Comparing soil carbon in regenerative and conventional farming: evidence from a pan-European longitudinal analysis.

Background: European agricultural soils are a critical potential carbon sink, yet longitudinal data on
the efficacy of "Regenerative Agriculture" (RA) remains scarce.
Methods: We analyzed 876 topsoil points from the LUCAS Soil Survey (2009-2018), applying a
corrected Adams (1973) soil physics model to estimate Stock changes. Sites were scored on a 0-5
Regenerative Index based on crop rotation complexity (legumes, cover crops) and input reduction.
Results: While Pan-European trends were heterogeneous, a significant divergence emerged in the
Mediterranean Zone (Lat < 45°). Conventional high-input systems lost soil organic carbon (Mean:
-2.63 t/ha), while high-scoring Regenerative systems successfully sequestered carbon (Mean:
+1.09 t/ha) over the 9-year period. Sensitivity analysis confirms this relative benefit is robust
across varying bulk density assumptions.
Conclusion: Regenerative management effectively reverses soil degradation in Southern Europe,
acting as a crucial climate adaptation strategy for semi-arid agricultural regions.