Recent years have seen a growing recognition of the need for change in how the world’s food is produced. The big agrifood conglomerates have been lining up to highlight their commitment to ‘regenerative’ agriculture, and more and more capital is now being directed towards supporting smallholders in developing countries and avoiding the pitfalls of monoculture production.

However, policies that seek to reduce emissions and mitigate other environmental and social impacts from agriculture have received ferocious pushback over the past few months, especially in Europe. In March, for instance, as farmers blockaded roads and sprayed manure across the streets of Brussels, EU leaders agreed to backtrack on key parts of their proposed Green Deal.

After all, the mainstream focus on sustainability has come at a time when food insecurity is an escalating threat. Warnings of famine in Gaza may have dominated the headlines, but hunger is actually a growing concern all around the world. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says that some 280 million people experienced hunger on a daily basis last year.

It is easy to see why regenerative agriculture might be considered a dangerous distraction from farmers’ core mission: feeding the world, especially given a rising global population.

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