Harnessing regenerative agriculture for climate change mitigation: a comprehensive review and meta-analysis

Abstract This review examines the role of regenerative farming practices in mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and contributing to climate change mitigation through agroecological approaches. The study analyzes the effectiveness of key practices such as no-till, reduced tillage, crop rotations, and organic fertilizers in lowering emissions of CO 2 , N 2 O, and CH 4 across various agricultural systems worldwide. Review findings reveal that no-tillage significantly reduced CO 2 emissions by up to 47%, while crop rotations decreased N 2 O emissions by 23–57% in irrigated crops. The global warming potential (GWP) reductions vary with crops and were 10.8% in barley, 13.7% in maize, 22.5% in rice, and 30.1% in soybean. Organic and regenerative practices also enhance soil organic carbon (SOC) by carbon sequestration, leading to overall reductions in GWP. Effective GHG mitigation was observed by combining various organic inputs with reduced tillage adoption in clover and wheat. The impact of these practices varies based on regional conditions and management strategies which have been revealed by the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis, encompassing 566 data points, showed that organic fertilizers reduced N 2 O and CH 4 emissions by 0.81% and 2.34%, respectively, but increased CO 2 emissions by 3.83%. Cover crops lowered CO 2 emissions by 0.26% while increasing N 2 O and CH 4 by 0.83% and 0.54%. Conservation tillage reduced all three gases. The high heterogeneity observed was attributed to variations in field conditions, soil properties, climate, and experimental duration. Overall, while individual GHG responses varied, the combined effect of regenerative practices showed a favorable reduction in total emissions compared to conventional practices. Optimizing organic amendments and nutrient management is essential to maximize their mitigation potential. Overall, organic and regenerative farming present viable strategies for reducing agriculture’s carbon footprint and promoting sustainable, climate-resilient food production systems.