Can Maincrop potatoes be grown in a regenerative system?

Potatoes are the third most important food crop globally. Grower numbers are dwindling in the UK and the cropped area is down nearly 30% since 2017. As farmers become more conscious of their soil’s health, potatoes often find themselves as the first crop dropped from rotation. Burgeoning input costs and extreme weather events are also hampering the UK potato sector with poor returns being common recently on many farms. These issues can be addressed if a clear method is demonstrated that shows potatoes do not have to negatively impact soil management.

This study was conducted to establish how growers are implementing regenerative principles into the cultivation of potatoes, explore how these principles can be applied to the UK’s soils and climate, and to create a plan for potato growers to reduce artificial inputs whilst still growing high-yielding potatoes.

I travelled to farms displaying the most innovative systems focused on regenerating soil in Canada, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and finally Belgium and France, countries with a maritime climate much like our own.

Growing high yielding crops of potatoes whilst improving soil health can be achieved in many ways, however, the most successful farms all tend to follow the five principles of regenerative agriculture:

1. Minimise soil disturbance.
2. Diversity through rotation
3. Keep the soil surface covered.
4. Maintain living roots.
5. Integrate livestock.

Despite some of these principles not lending themselves directly to potato production as a stand-alone principle, combining them can yield excellent results. Increasing numbers of arable farmers are recognising these benefits, and potato growers will, too, when following regenerative principles and applying them according to their specific goals.

Simple actions such as growing a well-established cover crop instead of leaving the ground fallow, and reduced cultivations throughout the crop rotation, leads to improved soil structure and reduces the cultivation needs of subsequent potato crops.  The introduction of livestock and diversity into rotations further enhances the health of the soil and, over time, less fertiliser and pesticides are needed. Not only will soils begin to function better, but they will also bounce back from the major disturbance events of establishment and harvesting more quickly.

In conclusion, this report demonstrates the viability of main crop potatoes grown in a regenerative system. Integrating regenerative principles, such as minimal soil disturbance and maintaining living roots, results in multiple benefits including improved soil health and greater soil and crop resilience. While challenges during the transition to a regenerative system will be encountered, the long-term benefits on both the soil and a farm’s profit margin can be substantial.