More than moving livestock: what a major grazing review reveals
A Hungarian-led review of 125 scientific studies identifies holistic planned grazing as “the most comprehensive regenerative framework.”
Published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, the review distinguishes grazing that deliberately supports ecological recovery from simply moving livestock between paddocks on a fixed schedule. Holistic planned grazing and adaptive multi-paddock grazing most closely match the authors’ definition of regenerative grazing.
The strongest evidence concerns soil improvement: increased soil organic carbon, better soil structure, improved water infiltration and greater biological activity. Evidence for benefits to earthworms and the nutritional composition of animal products is moderately supportive. Findings for plant diversity, pollinators and several other outcomes remain limited or mixed.
The review also highlights the importance of recovery periods that allow plants to flower and set seed, helping sustain plant communities over time. Recovery involves more than producing the next mouthful of grass.
The challenges extend beyond the field. The authors argue that markets, subsidies and certification arrangements often favour standardised production and short-term results, while regenerative management depends on local knowledge, adaptive learning and longer-term ecological change. Consumers may support its aims without being willing to pay more.
For farmers, guides and policymakers, this review strengthens the evidence for managing grazing with ecological recovery in mind. It also explains why a grazing schedule alone is insufficient—and why farmers need support to learn, adapt and sustain change.
READ THE STUDY
Lola Virág Kiss and colleagues, “Ecological, nutritional, and socio-economic impacts of regenerative grazing systems. A review.” October 2026 issue; first published online 9 September 2026.
