A revolution is sweeping Europe’s farms: can it save agriculture?

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on Nature or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Regenerative agriculture is gaining momentum across Europe as farmers adopt methods to improve soil health, boost biodiversity, and increase resilience against climate change
• Farmers like Ruben Jorge in Portugal are using cover crops, mulch, and nitrogen-fixing plants to protect soil, retain water, and prepare for extreme weather
• Practices include reducing tilling, rotating crops, integrating trees, and minimizing pesticide use, all aimed at long-term productivity and profitability

🔭 The context: Europe is the fastest-warming continent since the 1980s, facing droughts, wildfires, soil degradation, and projected economic losses of €65 billion annually by 2100 due to climate impacts
• About 60–70% of EU soils are degraded, prompting farmers to seek methods that restore nutrients and prevent erosion
• Only 2% of European farms are fully regenerative, with another 5–10% transitioning, highlighting a growing grassroots movement led by farmers and advocacy groups like EARA

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Regenerative practices help sequester carbon, conserve water, and protect ecosystems, contributing to climate mitigation and adaptation
• Cover cropping, crop rotation, and soil restoration can increase soil carbon content, reduce synthetic fertilizer use, and support biodiversity
• Studies show regenerative farms use 61% less nitrogen and 75% fewer pesticides, while achieving up to a 20% higher per-hectare margin compared to conventional farms

⏭️ What's next: The EU is incentivizing regenerative agriculture through carbon credit payments and environmental subsidies, but implementation challenges remain
• Policymakers aim to scale up practices that enhance carbon storage, biodiversity, and ecosystem services
• Farmers and researchers are closely monitoring Europe’s approach as a model for global agricultural transition

💬 One quote: “Anything that we can do that adds resilience to the land, that preserves this land for the future, is always a better option, as long as it’s economically viable.” — Ruben Jorge, Portuguese farmer

📈 One stat: Soil carbon content on some regenerative farms has increased from 1.9% in 2019 to 3.5% in 2024, moving toward farmers’ long-term carbon goals

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