The results of a pilot project on regenerative agriculture show the advantages of this approach over conventional farming — recording overall higher productivity.
Regenerative agriculture can outperform the conventional agricultural model while simultaneously improving ecosystems: this is the claim of a report by the European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (Eara), which gathered the results of a multi-year pilot programme conducted by farmers alongside experts and institutions from various sectors across 14 European countries, involving 78 farms covering a total of 7,000 hectares.
The study introduces the Rfp index (Regenerating Full Productivity), a multidimensional indicator that measures the full spectrum of soil management outcomes: agronomic, ecological and economic. By cross-referencing field data, information provided directly by farmers and satellite imagery, with comparisons at local, national and European level, the index assesses results specific to each context.
According to the data collected, during the 2021–2023 study period, regenerative farmers achieved overall higher productivity, recording an average Rfp 32 per cent higher, within a range of between 14 per cent and 52 per cent.
Also notable is the agroecological advantage, which translates into greater biodiversity and improved soil health: compared to neighbouring fields, farms in the regeneration phase achieved an increase in photosynthesis of more than 24 per cent, soil cover of more than 23 per cent and plant diversity of more than 17 per cent over the period between 2019 and 2024.
Regenerative agriculture delivered stable yields alongside a drastic reduction in inputs: yields were only 2 per cent lower, against an average reduction of 61 per cent in synthetic nitrogen fertilisers and 76 per cent in pesticides per hectare.
While the average European Union farm imports more than 30 per cent of livestock feed from outside the EU, regenerative farmers achieved similar results using only feed produced within their own bioregion, thereby securing regional food sovereignty.
"The results refute the idea that European food security must depend on chemical-intensive farming," the report states. "On the contrary, they confirm that regenerative systems — whether based on agroecology, conservation agriculture, organic farming, syntropic agroforestry or other practices — are not only viable, but often already superior. The progressive reduction (up to elimination) of synthetic inputs is not only possible, but also advantageous from an economic and environmental perspective."
The adoption of regenerative agriculture across 50 per cent of farmland, the report further explains, could more than offset the current agricultural emissions of the European Union. If extended across the entire EU, the study estimates that Rfp-based transitions could mitigate roughly more than three times the current emissions of the European agricultural sector.
By improving soil health, water retention and biodiversity, regenerative systems reduce the frequency and severity of climate-induced shocks such as droughts, floods and crop losses, ensuring food security, reversing ecological degradation and improving food quality and public health. Furthermore, regenerative agriculture also enhances the competitiveness and security of the European Union by reducing dependence on external fertilisers, pesticides, feed and fossil fuel sources, thereby decreasing vulnerability to geopolitical crises and supply chain disruptions.
According to the Alliance, regenerative agriculture also represents a social opportunity: it offers meaningful work rooted in ecology, particularly for young people and women. "Research shows that many new entrants into farming, particularly women, are motivated by the perception of agriculture as a meaningful and innovative profession, especially when it is in tune with ecological and social values."
"The European agri-food system is at a crossroads," the report's conclusions read. "Continuing with the current model would mean increasing dependency, worsening environmental degradation, and growing climate risks and costs. According to the European Commission, income losses in the agricultural sector could reach 60 billion euros by 2025, and exceed 90 billion by 2050. This study demonstrates that an alternative exists, and that it is already under way. Regenerative systems offer a concrete, measurable and high-impact strategy to secure our food and environmental future. The tools are there. The time to act is now."
The second phase of the project will broaden the evidence base, incorporating high-resolution satellite data, fuel use, a larger number of farmers and new indicators.