Why Africa should practice regenerative agriculture

Severe land degradation in Africa negatively impacts nearly half of all productive land, affecting well over 650 million people.

Practices resulting in land degradation have removed almost a third of the world’s arable land from production over the last 40 years, and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is experiencing the brunt of this crisis.

Continued inaction to improve and restore land could lead to further losses of USD 4.6 trillion over the next 15 years. To restore degraded lands, regenerative agriculture practices such as crop diversification, tree planting, reduced tillage, mulching, and water conservation techniques spur benefits for both agribusinesses and society.

These techniques improve yields via increased soil nutrient and organic content, reduced soil erosion and improved water retention. Broader environmental benefits also emerge through these practices, including more resilient ecosystems, carbon sequestration, improved water management and stronger biodiversity.

Regenerative agriculture practices are a smart way to stem risk in supply chains.

Risks, including climate risks, are on the rise, potentially inhibiting growth and creating supply disruptions for large agribusinesses. Regenerative practices are comparatively cost effective, relying largely on knowledge, time and labour.

These practices enable farmers to adapt to a variable climate more easily through adopting climate-smart techniques and crop choices. Businesses in SSA already reap the rewards of regenerative agriculture in programmes reaching over 100,000 farmers, with yield increases from 68% to

300%.

Companies such as Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), Linking Environment, Agribusiness & Forestry (LEAF) Africa, Nespresso, Olam, Touton and Twiga Foods have already implemented regenerative agriculture programmes in the region. Olam has seen an 80% increase in cotton lint yields through regenerative techniques, which include mulching and crop rotations.

Touton boosted annual yields by 68% through its agroforestry programme, using shade-tree planting. Through a Nespresso training programme, the individual farmers who have fully embraced regenerative practices such as pruning and rejuvenation6 are seeing up to 300% yield increases.

Within just a few years, regenerative farming systems in SSA could greatly increase yields and reduce input costs to farmers. Some benefits can be seen within a single cropping season, though time frames vary significantly, and other impacts can require longer to realise.

The natural benefits of regenerative farming also reduce dependence on expensive inputs such as irrigation, fertilisers and pesticides, cutting input costs for farmers and providing alternative fodder sources for livestock. The annual savings to farmers across

SSA may be as high as USD 17 billion by 2040.

Increased uptake of regenerative agriculture in Africa could support nearly 5 million jobs by 2040 in addition to increasing revenue and food security for smallholder farmers. Farmers adopting regenerative agriculture can benefit from higher and diversified revenue streams, and may generate additional financial capital that can be reinvested at farm level or help respond to external shocks.

Off-farm employment could also increase alongside yields, as larger harvests require more labour to transport, process, transform and sell products. The economic benefits for farmers and the surrounding economies from regenerative agriculture is projected to increase food security through reduction of prices and accessibility of varied and increased food options.

Regenerative agriculture could also sequester large amounts of carbon dioxide, making it a low-cost and effective solution to combat climate change. By 2040, this carbon benefit could equate to a 4.4 GtCO2e increase in SSA soil-based stock alone. Another 106 MtCO2e per year could be sequestered by restoring degraded land with agroforestry systems.