Research suggests urgent need to clearly define and explain regenerative agriculture amid new definitions and confusion with organic
Ahead of British Regenerative Farming Week (12-19 September), industry research has revealed a strong appetite for regenerative agriculture, but knowledge remains a major barrier.
This comes as new definitions of the term ‘regenerative’ emerge while confusion between ‘organic’ and ‘regenerative’ farming continues.
The term ‘regenerative’ has been growing in use over the past decade. According to The Wildlife Trusts, “it is an approach to farming that, in theory, allows the land, the soil, water, nutrients and natural assets to regenerate themselves, as opposed to conventional approaches to farming that can deplete these natural resources.”
However the trust acknowledged the term “lacks a formal, independent definition” and “can mean different things depending on who is using it and what the context is”.
According to research from UK supplier Eurostar Commodities, almost half (42 per cent) of 150 UK food industry professionals surveyed admitted they did not understand the potential wider benefits of regen, despite every single one of them thinking it was important to the future of British agriculture.
“Regenerative farming is gaining recognition, but the language, evidence and stories surrounding it have not yet reached everyone in the food and business community,” the research stated.
Respondents called for clearer information about what regenerative farming means, how it differs from other sustainable farming systems and whether its benefits extend beyond the environment.
Jason Bull, managing director of Eurostar Commodities, said: “British businesses overwhelmingly believe regenerative farming has an important role to play in the future of agriculture, but a new industry pulse survey reveals that understanding of what regenerative farming actually delivers is struggling to keep pace with enthusiasm.
The survey also suggested that regenerative sourcing is increasingly a commercial reality rather than an ambition, with four in five respondents either already using regenerative ingredients or actively exploring them.
“Recent world weather events show us that we need to embrace regenerative farming now to correct soil health and plan for the future of our food industry,” Bull added.
New definitions
The research comes as British Apples & Pears (BAPL) published a new definition of regenerative apple and pear growing.
The definition includes a bullet-pointed list of eight ‘typical practices’ spanning healthy soils, increasing biodiversity, appropriate orchard sites, natural pest and disease management, water use, managing food waste, protecting stored carbon and continually measuring environmental performance.
BAPL said the definition provided a “clear, crop-specific framework for understanding and advancing regenerative practices in commercial orchards”.
Ali Capper, executive chair at BAPL, said: ““Regenerative agriculture is widely discussed but not always clearly defined – particularly for perennial crops. Our new definition gives growers, retailers and the wider supply chain a shared and practical understanding of what regenerative apple and pear growing means in a perennial orchard system.”
Confusion between organic and regenerative
However, as ‘regenerative’ is not a legal term, this means multiple definitions can be used at once, and anyone can use them.
According to a study from the University of Reading, greater education about sustainable agriculture in the UK is needed, including clearing up the confusion between ‘organic’ and ‘regenerative’. The study referenced this as something that troubled farm owner and TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson on his Amazon Prime show Clarkson’s Farm.
Dr Tom Staton of the University of Reading, who led the research, said: “”There’s a lot of buzz around regenerative farming, but it’s crucial to understand that ‘organic’ is a legally protected term. This means consumers can trust that organic produce meets specific standards, particularly regarding pesticide and manufactured fertiliser use.
“Regenerative farming is not regulated, however, and if we want to see real change in our food system, we need to support approaches with clear, enforceable standards,” he added.
This suggests the next step is to move the debate beyond awareness and towards evidence and education, explaining what it means in practical terms to both the industry and consumers.
