Regenerative agriculture: its meaning, rationale, prospective benefits and relation to policy

Bardsley, N. (2025) Regenerative agriculture: its meaning, rationale, prospective benefits and relation to policy. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience, 6 (1). 0062. ISSN 2662-4044 doi: 10.1079/ab.2025.0062

Abstract/Summary

A critical narrative review is conducted of “regenerative agriculture” literature. An outcome-oriented definition, aiming beyond sustainability, is defended as consistent with evidence of regenerative farmers’ usage. It is partly a response to problems of soil degradation and has scientific rationale in contemporary understandings of soil formation and soil ecology. Potential benefits include input reduction enabled by an enhanced soil microbiome, improvements to farming livelihoods, farmscape ecosystems, health and wider environmental public goods. Research at a systems level is lacking, however; and scale of adoption is contingent on the business and policy environment.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/124125
Identification Number/DOI	10.1079/ab.2025.0062
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development > Department of Agri-Food Economics & Marketing
Publisher	BioMed Central
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