Regenerative agriculture – a valuable tool for the Bioeconomy

Posted in: feedstocks

23/09/2024
In this article, we explore the concept of Regenerative Agriculture and place it within the context of the bioeconomy. We discuss how adopting sustainable agricultural practices can benefit both the circular economy and crop producers.

Developing a robust and sustainable bioeconomy on which society can rely will hinge on the long-term ability to source sustainable biomass. Debates relating to sustainable sources of biomass and the current uses of it have become common place in the press and within the scientific community. The fate of crops in particular is widely discussed and some critics argue that any crops grown for bioenergy or biofuel production displace crops grown for what can be considered as more urgent or crucial purposes (i.e. food and feed in the case of conventional cash crops, such as maize, cereals or beet).

However valid this argument may be, it relies on the assumption that land is used for growing crops for either food, feed, or energy in any one season, which provides a valuable insight into the widespread agricultural practices of today. Crop rotations and the practice of leaving land fallow over the winter periods have become the norm, which if not done effectively, can not only lead to soil degradation and nutrient depletion, but also negates more efficient methods which could optimise yields and crops diversity.

In this article, we discuss a range of conventional agricultural management practices and compare them with practices associated with regenerative agriculture – such as sequential cropping. Benefits of the latter within the bioeconomy context are assessed, including their potential for the co-production of crops for food, feed and energy on the same land without any displacement effects, along with a number other environmental, economic and social advantages. Finally, we will discuss existing support schemes designed to support farmers in their decision to adopt more sustainable farming practices such as cover cropping via sequential cropping.

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This article was written by Théa Allary, Consultant.

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