NEW TECH FOODS

A new study launched by the European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (EARA), funded by EIT Food, has found that farmers can produce ‘significantly more food for less’ by transitioning to regenerative practices.

The study involved 78 regenerative farms in 14 countries, covering over 7,000 hectares. It benchmarked these farms against their neighbouring and national average conventional farmers, aiming to dispel ‘the myth that only the status quo of conventional, synthetic input-heavy agriculture can feed Europe and the world’.

Undertaken by a team of 11 researchers, it informs how a future Common Agriculture Policy and agricultural policies that reward farmers’ results-based agroecological performance can be designed and put into practice.

Between 2020 and 2023, the study found that regenerating farmers achieved just 1% lower yields on average, in terms of kilocalories and proteins, while using 62% less synthetic nitrogen fertiliser and 76% less pesticides per hectare.

From 2018 to 2024, they achieved over 15% higher photosynthesis, soil cover and plant diversity compared to neighbouring fields. They achieved a 17.2% increase in total soil cover and a 17.1% increase in total photosynthesis compared to conventional farmers over the past seven years.

The report also points out that while average farmers in Europe import more than 30% of livestock feed from outside the EU, the assessed regenerative farms achieved their yields using no feed from outside their bioregion.

Their fields also recorded average surface temperatures of over 0.3°C cooler during summer months compared to surrounding agroecosystems, highlighting benefits with regards to climate mitigation.

A new Regenerating Full Productivity Index (RFP) has been introduced in the study, developed by farmers, researchers and agronomists to describe all decisive productivity factors from regenerating forms of agriculture.

In total, from 2020 to 2023, regenerative farms delivered over 27% higher RFP than the average European farmer, with gains ranging from 24% to 38% across the 14 countries studied.

The research team estimates that European farmers could mitigate 141.3 million metric tonnes of CO2e per year in the first years of transitioning toward regenerative agriculture – around 84% of the EU agricultural sector’s net greenhouse gas emissions.

It states that Europe’s agricultural sector would be ‘nature and climate positive’ after three to seven years of transition, while assuring food and fibre security, climate adaptation and nature regeneration for Europe. According to EARA, these results are not only valid for Europe, but globally.

Beate Caldewey-Samaras, EARA farmer and founder of Pangaio Living Soil, commented on the study: “EARA’s approach of Regenerating Full Productivity offers a breakthrough metric for finance and insurance – turning real-time ecosystem performance of agriculture into a powerful data-backed indicator”.

“This will be a game-changer for estimating agricultural investment/credit risk, ROI potential, exposure management and insurance modelling. A unique opportunity to unlock smarter, safer capital flows into regenerative farming, for the benefit of investors, insurers and farmers alike.”

Theodor Friedrich, retired ambassador of the FAO and independent reviewer of the study, said the research shows regenerative agriculture is “more than a buzzword and fashion” when correctly implemented.

He added: “Instead it is a pathway towards an agriculture which can feed the world and be at the same time sustainable in all three dimensions – social, environmental and economic”.