Regenerative Agriculture: Insights and Challenges in Farmer Adoption

Cristiano Moisés, Margarida Arrobas, Dimitrios Tsitos, Diogo Pinho, Raiza Figueiredo Rezende and Manuel Ângelo Rodrigues ()
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Cristiano Moisés: Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
Margarida Arrobas: Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
Dimitrios Tsitos: AgroSystemic SA, Rue des Eaux-Vives 23, c/o Fidaction Fisc-Compta SA, 1207 Geneva, Switzerland
Diogo Pinho: Monte Silveira Farm, Rua Diogo da Fonseca, 7, R/C esquerdo, 6000-184 Castelo Branco, Portugal
Raiza Figueiredo Rezende: CHYPRA—Associação Pro Saúde e Agricultura Regenerativa, 191 Rua Ferreira Borges, 2º Esq., 1350-132 Lisboa, Portugal
Manuel Ângelo Rodrigues: Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 16, 1-22

Abstract: Regenerative agriculture has emerged as a new organic farming movement, initially difficult to distinguish from similar approaches. Its core concerns, such as ecosystem degradation caused by intensive farming, align with those of many other organic systems. However, regenerative agriculture prioritizes soil health, biodiversity, and social equity, setting itself apart through its scalability and flexibility. Unlike other ecological farming methods, often limited to smaller scales, regenerative agriculture aims to be implemented on large farms, typically major contributors to pollution due to reliance on external inputs like fertilizers and pesticides. Notably, regenerative certification standards are more flexible, allowing the use of industrially synthesized inputs under specific conditions, provided that regenerative principles are upheld. This review systematically examines seven core regenerative practices: no-tillage farming, crop rotation, cover cropping, green manures, intercropping, perennial cover systems, and integrated crop-livestock systems. It outlines the practical advantages and ecological benefits of each, while identifying key adoption challenges, including costs, farm size, and institutional barriers. The paper argues that addressing these issues, particularly concerning scale and socio-economic constraints, is essential for broader adoption. By synthesizing recent evidence, this review clarifies the distinctiveness of regenerative agriculture and highlights pathways for its scalable implementation.

Keywords: soil health; conservation agriculture; crop rotation; cover crops; intercropping; integrated crop-livestock (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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