Can we make food production work with nature?
New BES Regenerative Agriculture report finds strong evidence that soil health and biodiversity can improve under regenerative agricultural practices, but risks of greenwashing remain strong. May 9, 2025
As demand for food grows and the food system pushes ecosystems towards collapse both in the UK and globally, the need for sustainable food production is paramount.
Regenerative agriculture has gained traction as an answer to this challenge – often referred to as a farmer-led movement which emphasises soil restoration, with further objectives of improving biodiversity and water quality, reducing environmental externalities, and alleviating the negative impacts of climate change.
However, with no formal definition or set of standards for regenerative agriculture and limited scientific evidence on its outcomes, disagreement persists on some of its important points.
Seeking to unpack these issues, the new BES Regenerative Agriculture Report brought together diverse expertise from farmers, practitioners and academics across the UK to assess the evidence around regenerative agriculture approaches achieving positive outcomes like improving soil health, increasing biodiversity and minimising environmental damage.
Regenerative agriculture practices can bring positive ecological outcomes
The authors found strong evidence that soil health and biodiversity can improve under regenerative agriculture systems, particularly through minimising bare soil and maintaining living roots all year round.
While brown fields of bare soil are a common sight throughout the UK in the winter months. keeping roots in the ground year-round, through practices like cover crops, can increase soil organic matter, improve soil structure, improve nutrient availability and increase biodiversity.
A need for holistic strategies
The authors, including NbSI Senior Research Fellow Dr Will Thompson, synthesised evidence that suggests outcomes of regenerative agriculture are most beneficial when a ‘whole system’ regenerative approach is adopted by farmers, including multiple regenerative agriculture principles, rather than individual practices in isolation.
Dr Roy Neilson, soil ecologist at the James Hutton Institute and lead author on the report, explained further:
“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 farming system, when possible, multiple principles ideally need to be adopted.”
While a whole systems approach achieves the biggest impacts, the report authors warn that this shouldn’t discourage farmers from taking up just a few approaches which can still have a positive impact.
These findings demonstrate that, when implemented well, Regenerative Agriculture has the potential to be a transformative nature-based solution, cultivating a reciprocal relationship between farmers and the land. However, the report also warns of risks of the term being co-opted for the purposes of greenwashing and further work is required to ensure that, as the movement looks to transition to the mainstream, its core principles are upheld.
Read the full report, Regenerative Agriculture in the UK: An ecological perspective
Explore NbSI’s work on nature-based solutions and agricultural systems
- The Flourishing Landscapes Programme
- The Agricultural Resilience Impact and Innovation Hub