Comparing soil carbon in regenerative and conventional farming: evidence from a pan-European longitudinal analysis.

Background: European agricultural soils are a critical potential carbon sink, yet longitudinal data on the efficacy of "Regenerative Agriculture" (RA) remains scarce. Methods: We analyzed 876 topsoil points from the LUCAS Soil Survey (2009-2018), applying a corrected Adams (1973) soil physics model to estimate Stock changes. Sites were scored on a 0-5 Regenerative Index based on crop rotation complexity (legumes, cover crops) and input reduction. Results: While Pan-European trends were heterogeneous, a significant divergence emerged in the Mediterranean Zone (Lat < 45°). Conventional high-input systems lost soil organic carbon (Mean: -2.63 t/ha), while high-scoring Regenerative systems successfully sequestered carbon (Mean: +1.09 t/ha) over the 9-year period. Sensitivity analysis confirms this relative benefit is robust across varying bulk density assumptions. Conclusion: Regenerative management effectively reverses soil degradation in Southern Europe, acting as a crucial climate adaptation strategy for semi-arid agricultural regions.