A healthy soil could absorb all atmospheric CO₂, but its degradation is advancing: initiatives in Europe on regenerative agriculture seek to recover dead lands and transform them into climate allies.
In a planet where one third of fertile soils have been lost, farmers, scientists, and urban planners in Europe lead projects to regenerate degraded lands.
From humus cultivation methods in Austria to the renaturalization of contaminated mines in Germany, these actions combat erosion, store carbon, and reactivate ecosystems. With deadlines of up to 100 years, the challenge demands a radical change in land management.
From conventional agriculture to humus production: Josef Nagl’s change
Josef Nagl, a tenth-generation Austrian farmer in Styria, abandoned traditional plowing after an accident that made him rethink his legacy. “If I continued like this, I would only leave dead soil to my children,” he confesses.
Now, with machines that till superficially, he avoids damaging microorganisms and mixes harvest residues to feed the soil.
His method: “Give more to the land than what is taken from it,” prioritizing the health of the soil over the crops.
Mindloys: where concrete gives way to green spaces with sustainable agriculture
In this Bavarian town, Mayor Robert Bosch and architect Verna Alkevitz transform an abandoned factory equivalent to 20 soccer fields into a model of sustainable urban planning.
“We remove the concrete to recover the original soil,” explains Alkevitz. The project includes green areas that absorb rainwater, reduce urban heat, and capture CO₂. With governmental funding, the plan demonstrates that “reusing buildings is more effective than building on new lands.”
Ronneburg: biology vs. uranium contamination
In Thuringia (Germany), microbiologist Erika Cote and geoscientist Torsten Sheffa rehabilitate poisoned soils due to decades of uranium mining.
Through bacteria and plants, they fix heavy metals in the soil to prevent their spread. “We don’t eliminate the contaminants, but we immobilize them,” clarifies Sheffa.
Although the process will take decades, drones and microbiological analyses already monitor progress: alders and willows grow where there was once only toxicity.
Carbon certificates: when soil becomes currency
In the ecological region of Kandorf (Austria), farmers receive 30 euros per ton of CO₂ stored in their lands. Josef Nagl, for example, managed to sequester 152 tons in his fields, earning 4,500 euros annually.
Gueral Dundst, project co-founder, emphasizes: “If all of Germany adopted regenerative agriculture, it would offset transportation emissions.” The initiative, linked to the international “4 per 1000” agreement, aims to increase soil carbon by 0.4% annually.
A legacy for future generations
Regenerative agriculture is not a sprint, but a marathon. In Styria, students at the Humus Academy learn that a healthy soil absorbs 150 liters of water per hour and prevents floods.
Olaf Schnele, a German horticulturist, uses bacterial ferments inspired by the digestive system of cows to revitalize lands. Meanwhile, in Berlin, Michelin-starred chefs bet on their regenerative crops.
The soil regeneration through regenerative agriculture is no longer a utopia, but it requires funding, education, and patience. As Dundst summarizes: “We destroyed humus over generations; we will not recover it in two years.” The land, a silent witness of our past, could be the key to a habitable future.
