Summary
This systematic review and meta-analysis by Jordan et al. (2025) synthesises the global evidence base on regenerative organic agriculture and its capacity to deliver soil ecosystem services relative to conventional farming. Drawing on multiple paired studies, it quantifies effect sizes for soil organic carbon, nitrogen cycling, and microbial biomass, providing a rigorous assessment of the soil health benefits — and potential yield trade-offs — associated with ROAg practices. The study represents one of the more comprehensive quantitative syntheses in this rapidly evolving field, though inferences about specific effect magnitudes should be treated cautiously pending access to the full publication.
UK applicability
Although the review is global in scope, its findings are broadly applicable to UK policy and practice, particularly given growing interest in Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes and the role of regenerative and organic systems in meeting soil health and net-zero commitments under the Agriculture Act 2020.
Key measures
Soil organic carbon (%), total nitrogen (%), microbial biomass carbon (mg/kg), crop yield (t/ha), effect sizes (Hedges' g or log response ratios) across paired ROAg vs conventional comparisons
Outcomes reported
The study synthesised evidence on how regenerative organic agriculture (ROAg) practices influence key soil ecosystem services, including soil organic carbon accumulation, total nitrogen, microbial biomass, and crop yields, comparing outcomes against conventional agricultural systems.
Topic tags
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