Development of regenerative agriculture in Serbia: farm-level case study insights into agronomic and economic performance under climate-variable conditions

This study analyzes the development and performance of regenerative agriculture in Vojvodina, northern Serbia, by combining stakeholder and sector analysis with two farm-level case studies based on production and economic records covering 2012–2025 at Bajmok and 2020–2025 at Bikovo. The methodological approach integrates sector-level assessment with empirical farm data on yield performance, input use, production costs, revenue and profit, while regional conventional yields for Vojvodina were used as reference benchmarks. Climatic conditions varied considerably during the observed period, with annual precipitation ranging from 413.0 to 807.9 mm and substantial seasonal and interannual temperature variability. Results indicate that regenerative agriculture in Serbia is predominantly driven by bottom-up initiatives and remains embedded within broader sustainability frameworks, resulting in a fragmented system at an early stage of institutionalization. Yield analysis from the case-study farms indicates that both conservation-tillage and regenerative management were associated with performance comparable to regional conventional benchmarks in several years, with occasional higher yields, but also with pronounced interannual variability linked to climatic conditions and crop-specific responses. At the Bajmok farm, the conservation-tillage phase and regenerative management showed higher values relative to regional conventional benchmarks in several years, including corn in 2014 and 2017, wheat in 2016 and sunflower in 2013, while less favorable results were observed for some crops during transition or climatically unfavorable years. At the Bikovo farm, oilseed rape, corn and barley exceeded regional conventional averages in several years, although not all crops performed equally well. Economic analysis of the two case-study systems shows that regenerative management did not necessarily reduce production costs in the short term, but rather reorganized cost structures, with profitability primarily associated with yield stability, market conditions and the relative contribution of fertilizer, pesticide and machinery costs. The findings from these case studies suggest that regenerative agriculture in Serbia is developing as a transitional and context-dependent approach, in which soil-oriented and system-level benefits may emerge gradually and have not yet translated into consistently stable economic outcomes in the analyzed systems. The study emphasizes the importance of long-term monitoring, advisory support and the development of supportive policy and market frameworks.