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Agriculture accounts for more than 11 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. It’s also the leading driver of terrestrial biodiversity loss and land degradation. 

Livestock farming is responsible for around half of these emissions, as well as 40 percent of all deforestation. 

These negative impacts call for the adoption of more sustainable food production methods, such as regenerative agriculture and regenerative grazing.

The latter is a prime solution for rangelands: ecosystems dominated by grasses, bushes or shrubs that are often unsuitable for agriculture but are used for grazing livestock. 

Despite their generally dry and harsh conditions, rangelands support the livelihoods of around 2 billion people. An estimated 1 billion animals worldwide are reared on rangelands, producing 10 percent of the world’s meat.

But what is regenerative grazing, and what opportunities and challenges does it present for the world’s rangelands? We spoke with Joshua Laizer, co-founder of the Tanzania Conservation and Community Empowerment Initiative (TACCEI) and GLFx Maasai Steppe, to find out.

What is regenerative grazing? 

Broadly defined, regenerative grazing is a land management approach designed to not only sustainably manage livestock but also restore and improve soil quality, livestock health, biodiversity and local livelihoods. 

“It is the same traditional system but [with] other aspects or contents to it,” Laizer explains.

A Maasai pastoralist himself, Laizer coordinates rangeland restoration programs in East Africa, working with AfriScout and local networks to restore degraded lands and support pastoralist communities by blending Indigenous grazing traditions with modern regenerative practices.

This means focusing heavily on restoration. Unlike traditional grazing, which primarily aims to maintain forage for animals, regenerative grazing intentionally uses livestock to restore degraded rangelands.

Another key tenet is what Laizer calls holistic management, based on both the amount of time livestock spend in a given area and the density of animals grazing there. 

This helps ensure even grazing, improves soil health through manure concentration and breaks up hard soil surfaces to enhance water infiltration.

“We are no longer just grazing because we are,” says Laizer.

There is no single, globally agreed-upon definition of regenerative grazing. Instead, Laizer emphasizes, its meaning and methods are highly localized, shaped by the needs and traditions of each community and landscape. 

“What counts as regenerative grazing in East Africa might be different from what has been implemented in American rangelands or Mongolia.”

The core principle, he adds, is that regenerative grazing should deliver tangible ecological and social benefits – going beyond traditional grazing by actively regenerating the land and involving local communities in decision making.

Examples of regenerative grazing

Regenerative grazing involves several coordinated practices to manage livestock movement and grazing patterns intentionally. 

One such practice is rotational grazing, where land is divided into paddocks and livestock are moved systematically to allow vegetation recovery and soil improvement. 

High-density, short-duration grazing helps compact the soil and fertilize it with manure, improving soil structure and nutrient cycling. This approach mimics natural herd movements and prevents overgrazing – a major cause of desertification in rangelands.

“We want to ensure that at least the grass is evenly grazed,” Laizer explains.

Another practice is to set aside certain areas as forage banks (locally called alalili or olokerin), where grazing is restricted during specific seasons to ensure pasture is available year-round and help build resilience against drought.

Mobile night corrals are temporary livestock enclosures set up on bare or degraded ground. Animals stay there overnight, concentrating manure and trampling the soil, which boosts fertility and increases water infiltration when it rains. 

Another example is visual fencing and community land use planning. Visual markers such as trees or landscape features are used to define paddock boundaries, and community agreements dictate grazing schedules and movement, ensuring collective adherence and reducing tension and conflict.

“All of the communities have to agree,” says Laizer. “They should have a structured system where they come jointly to decide how, when and where to graze.”

Why is regenerative grazing important?

Rangelands store up to 30 percent of terrestrial carbon, according to an estimate by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Regenerative grazing could enable carbon-neutral or even carbon-positive livestock systems, with healthy grasslands sequestering more carbon than grazing cattle emit.

By switching from high-input, high-intensity animal agriculture to grass-fed cattle that move in more ‘natural’ ways, regenerative grazing practices build up organic matter (and thus carbon) in the soil and provide habitats for other species.

According to Laizer, regeneratively managed rangelands in East Africa have shown potential to sequester between 0.5 and 2 tonnes of carbon per hectare annually, depending on rainfall, drought and adherence to grazing plans.

Proponents also argue that regenerative grazing improves soil structure, increases water infiltration and restores vegetation cover.

This can in turn combat land degradation, improve habitat quality and restore biodiversity by bringing back native species. 

“Since the Manyara Ranch started practicing regenerative grazing, there are actually more wildlife than cattle now,” Laizer says. “We have started seeing the return of the wildlife population, like zebras, gazelles – they started coming back to the rangelands because now there is pasture.”

He adds that communities are also reporting the reappearance of native grass species and soil organisms such as earthworms, indicating improved ecosystem health and resilience.

Healthier and more productive livestock have boosted local incomes, aided by better resource management through joint land use planning, more explicit rules and community involvement. These practices have also built trust and cooperation and helped resolve conflicts.

“[With regenerative grazing planning,] the conflict between the farming community and the livestock community has been resolved,” says Laizer. “Once we have peace, production and economic activities go smoothly.”

Challenges of regenerative grazing

The effectiveness of regenerative grazing is highly dependent on rainfall and weather patterns.

Laizer says severe droughts and poor management can quickly reverse progress, turning rangelands into deserts within a year and releasing stored carbon back into the atmosphere.

Rotational grazing systems also require considerable technical and financial resources to implement. These include a deep understanding of local grass species and optimal grazing times, access to water, and significant investments in training, land mapping, staffing and supporting community committees. 

“Changes in the funding landscape have affected a lot of programs, particularly in the eastern part of the continent,” Laizer points out.

Another key challenge is community buy-in. It can often take up to two years for communities to fully organize and adopt new systems, if they do so at all.

“If [rangeland communities] don’t follow the plan, if they graze traditionally on this new system, they are creating more problems than they are solving.”

One obstacle to buy-in is a lack of trust. Laizer says there is a widespread fear of land grabbing among Maasai communities, especially in areas where governments have previously taken land for conservation and carbon offsetting projects without their consent. Unclear agreements and objectives can lead to backlash and resistance from local communities.

“Even if the program is good, we are having a hard time implementing it because the communities are always afraid that we are trying to find a way to take away their land,” he explains.

The lack of a universally agreed-upon definition of regenerative grazing enables companies and environmental organizations to abuse and manipulate the term, using it to greenwash current agricultural systems.

For Laizer, what distinguishes authentic projects is transparency, community consent and involvement, and clear evidence of outcomes: “A legitimate regenerative grazing is one that respects the people of the land – one that the community buys into”.

A sustainable future for rangelands?

For rangelands and pastoralist livelihoods to thrive, regenerative agriculture must be rooted in local knowledge and genuine community participation. It must also prioritize collaboration and ensure the equitable sharing of benefits.

Despite significant implementation challenges, Laizer remains optimistic.

“The communities are receptive, rather forcibly, because climate change is real and we want to find a way to adapt,” he says.

“Once the communities are allowed to take a lead and feel the project is our own, it is really possible to make a change – if communities are brought on board, not as benefactors but as important partners.”