Regenerative Agriculture: Ensuring Resilience
Agriculture has undergone profound transformation over the past century, driven by the urgent need to feed a fast-growing global population. Innovations such as synthetic fertilisers, pesticides, and the development of high-yield varieties (HYVs) significantly improved productivity and crop yields and led to what is known as the Green Revolution. However, this progress came at a serious environmental and social cost.
With the demand for food projected to increase by 60% by 2050, regenerative agriculture - a system of farming that aims to restore and enhance the health of the soil, improve biodiversity, and strengthen ecosystems – provides a path forward for ensuring resilient global food systems.
The emergence of Agribusiness
The evolution of agriculture was not just technological but also structural. In 1957, the term ‘agribusiness’ was coined to describe the entire system of operations involved in farming - from input production to processing and distribution. This concept transformed farms into commercial enterprises, leading to vertical integration and the industrialisation of agriculture. No longer localised, farms became increasingly business-like and factory-oriented, with economic efficiency taking precedence over environmental or health considerations.
The environmental cost of agricultural intensification
Agribusiness is responsible for around a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Modern intensive agriculture is a major driver of biodiversity loss, land degradation, and water stress. It contributes to the degradation of 39mn hectares of soil annually, is responsible for almost 90% of deforestation and places demand on approximately 70% of global freshwater.
Further, the heavy reliance on synthetic fertilisers has also created imbalances in natural nitrogen cycles. Anthropogenic nitrogen now exceeds contributions from all natural processes combined. Only half of applied nitrogen is absorbed by crops, with the rest lost through leaching, erosion, and emissions. Runoff from fertilisers contributes significantly to river pollution, ocean acidification, and the depletion of the ozone layer.
A Shift Toward Regenerative Agriculture
In response to these challenges, regenerative agriculture has emerged as a promising alternative. Rather than working against nature, it aims to restore and enhance ecosystems.
Regenerative practices include using organic rather than synthetic fertilisers, rotating crops, increasing biodiversity, and improving soil health. However, these practices must become more accessible. While precision farming technologies can improve fertiliser efficiency and reduce emissions, they are often out of reach for smallholders due to high costs.
Harnessing technology, policy, and ecological understanding to build a food system that works in harmony with nature will be crucial for building resilience in the face of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Just as agriculture transformed over the past century, it must now evolve again to meet the challenges of the next.
Nature Finance Forum Europe
On 28th April, Climate Action’s Nature Finance Forum Europe will shine a light on regenerative agriculture, bringing an expert panel of speakers together to discuss how to structure and scale regenerative agriculture investments, take a deep dive into proven models for measuring and verifying regenerative outcomes and navigate key success factors for regenerative agriculture projects.
Santiago Gowland, CEO of the Rainforest Alliance, will moderate the discussion featuring Martin Lines, Farmer & CEO of the Nature Friendly Farming Network; Katherine Foster, Supervisory Board Member of EIT Food; Chris Adamo, Global Sustainability Impact & B Corp Director at Danone; and Nestan Devidze, Climate Investment Officer (Nature & Ecosystems) at the Green Climate Fund’s Private Sector Facility. Each of these organisations are making strong contributions to increasing the adoption of regenerative agriculture.
This year, the Rainforest Alliance will launch its Regenerative Agriculture standard, a credible and robust certification solution developed in collaboration with farmers and experts.
The Nature Friendly Farming Network, as a farmer-led membership organisation, empowers farmers to fulfil their potential as solution providers. It provides guidance on rethinking farming to deliver for environmental restoration, climate mitigation and the rural economy - while making better business sense in the process.
Moreover, EIT Food accelerates innovation for a future-fit food system. It aims to help scale up regenerative practices in agriculture and present their benefits for the environment and public health. To fulfil this mission, EIT Food has launched its programme to educate farmers across Europe about how they use sustainable farming practices. Additionally, its Regenerative Innovation Portfolio brings together a wide array of actors, seeking to unlock new partnerships, and bringing practical solutions that will enable viable short and long-term business models for farmers who want to transition towards regenerative agriculture.
Danone’s Regenerative Agriculture Program focuses on mitigating climate change by reducing GHG emissions and enhancing carbon sequestration across three pillars: protecting soils, water, and biodiversity; empowering farmers; and bolstering animal health and welfare.
In November 2024, the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the world’s largest climate fund, approved funding from its Project Preparation Facility to Climate Asset Management to develop strategy for scaling regenerative practices at a landscape level in Sub-Saharan Africa. The grant to enables the design of a blended finance and technical assistance facility that mobilises both public and private sector finance aimed at enhancing climate adaptation and food security for smallholder farmers across landscapes in Sub-Saharan Africa.
See the full agenda here: Nature Finance Forum Europe
