The latest analysis made by researchers of national science academies of EU members states (EASAC) brings evidence that regenerative agriculture could contribute to reducing climate risks and has the potential to feed the growing world population and improve biodiversity, the Romanian Academy announced last week.
“Today’s large-scale conventional agriculture has huge negative impact on soil. Soil erosion, the loss of flora and fauna and thereby nutrients in soils, has become a major factor in Europe,” explains Prof. Thomas Elmqvist, one of the lead authors of EASAC’s first-time scientific analysis of the potential of regenerative agriculture.
Transforming agriculture is the planet’s greatest untapped treasure for coping with the climate crisis, adds Professor Thomas Elmqvist.
“There seems to be a belief that regenerative agriculture can only be applied at small scale, and that making any changes to current industrial farming practices will make it impossible to feed a growing world population”, explains Prof. Thomas Elmqvist.
“But the opposite is true: we have maybe a decade for a massive transformation. We need to get industrial farmers on board and take a landscape perspective to reach the goals. Ultimately, we can only protect the scale of food production by moving away from only emphasizing the quantity of agricultural production to more quality and nutritional value of agricultural products.”
The scientists underline that regenerative agriculture does not contradict the use of modern plant and animal breeding technology, tilling, use of mineral fertilizer or pesticides. Instead, it aims for a limited, more targeted use. The use of chemical pesticides, for example, can be reduced by using biological alternatives, employing gene-edited crops that are pathogen-resistant, or even introducing of predators.
Regenerative agriculture can take large amounts of CO2 out of the atmosphere and tie it back into the soil. “We are literally standing on the largest and most potent carbon capture storage of the planet,” Orsolya Valkó says. “Many field tests show how high the soil’s storage performance is. If we want not only to preserve biodiversity but also expand food production and at the same time fight climate change, there is no alternative to regenerative agriculture!”
EASAC recommends that regenerative agriculture should be prioritized by the Member States when implementing the new Common Agricultural Policy. This includes more diversification within and among crops, the introduction of permanent and perennial crops, expanded agroforestry and intercropping, keeping green plant cover on all farm fields during all seasons, and reduced tillage.
The full text of the report Regenerative agriculture in Europe. A critical analysis of contributions to European Union Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies is available in English on the EASAC website.
Trinitas TV, the television channel of the Romanian Patriarchate, has presented more on regenerative agriculture in the latest edition of its weekly show “Roadele pământului” (“The Fruit of the Land”).
Photo source: Facebook / EASAC
