A Review of Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics under Regenerative Agricultural Practices

Regenerative agriculture represents a holistic approach to restoring degraded soils and enhancing soil carbon sequestration through ecologically informed land management practices. Unlike conventional systems that often degrade soil over time, regenerative practices aim to increase soil carbon, improve water cycles, and support ecosystem services. The philosophy centres on continuous improvement and resilience, integrating ecological design with production efficiency. Soil organic carbon dynamics under regenerative agricultural practices. Scientific evidence on the principles, mechanisms, practices, and outcomes associated with regenerative systems emphasises their role in enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) across diverse agroecological zones. Key practices, including conservation tillage, cover cropping, organic amendments, diversified crop rotations, agroforestry, and managed grazing, have demonstrated the capacity to improve SOC through physical protection within soil aggregates, chemical stabilisation via mineral associations, and biological stabilisation through microbial processing. Long-term trials and meta-analyses indicate that regenerative practices can sequester carbon at rates ranging from 0.2 to 1.5 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, with notable co-benefits such as improved water retention, enhanced biodiversity, and increased nutrient efficiency. Empirical case studies from semi-arid, humid, and tropical regions confirm that site-specific adaptation of regenerative techniques can yield positive outcomes for both productivity and ecological resilience. Despite these benefits, challenges persist, including high initial labour and material costs, limited access to organic inputs, insufficient extension support, and potential short-term yield declines during the transition phase. These constraints underscore the need for integrated policies, farmer-centric research, knowledge-sharing platforms, and financial incentives to facilitate the transition toward regenerative farming. The use of direct carbon measurement methods, remote sensing technologies, and modelling tools such as Century, RothC, and COMET-Farm further supports the quantification and validation of SOC gains. Widespread adoption of regenerative practices, underpinned by robust empirical data and institutional support, is critical to restoring soil carbon sinks, enhancing agroecosystem services, and ensuring long-term agricultural sustainability under climate variability. The integration of scientific knowledge with policy support, extension services, and market incentives is essential to scale regenerative models. Accelerating their adoption can significantly contribute to carbon neutrality goals, sustainable agriculture, and food security under increasingly variable climatic conditions.