Regenerative agriculture develops on a large scale in Belgium

26/01/2023

In order to reduce the carbon footprint of food production, the Belgian leader in agricultural supplies will dedicate 50,000 hectares to regenerative agriculture by 2025.

Agriculture accounts for about a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. These are mainly caused by methane gas released by livestock, but the spreading of nitrogen fertilizers also has a significant impact. This is because nitrous oxide has a much greater warming power than carbon dioxide (CO2).

A more sustainable production model under acceptable financial conditions for farmers involves regenerative agriculture (carbon farming). This agricultural practice consists of storing CO2 in the soil and reducing emissions of it. To achieve this, chemical inputs must be replaced with organic inputs by minimising ploughing and diversifying crop rotation for better preservation of the soil biotope.

The Arvesta Group, Belgium's number one agricultural supplies company, has joined forces with three operators (the brewery Alken-Maes and the mills Dossche Mills and Paniflower) to launch the most ambitious partnership ever in this sector in Belgium.

A first pilot experiment was carried out last year on more than 2,000 hectares, which showed that the carbon footprint of Belgian crops is already lower than the average in Western Europe.

By 2025, no fewer than 50,000 hectares of Belgian agricultural land will be allocated to regenerative agriculture.