Claims that farming is inherently damaging are hurting the 'regenerative' revolution – Chloe McCulloch

Many farmers in Scotland are already delivering outcomes that would be described as regenerative (Picture: CM Dixon/Heritage Images) | Getty Images

We live in a world where, increasingly, consumers demand sustainable food, retailers need to demonstrate their environmental credentials, and governments expect agriculture to deliver public benefits alongside food.

That’s a major reason why there is no bigger topic in farming currently than regenerative agriculture, a subject that generates a wide range of interpretations and diverse expectations. As head of SAC Consulting, with staff working alongside farmers and crofters every day, I see the risk that this complexity and ambiguity brings in terms of the rate of implementation.

I also see much good practice. Many farmers are delivering outcomes that would readily be described as regenerative but are overlooked because they were not adopted under that banner. This seems at odds with genuine progress – if our objective is environmental improvement then outcomes matter more than labels.

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Custodians of the land

Many environmental challenges have developed over decades, and it’s unrealistic to expect them to be solved instantly. Farmers may be custodians of land, but this shouldn’t mean they are held solely accountable for the reversal of historical farming and land management practices which were once actively encouraged in the pursuit of an affordable and secure food supply.

Expecting primary producers alone to take responsibility for delivering extensive public goods is unlikely to accelerate progress at the desired pace.

Furthermore, it’s rarely effective to motivate change by criticising previous generations for operating with the knowledge and expectations of their time, or current generations for not immediately implementing an often complex investment requiring knowledge, time, and capital.

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Meanwhile, attempting to convey the urgency for change with narratives which portray farming as inherently damaging – even if they are well-intended – can be counter-productive. Beyond alienating the very people whose participation is essential, they risk undermining consumer confidence in Scottish produce and, in doing so, impact the commercial feasibility of further environmental improvements.

If we need farmers to invest more heavily in nature recovery, climate adaptation, and emissions reduction, we must maintain confidence in the value of their produce – and farmers’ confidence that there’s a future to invest in.

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‘Just good farming’

For me, regenerative farming isn’t defined by adherence to a particular philosophy. It’s about working in a way that ensures the next generation receives the farm in better condition than their predecessors inherited it. I’ve yet to meet a farmer for whom this does not resonate.

The challenge is not in deciding whether progress should happen, but how we accelerate and support it in a way that’s practical, evidence-based and economically sustainable.

Lasting industry-wide change won’t be achieved by a minority, however committed. The biggest gains will come when improved practices become mainstream. To achieve this, farmers must own the concept of regenerative agriculture and remove the perception that it represents an alternative or ideological model of farming.

At its heart, regenerative agriculture is simply modern agriculture: productive, environmentally responsible, resilient, high-welfare and economically sustainable.

The most successful farms of the future will not choose between food production, nature recovery, and climate resilience – they will deliver all three, routinely considering their methods to be ‘just good farming’.

Perhaps the real challenge is not persuading farmers to ‘become regenerative’. It’s recognising that a great many already are and helping the rest move further and faster in the same direction.

Chloe McCulloch is head of SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC)