The British Ecological Society has published a new report, put together with the expertise of more than 40 academics, practitioners and farmers, to assess the positive outcomes of regenerative agriculture.
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 key principles, the report found that minimising bare soil provided the greatest number of benefits, as cover crops can help to increase soil organic matter, enhance soil structure, boost nutrient availability and increase biodiversity.
The report also found that integrating livestock into arable rotations can help with weed, disease and pest suppression.
Evidence was reportedly weaker when it came to the benefits of reducing soil disturbance, despite this being a key principle of regenerative agriculture.
However, the report also found that individual practices were rarely enough to make a significant difference. Instead, a whole system approach was required to increase soil health and 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.”
The report also found that new technologies and experimentation will be vital to the 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.”
For more information go to www.britishecologicalsociety.org