Granada

Spain

Antonio Yebra Cabrera

Living Soils Sierra Nevada: Practical Regeneration Model for Mountain Agroecosystems (REGEN-SN)

The REGEN-SN project is a field experiment in Sierra Nevada testing a regenerative agriculture model that combines livestock and crops to restore degraded soils. Conducted on a one-hectare site, it evaluates a circular fertility system using local pajuna cattle manure and managed grazing instead of commercial inputs. The experiment investigates how the origin and ecological context of organic inputs affect soil regeneration, resilience, and biological activity. Three practices—ecological manure, rotational grazing, and winter cover crops—are tested to establish a fruit orchard under perennial conditions. Soil health is monitored through physical, chemical, and biological indicators, producing scalable, low-cost solutions for Mediterranean mountain farming.

Duration of the pilot 15 Months

Type of Farm

Mixed

Type of Soil

Pending analysis

Crops Involved

Woody fruit orchard / perennial fruit trees

Practices

  • Apply minimum tillage or no-tillage

  • Apply agroforestry system

  • Apply cover crops (variety of options)

  • Apply green compost, vermicompost, termophilic compost, compost tea

  • Apply low pressure tyres on tractor

  • Apply system of minimal use of pesticides; e.g. through mechanical weed control, biological control of pests, etc