Regenerative agriculture in practice: how soil health is transforming European farms

A recent webinar brought together several European partners (Food for Sustainability, Inagro, Hosso Vives, Malaga Tech Park, the University of Porto, amongst others) to explore the practical benefits of regenerative agriculture. Through real-world examples, such as that of a farmer in the polders of West Flanders who has reduced tillage on his sugar beet crops, the speakers demonstrated how practices such as no-till farming, cover crops and crop rotation improve soil structure, water retention and crop emergence, whilst maintaining a comparable – or even better – economic return for the farmer.

The webinar also highlighted the central role of the soil microbiome and presented the results of the Tech4RegenAg project, carried out at nine pilot sites in Portugal (dairy, cattle, goat and sheep farms, and cereal crops). Soil analyses carried out before and after the introduction of regenerative practices revealed significant improvements: an increase in organic matter, a better balance of nutrients and an overall improvement in biological fertility. This work is in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal, which aims, in particular, to significantly reduce the use of chemical pesticides and expand organic farming by 2030.