April 2, 2025

British Ecological Society Report – Regenerative Agriculture in the UK: An Ecological Perspective

Over the last decade the concept of regenerative agriculture has attracted increasing attention from farmers, governments and corporations as a more nature-friendly alternative to so-called ‘conventional agriculture’ that emphasises the need to focus on soil restoration.

A new report by the British Ecological Society brings together the expertise of over 40 academics, practitioners and farmers across the UK to assess the evidence around the regenerative farming approaches to soil health, biodiversity and minimising environmental damage.

Journalists came to this media briefing to hear about the findings and recommendations of the report, and the panel answered questions such as:

• What is regenerative agriculture and why is it important?
• Practically how does regenerative agriculture differ from conventional agriculture?
• What does the evidence say on the benefits and negatives of implementing different regenerative agriculture methods?
• How do crop yields from regenerative agriculture differ from conventional agriculture?
• How can researchers work with farmers to ensure policies are evidenced-led and drive the transition to a more sustainable agricultural future?

Speakers included:

Dr Roy Neilson, soil ecologist at the James Hutton Institute 

Dr Jennifer Dodsworth, social science researcher at University of Oxford and tenant hill farmer

Dr Lucie Büchi, researcher in crop and weed ecology at The Natural Resources Institute of the University of Greenwich

This Briefing was accompanied by an SMC Roundup of comments.