Regenerative agriculture is increasingly promoted as a solution to the environmental harms of industrial food systems. At its most ambitious, it aims to restore ecosystems through improved soil health, enhanced biodiversity, and carbon sequestration, often via practices like crop diversification and reductions in synthetic inputs. However, while the term suggests transformation, regenerative agriculture lacks precise definitions, enforceable standards, and mechanisms for monitoring and accountability. In practice, it has become a loosely defined set of practices with widely varied implementation and often inflated sustainability claims.

A comparison of a green and healthy field on the left which has been managed with regenerative farming practices, compared to the barren field on the right which has been managed with conventional farming practices.
A comparison of a green and healthy field on the left, which has been managed with regenerative farming practices, compared to the barren field on the right which has been managed with conventional farming practices. Source - Regenerative Farmers of America

Scientific Uncertainty in Regenerative Grazing

One of the most contested aspects of regenerative agriculture is regenerative grazing. Claims about its ecological benefits—particularly around soil restoration and carbon drawdown—are frequently based on anecdotal evidence rather than peer-reviewed, replicable science. While not all regenerative farmers raise animals, the label has been co-opted by meat producers who apply it to livestock operations that often lack meaningful ecological reform. These claims are used to justify continued beef production, even as such systems remain major contributors to climate change and biodiversity loss.

A chart that shows how land use has changed since 10,000 years ago.
Grazing land for farm animals is a major cause of deforestation. Source: Our World in Data

Core scientific concerns include the saturation point of soil carbon, the temporary nature of sequestration, and the ecological cost of converting land to pasture. Benefits vary significantly by region, and many are not scalable. When viewed at scale, regenerative grazing does little to mitigate the systemic harms caused by the livestock industry.

How Big Meat Has Co-opted Regenerative Narratives

Due to the lack of enforceable definitions or oversight, corporate actors have seized on the regenerative label to greenwash unsustainable practices. Meat industry giants like Cargill have rebranded existing operations as regenerative without implementing substantive changes, using marketing to mask environmental degradation as progress.

Meanwhile, beef remains the most climate- and water-intensive food, and is a leading driver of deforestation, habitat loss, and species extinction. The term “regenerative beef” obscures these ongoing impacts under the veneer of sustainability.

Carbon Farming and Its Trade-Offs

Supporters of regenerative grazing often promote “carbon farming” and “rotational grazing” as climate solutions. While it is true that some practices can result in carbon sequestration, the effects are modest and temporary, and they are frequently outweighed by methane emissions from cattle and biodiversity loss.

Some grazing advocates claim that excluding livestock from land contributes to desertification. However, evidence shows the opposite—desertification is often linked to overgrazing, not its absence. Despite this, many regenerative models fail to include clear biodiversity metrics, further weakening their ecological legitimacy.

An illustrated poster showing have holistic grazing practices intend to mimic nature and reverse desertification.
Some advocates argue that it is not the act of grazing that causes desertification, but rather over-grazing. As such, they claim that holistic planned grazing is the key to combatting desertification. Source - TED

Policy Gaps and the California Case Study

Efforts to codify regenerative agriculture into policy are underway. For example, California is in the process of developing its own state-level definition. While a step forward, the current draft remains broad and lacks enforceable standards. Without nationally or internationally agreed-upon definitions, claims about regeneration remain difficult to verify.

Clear frameworks with measurable, outcome-based goals are needed. Corporations should be required to disclose supply chain data and demonstrate compliance through independent verification. This is essential to prevent continued greenwashing under the regenerative banner.

The Central Role of Beef Reduction

Any serious conversation about ecological regeneration must begin with a commitment to reducing beef production and consumption. Without this, regenerative claims are not only misleading—they are counterproductive.

Cows and chickens can be seen grazing in a field together. Combining different farmed animals in one field is an important part of regenerative farming.
Grazing animals, such as cows, can be a part of regenerative systems, but we need major reductions in cattle herds to reduce agricultural emissions. Source - Civil Eats

The U.S. food system currently incentivizes low-cost, high-impact production that externalizes costs onto the environment, laborers, animals, and public health. Without systemic change, regenerative agriculture risks becoming a continuation of this deeply inequitable and unsustainable model.

Labour, Equity, and the Just Transition

Often left out of regenerative narratives are the workers themselves. Farmworkers bear the brunt of harmful agricultural practices, from pesticide exposure to exploitative labour conditions. A truly regenerative framework must integrate environmental justice and actively support marginalized and small-scale producers, including through worker protections and community-led approaches to food system transition.

Agroecology: A Comprehensive Alternative

More holistic and scientifically grounded approaches such as agroecology provide a viable alternative. Unlike most regenerative models, agroecology acknowledges food systems as interconnected ecosystems that include social, cultural, and ecological dimensions. It prioritizes biodiversity, justice, and resilience, not just carbon and soil.

A lush green farm that has a mix of plants and trees. This farm demonstrates the concept of agroecology.
An example of an agroecology farm. Some argue that these farms go beyond regenerative farming. Source - HFUUHI

Agroecology also aligns with emerging global consensus on the need for food systems that are not only sustainable, but just and inclusive.

Conclusion: Toward Meaningful Regeneration

To be truly transformative, regenerative agriculture must move beyond vague principles and corporate co-optation. This requires:

  • Scientific definitions and enforceable standards

  • Transparent, evidence-based policy frameworks

  • Dramatic reductions in industrial meat production

  • Centering of labour, equity, and justice

  • Adoption of agroecological models for long-term resilience

Only by addressing these dimensions can food systems live up to the promise of regeneration and support a just and sustainable future for people and the planet.

‍

Sources

  • Carter, J., et al. (2013). “Holistic Management: Misinformation on the Science of Grazed Ecosystems”. International Journal of Biodiversity, 2014(1), 163431. 
  • CDFA. “Defining Regenerative Agriculture for State Policies and Programs”.
  • Center for Biological Diversity. “A Guide To The Impact Of Beef Production On Wildlife And Biodiversity”. 
  • Center for Biological Diversity. “How Cattle Contribute To Climate Change”. 
  • Center for Biological Diversity. “How Meat Harms Wildlife”. 
  • Center for Biological Diversity. “Center for Biological Diversity Position Statement on Cattle Grazing”. 
  • Center for Biological Diversity. “Regenerative Agriculture Policy”. 
  • Center for Biological Diversity. “The Just Transition from Industrial Animal Production to Equitable, Humane and Sustainable Food Systems”. 
  • Center for Biological Diversity. “The Problem With Regenerative Beef”.
  • DeSmog (22 October 2024). “Big Ag Is Using ‘Regenerative Agriculture’ to Mask Business-as-Usual”.
  • Garnett, T., et al (2017). “Grazed and Confused? Ruminating on cattle, grazing systems, methane, nitrous oxide, the soil carbon sequestration question – and what it all means for greenhouse gas emissions”. FCRN, University of Oxford.
  • Grazing Facts. “10 Facts About Grazing”.
  • IPES-Food, 2022. “Smoke and Mirrors: Examining competing framings of food system sustainability: agroecology, regenerative agriculture, and nature-based solutions”.
  • New Climate Institute (26 September 2024). “Navigating Regenerative Agriculture In Corporate Climate Strategies”.
  • Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network. “Pesticides and Climate Change: A Vicious Cycle”.
  • The Counter (5 March 2021). “Regenerative agriculture needs a reckoning”.