Farms could increase profitability by 78% by switching to regenerative farming. That's according to research by the Ecdysis Foundation, a US research group.

Savills, a UK land agent managing 3.5 million acres, puts the figure at 18%. This was based on experiments run on their virtual farm and included income from carbon trading.

The real figure will be different for each farm. Large and intensive arable operations on the most fertile soils may not see any financial benefits, though their soil health would improve.

Supporters say the vast majority of farms, however, would see benefits. And these benefits would continue to grow as farm subsidies change and investments in carbon and biodiversity grow.

Geopolitical turmoil adds to the appeal of this new way of farming. Regenerative agriculture uses fewer chemicals, which means lower costs and less exposure to market conditions. When the war in Ukraine pushed up fertiliser and chemical prices, regenerative farms were less affected. It's better for the environment too.

So what is regenerative agriculture? It's featured in two Netflix documentaries, 'Kiss the Ground', narrated by Woody Harrelson, and 'Down to Earth', presented by Zac Effron. It’s also been the topic of several best-selling books, including 'Dirt to Soil' by Gabe Brown.

However, it's still not widely understood, even in the farming community.

Regenerative farming prioritises improving soil health above all else. To achieve this, it follows five principles:

● Minimise soil disturbance, i.e. plough less often and less deeply

● Maximise species diversity (a handful of healthy soil can contain 5,000 insects, 10,000 nematodes - a type of worm - and 100 million bacteria)

● Integrate livestock (their manure improves soil health)

● Keep the soil covered

● Maintain living roots in the soil year-round

These practices help to regenerate the land. The Ted Talks of Alan Savory showcase how regenerative agriculture in Africa has transformed deserts into healthy pastures. This is relevant to the UK too.

Our soils are degrading so rapidly that we may only have as few as 50 harvests left, according to experts. Regenerative agriculture reverses this decline.

Now two farms in Monmouthshire are in the process of being chosen to take part in a mentoring projectrun by a local group of volunteers, made up of farmers and nature enthusiasts.

They've teamed up with Ben Taylor-Davies, or 'Regen Ben', of Townsend Farm to offer a mentoring scheme to farmers looking to explore regenerative agriculture.

During the 12-month programme Ben is supporting two farms, each with six on-site visits. Working with the farmers, he will compile a farm action plan, covering topics like farm profitability, revenue streams, soil health, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, artificial inputs and animal feeds.

Ben says: “Regenerative agriculture has its main focus on farm profitability; with stagnating yields over the past two decades and ever spiralling costs, the focus needs to be on driving farm profitability rather than buying yield. The resulting effect on everything on the farm from improved mental health right through to enhanced biodiversity is the by-product of a far more holistic farming approach.”

The scheme is being funded by Monmouthshire County Council and Size of Wales and is being facilitated through ACE Monmouth, a town council partnership.