Regenerative agriculture programme shares ‘powerful’ measured impacts

The 289 farms that implemented regenerative practices through Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs) achieved nearly 50,000 tonnes of emissions reductions or removals in 2024.

More than 80,000 hectares of farmland across England, Hungary, Italy and Poland have already been converted to regenerative agriculture through LENs initiatives, leading to 49,370 tonnes of CO2 reductions and removals last year.

According to LENs’ first impact report, soils saw an average increase of 1.83 tonnes of organic carbon per hectare in just one year, proving that combining multiple regenerative practices is an effective way to capture more soil carbon.

There has also been an average reduction of 14kg of nitrogen per hectare on LENs farms, and 73 hectares of biodiverse habitats have been created or restored.

‘Real progress is possible’

These results, based on measured outcomes and not predictions, demonstrate the “powerful, real-world” environmental benefits of regenerative agriculture, according to the organisation.

“Environmental sustainability and economic resilience can and must go hand in hand. We need to work collaboratively across landscapes to mitigate the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss. Sharing LENs’ collective impact in this report shows that real progress is possible,” said Donald Lunan, LENs CEO.

LENs bring together businesses including Diageo, Nestlé and PepsiCo, as well as public bodies, NGOs, farmers and land managers to finance and implement nature-based and agricultural initiatives. Since 2021, the programme has unlocked €24 million for farmers.

Another 47,705 hectares is being supported in the latest round of funding, with impacts to be measured in 2025.

Lack of large-scale data around regenerative agriculture

Many consumer brands have pledged to promote regenerative farming within their supply chains, but have faced a lack of common definition and supportive policies, as well as difficulty in measuring outcomes in a standardised way.

Still, data is starting to trickle through: commodity trade ADM, for example, reported a 310,000 tonne drop in carbon emissions from the implementation of regenerative practices in 2023.

Regenerative agriculture is also set to help the food industry adapt to rising climate risks, with more biodiverse and soil-rich farms less vulnerable to both floods and droughts.