This project is funded by the Nest Family Office
