French study highlights regen drought benefits

Regenerative farming practices could help UK arable growers protect crop yields during drought years, according to findings from one of Europe’s largest analyses of commercial farm data.

Researchers analysing independently verified field-level information from more than 1,200 farms across France found that those using the highest levels of regenerative practices experienced significantly smaller yield declines during the severe droughts of 2023 than farms using the lowest levels.

See also: Managing soils to withstand wet winters and dry summers

Although the analysis was carried out in France, many of the crops examined are widely grown in the UK, including winter wheat, winter barley, oilseed rape, maize and potatoes.

Winter wheat accounted for about 30% of the total area analysed.

The study, carried out by Soil Capital, analysed data from 1,262 farms covering more than 331,000ha between 2021 and 2024.

It examined the relationship between drought performance and practices such as cover cropping, reduced cultivation, crop residue retention and organic matter applications.

In the region where the most detailed analysis was undertaken, yields of the most drought-affected crop fell by 22% on the least regenerative farms following the 2023 droughts.

By comparison, highly regenerative farms recorded an average decline of just 8%.

Across France, researchers found regenerative practices reduced drought-related yield losses by at least 10% in about 85% of drought-affected cereal-growing areas included in the analysis.

Fewer peaks and troughs

Jake Freestone, farm manager at Overbury Farms in Worcestershire, has been using a regenerative system since 2013.

Commenting on the findings, he said: “It’s very interesting. Our yields have not been affected by drought to the same extent as some other farms. My gut feeling is that, on our lighter soils and hill ground, we are a bit more resilient.

“We are probably not hitting the highest yields, but neither are we seeing the lowest. We are exposing the business to less environmental risk while also reducing crop production costs, particularly through lower nitrogen application rates. It’s a really positive story.

“The climate here is definitely changing. We are seeing more prolonged periods of wet weather, but also drier spells. We have got to look at this more closely.”

Mr Freestone added that higher soil organic matter levels may be one of the main reasons crops in regenerative farming systems perform better during drought conditions.

Improving resilience

Andrew Voysey, chief impact officer at Soil Capital, said the findings provided some of the strongest evidence yet that regenerative farming could improve resilience to climate-related production risks.

“For the first time, we are moving beyond anecdote or modelling to show, through large-scale independently verified field data, how regenerative agriculture can help protect production,” he said.

Researchers caution that the results are based on observational farm data rather than controlled experiments and do not yet identify which individual regenerative practices deliver the greatest benefits.

However, the link between higher levels of regenerative practice adoption and improved drought resilience remained statistically significant across regions and seasons.