Organic farming. Regenerative farming. Nature-friendly farming. They all describe approaches to producing food with the environment in mind, but they have different meanings and priorities. By giving each approach its own label, we risk making a simple question unnecessarily complicated: how was my food produced, and what difference did it make to the world around me?
Let's unpack the terms, exploring what they mean.
In summary
Organic farming: a certified system of farming and food production that follows strict standards. These include restricting the use of artificial chemicals and fertilisers, protecting the soil, maintaining high animal welfare standards, no GM crops, and more.
Regenerative farming: an approach to farming guided by a loose set of principles centred on improving soil health, prioritising positive outcomes for the environment.
Nature-friendly farming: an approach that puts nature at the heart of food production, actively managing farmland to protect and improve soil health, water quality and wildlife, while helping farms remain profitable.
Neither nature-friendly farming nor regenerative farming have a single, universally agreed definition or certification, so practices and outcomes can vary between farms.
Organic farming
Organic farming was developed in response to changing farm practices, particularly the rise of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Whilst these provide short term gains, in the long term they cause soil to become degraded and harm wildlife and livestock.
Today, organic farming has become a strict legal term. Only certified farmers and growers can sell their produce as ‘organic’. Every step of the supply chain must also meet these standards.
The Soil Association and OF&G certify most organic food in the UK. Regular inspections by these bodies ensure farmers are meeting the required standards.
There are many detailed requirements, but the key elements of organic agriculture are:
No use of artificial pesticides, fertilisers, or weedkillers
Protection of the soil by using crop rotations
High animal welfare standards
Encourage wildlife and protect nature habitats
Minimise waste, cycling as much as possible back into the farm
No genetically modified (GM) crops
Organic farming in practice
Amelia Greenway is an organic livestock farmer in East Devon. As she explains: “We want people to truly understand what and who they are buying into and to trust the high-quality produce they consume. It’s so important for them to invest in sustainable, ethical meat production, even if that means eating less but better.”
Choosing organic food
Organic food is widely available in UK supermarkets, where products are labelled as organic. You can also find organic brands online who sell various options such as vegetable and meat boxes. Look out for Soil Association or OF&G certification stamps on packaging.
Regenerative farming
Regenerative farming has much in common with organic farming without the prescriptive rules. It is often described as a ‘soil first’ approach.
This approach focuses on improving environmental outcomes, including increasing soil organic matter, carbon storage, microbe and fungi diversity.
Rather than following a strict set of rules, regenerative farming is based on principles. Most enthusiasts adopt the following approaches:
Reduce soil disturbance through methods that prevent or reduce ploughing and other forms of soil disturbance.
Increase crop and other species diversity, particularly plants that fix nitrogen in the soil.
Protect the soil with cover crops or by avoiding overgrazing or poaching (hardening of the ground and creation of holes) by livestock.
Keep plants growing throughout the year where possible, using cover crops and managing grazing to encourage deeper, stronger root systems.
Introduce livestock as they bring many benefits such as improving soil fertility.
Some regenerative farmers follow organic principles but simply do not have the certification. Others choose the practices that work best for their land and business. For example, they may use glyphosate, a herbicide, on crops to dry them for harvest so not to disturb the soil, but opt for no other pesticides. Livestock farmers may use medications when needed but avoid routine treatments and antibiotics where possible.
Regenerative farming in practice
Farmers may choose a regenerative approach over organic for various reasons. When Claire Hill took on Planton Farm, she needed more options to deal with damaged soil that was at risk from flooding and drought.
“It had been organic for a long time, but something was still missing. I realised we needed a focus on regeneration, not just organic production,” she said.
Choosing regenerative food
As regenerative farming has no single, universally recognised certification standard, finding regeneratively produced food can be more challenging. Look for local farm shops or sellers at farmers markets who describe themselves as regenerative. You can also find them online or on social media. Ask what regenerative farming means to them, which practices they use and what they aim to achieve.
Nature-friendly farming
Nature-friendly farming is about putting nature at the heart of production. This movement recognises that there is no farming without nature.
Nature-friendly and regenerative farming are closely connected. They both refer to ways farmers can improve the performance of their farms both environmentally and financially.
Nature-friendly farming represents a wide spectrum of approaches, and is an ongoing journey rather than a final destination. For us here at the NFFN, nature-friendly farming is most powerful as a whole-farm approach, where all elements of the farm can work together using nature to support food production.
For example, a nature-friendly farmer may use hedgerows to shelter both livestock and wildlife. That wildlife can then help benefit the farm through pollinating crops and controlling pests. Hedgerows also store carbon and help prevent flooding and soil erosion, benefitting the wider environment.
There is growing evidence that around 10% of a farm’s land needs to be nature-rich to support wider nature recovery goals. This can also help farms cope with the effects of climate change, key to ensuring long-term food security.
It’s about proactively working with nature rather than against it. Nature-friendly farming draws on key regenerative principles like: protection of soil, maintaining living roots, and integrating adding in livestock or organic manure and compost. It also involves:
Taking a whole farm approach that recognises the value and connections between every part of the farm.
Working with nature as a way to improve the production of food, feed, fibre or other produce. Treating nature as a business partner, not a ‘nice to have’.
Supporting the recovery of wildlife and habitats, through careful land management.
Understanding what a farm can produce based on what the land can provide naturally. Then nature-friendly and regenerative practices can be adopted successfully.
Every farmer considering nature-friendly approaches is at a different stage in their journey. It is our mission to support them wherever they are. There’s no single approach that works for every farm, so farmers use different methods depending on their land, climate, crops, livestock and circumstances.
Nature-friendly farming in practice
Holly Purdey is transitioning to a nature-friendly system on a National Trust farm. As she explains: “Our nature-friendly farming approach is about the long-term viability of the land. I want my sons to still be able to farm here in 30 or 50 years,” she said.
Choosing nature-friendly farming food
One of the best ways to support nature-friendly farming is to buy directly from the farmers who practise it. Look out for local farm shops, farmers’ markets and veg box schemes, or find farmers who sell their produce online. Buying directly gives you the opportunity to ask where your food comes from and how it was produced.