Regenerative Agriculture as a Sustainable System of Food Production: Concepts, Conditions, Perceptions and Initial Implementations in Poland, Czechia and Slovakia

Abstract

In order to produce agri-food products in a sustainable way, a new and pro-environmental farmer attitude to soil is of key importance. In a situation of significant degradation of agricultural land as a result of the spread of intensive farming, there has been growing interest in regenerative agriculture. Based on a literature review as well as quantitative and qualitative primary data, the authors aim to analyse various ways in which regenerative agriculture is defined, understood and implemented, with selected countries, namely Poland, Czechia and Slovakia, serving as examples. The objective of the study is also to recognise how and to what extent the concepts and practices of regenerative agriculture meet the principles of sustainable food production. An examination of the literature shows that regenerative agriculture is a relatively new and diversely described concept drawing on many models of agriculture. The results of a bibliometric and webometric analysis suggest that the scientific, expert and public perceptions of regenerative agriculture are still limited. In the countries under consideration, regenerative agriculture is often identified with the concept of biological farming (biologisation of agriculture), and the conscious implementation of its practices at farms is infrequent, usually only taking place at large farms. The study was conducted from the point of view of the social sciences and agricultural economics, is comparative in character, and includes recommendations for agricultural policy as well as guidelines for possible future research.