Regenerative Grazing as a Climate Change Mitigation Strategy: A Systematic Review

Ruminant livestock production is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Regenerative grazing has been proposed as a potential climate change mitigation strategy by offsetting GHG emissions with soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. We evaluate this evidence in the peer-reviewed literature, ranking them by ascending study design quality: observational, cross-sectional and longitudinal. Reported and inferred SOC sequestration rates varied widely, with the highest values reported in lower-quality observational studies, while SOC sequestration from cross-sectional studies and longitudinal studies were mixed, with 95% confidence intervals of median SOC sequestration overlapping zero indicating no difference from conventional grazing. Currently, high-quality evidence does not support widespread claims of SOC sequestration from regenerative grazing. To clarify its potential as a climate mitigation tool, a greater number of longitudinal studies are needed.