There is growing interest in regenerative agriculture as a means of tackling the climate and nature emergency. Regenerative agriculture, however, tends to focus on soil health other actions that are integral to nature-positive farming are often overlooked. In arable landscapes, linear features like field margins, buffer strips, and hedgerows provide corridors for wildlife and deliver essential ecosystem services like carbon storage, pollutant interception, pollination services and natural pest control. Effective management and strategic placement of these habitats have a clear role to play in regenerative agriculture. This guide explores the benefits that our field edges and hedges provide to arable farms, the environment, and wider society. It identifies key risks to these habitats and outlines actions that farmers can take to reduce these risks. Integrating field margins, hedgerows, and buffer strips in arable landscapes enhances biodiversity, ecosystem services, and agricultural productivity. In restoring the health of agricultural ecosystems, our field edges and hedges support climate resilience and biodiversity conservation while maintaining farm profitability.
