Europe sows the seed for a sustainable farming revolution

By 2030, just eight harvest years away, the European Union aims to have made a breakthrough in reducing greenhouse gas emissions inagriculture, and transforming today’s extractive and homogenous food system into a sustainable one.

Agriculture contributes approximately 10% of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions but it could make an even bigger contribution to capturing carbon and restoring biodiversity. It’s estimated that up to 70% of EU soils are becoming unhealthy, and every year hundreds of millions of tonnes of soil are eroded, costing Europe’s farmers 1.25 billion euros each year. And that degradation is set to escalate as climate change intensifies.

Proposals on soil health – now out for public consultation – aim to make sustainable soil management “the new normal”. 2030 targets for the EU’s new Farm to Fork strategy include a 20% reduction in fertiliser use, a 50% reduction in the use of chemical pesticides and at least a 50% reduction in nutrient loss.

Many solutions have been raised in the context of accelerating soil erosion and diminishing soil health, but the question lies in whether the situation can be reversed. The latest buzzword is “regenerative”, with many of the world’s largest food companies working with farmers on a basket of practices that were once widely used before the advent of industrialised agriculture, such as minimal tillage and keeping the land green with cover crops.

Companies including McCain, PepsiCo and Cargill have committed to advancing regenerative agriculture on millions of acres of land producing staples such as potatoes, wheat and corn. In August, Carlsberg announced a new agriculture focus that aims to have 30% of its raw materials grown using regenerative practices by 2030, growing to all of them by 2040. Nestle, Diageo, Lidl, AB InBev and Danish-Swedish Dairy cooperative Arla (for example) all involved in projects that could deliver emissions reductions.

Unlike organic, regenerative agriculture is not prescriptive, says Thomas Elmqvist, a professor in natural resource management at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. “It's the goal that is important. You're open to innovation, new technology, modern plant breeding – all fine, as long as you apply a precautionary principle.” Enshrined in EU law, it essentially means better safe than sorry. “So it opens up much more space for innovation and experimentation, both for industry and farmers,” says Elmqvist.

Graeme Hamilton, director for sustainability, procurement, and circular ventures at AB InBev, suggests that while there’s “a real willingness to understand what are the technical practices a farmer can do on their land to sequester carbon, because (companies) are doing individual pilots, there isn’t yet consensus.”

OP2B Director Stefania Avanzini agrees: “A farmer doesn't have one field entirely for Nestle or McCain.” She told a recent soils conference that without alignment on a framework, on indicators, ways of working and co-financing, “transition won't happen because the farmer cannot respond to the specific needs of each company”.

The group’s first project is in northern France, exploring crop rotation methods with 100 farmers on almost 160 hectares. Despite being in the early phases, six companies, including Nestle, McCain, Mondelez and L’Oréal, have made a long-term committment to purchasing the wheat, potatoes and sugar beet grown. AB InBev is discovering which regenerative practices work well for its malting barley. Alongside partners, it’s working with agronomy firm Soil Capital on a programme that pays for improvements in soil carbon.

“By focusing on carbon, we can do a pretty good job of helping incentivise farmers to adopt farming practices that improve soil health,” says Andrew Voysey, head of impact and carbon at Soil Capital. These ultimately build resilience to both drought and flood.

As part of the Green Deal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, the EU wants to scale up so-called carbon farming. It’s expected to publish a regulatory framework for certification of carbon removals so that by 2030 carbon farming practices (such as regenerative agriculture) add 42 million tonnes of carbon dioxide to Europe’s natural carbon sinks.

The Farm to Fork strategy encapsulates a broad range of policy levers aimed at addressing the whole food system. It also includes sustainability labeling of food products. But it’s not yet clear what the requirements of food companies will be.

The EU’s Farm to Fork and biodiversity strategies themselves are moving towards a more holistic approach to both food production and consumption chains, “but the policy implementation and financial incentives are still a bit fragmented,” suggests Elmqvist. “You have some (incentives) in the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), some in carbon farming and some in ecological restoration”.

Regenerative agriculture is a farming method that improves soil and water retention, minimizes tilling, uses fewer pesticides and fertilizers, and stores more carbon in the ground to reduce emissions.

This solution also allows the farm to diversify crops and attract more wildlife. In the past few years, regenerative agriculture has attracted more and more attention from farms and plans to apply when facing pressure to reduce production costs because the prices of fertilizers, animal feeds, and fuels are constantly changing.

There are hundreds of different ways to implement regenerative agriculture, including starting the process of regenerative agriculture. A common practice is to improve soil fertility by natural means, such as planting alfalfa (Medicago sativa) before planting the next crop.

This legume is famous for its ability to fix nitrogen in the soil. The rhizobia bacteria in the roots of alfalfa convert nitrogen in the air into organic nitrogen forms, helping to store large amounts of nitrogen and organic matter in the soil. If intercropped with other varieties, alfalfa will help the main crop have strong roots, penetrate deep into the ground and improve air circulation, drainage, and microbial activity.