Regenerative Farming and Nutrition

Regenerative farming is being championed by some as the future of British agriculture. As part of Radio 4's Farming Tomorrow week, Leyla Kazim asks - does regenerative farming change the nutritional value of what we eat? "Regenerative" farmers say the way they work their land rebuilds soil health, through the use of practices including cover crops, grazing animals, reduced cultivation and greater biodiversity. Its supporters say these healthier soils could produce healthier food. But what does the evidence show so far? could the way we farm influence not just the environment, but the nutrients in our, and even our health?

The programme includes interviews with Ian Wilkinson founder of FarmEd, a regenerative research and education farm; Lucy Williamson, author of "Soil to Gut: How to Regenerate Your Health with Food", Dr Grace Kangara - a soil scientist at Rothamsted Research who is researching the impact of different farming practices on the nutritional content of wheat (and other grains), and Rob Ward from Vitagri, a think tank pulling together thousands of research studies to try to answer the question. 

Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan