Understanding regenerative agriculture in Europe: An analysis of academic literature, stakeholder perceptions and policy comparing Spain and the UK

Europe’s food and agricultural systems face multiple threats, from soil degradation, to water availability, high input costs and changing agricultural policy and trade environments. At the same time, the environmental degradation associated with agriculture threatens biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services to millions of people. Regenerative agriculture is gaining popularity, reflecting an approach which aims to reduce agriculture’s impact on the environment, improve soil health and maintain the sustainability of production. While ongoing changes to UK and EU policy landscapes aim to encourage sustainable transformation of food systems and agriculture, uncertainty remains across the diverse stakeholder groups involved (practitioners, scientists, and policy-makers) around the definition of regenerative agriculture, the practices associated with it, and its outcomes. This lack of consensus and documented evidence can influence attitudes and create barriers to uptake. In this paper, we combine a review of key UK and EU agricultural policies, literature review, and analysis of participatory stakeholder processes in Spain and the UK to determine whether policy developments adequately reflect perceived barriers, motivations and understanding of regenerative agricultural practices. We find very limited presence of regenerative agriculture and descriptions of practices commonly associated with it in both EU and UK policies. Evidence from stakeholders and peer-reviewed literature suggest regenerative agriculture is more commonly discussed in a UK context, and uptake of regenerative agriculture and knowledge-sharing between farmers in Spain is lower compared to the UK. Clearer guidelines on practices and methods, and evidence on the barriers, incentives and outcomes in using regenerative agriculture are needed from the science and policy-making communities to promote successful and effective changes across the sector and prevent misguided and inconsistent labelling of production systems. • Scientists and practitioners identify challenges associated with the lack of a clear definition of regenerative agriculture. • Key UK and EU agricultural policies do not reflect regenerative agriculture developments highlight by scientific literature and stakeholder processes. • We find very limited presence of regenerative agriculture and descriptions of practices commonly associated with it in both EU and UK policies. • Evidence from stakeholders and peer-reviewed literature suggests higher adoption and analysis of regenerative agriculture in the UK compared to Spain. • Knowledge gaps remain around implementation and outcomes of regenerative agriculture in mediterranean and rainfed systems. • Evidence on barriers, incentives and outcomes of regenerative agriculture needed to support effective policy-making and incentives.