Regenerative farms are between 24% and 38% more productive than the average European farm, according to a landmark study. The European Allia
The European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (EARA) benchmarked 78 regenerating farms in 14 countries, including the UK, covering over 7,000 hectares against neighbouring and average conventional farms. Their performance was assessed by agricultural and ecological productivity presented in a ânew, simple and comprehensive multidimensional indexâ â Regenerating Full Productivity (RFP). The results are impressive â especially in terms of yields. Regenerating farms achieved, on average, only a 2% lower yield (in kilocalories and protein), while using 61% less synthetic fertiliser and 76% fewer pesticides per hectare. Europeâs farmers tend to import more than 30% of livestock feed from outside the EU, however the assessed farmers achieved their yields using âno feed from outside their bioregionâ. The report reads: â[âŚ] regenerating systems, whether rooted in agroecology, conservation agriculture, organic farming, syntropic agroforestry or other disciplines, are not only viable but already superior in most contexts.âÂ
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The European Commission has just projected âŹ60bn (ÂŁ51bn) in agricultural losses by 2025, rising to over âŹ90bn by 2050, driven by climate change, input dependency and a failing food system. According to EARA, conventional approaches to agriculture with high chemical inputs actually put Europe at risk due to âever more fragile yields, rising input quantities and costsâ. The farms involved in the study also demonstrated the agroecological advantage of regenerative approaches: in the five years from 2019 they boasted 23% more soil cover and 17% higher plant diversity than their conventional neighbours. Photosynthesis was also 24% higher. Together the results mean âmore biodiversity and better soil healthâ, EARA said. If regenerating forms of agriculture were adopted on half of Europeâs farmland it could âmore than offset current EU agricultural emissionsâ. Full adoption would mitigate three times current agricultural emissions in the block. Â
5 June 2025
