Climate change mitigation not the primary motivator in regenerative
ranching

Date:
August 17, 2020
Source:
Oregon State University
Summary:
Regenerative ranching, a holistic approach to managing grazing
lands, enhances ranchers' adaptive capacity and socioeconomic
well-being while also providing an opportunity to mitigate climate
change.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Regenerative ranching, a holistic approach to managing grazing lands,
enhances ranchers' adaptive capacity and socioeconomic well-being while
also providing an opportunity to mitigate climate change, a new study
from Oregon State University has found.


========================================================================== Regenerative ranching practices rebuild ecological processes, allowing
ranchers to reduce reliance on products such as chemical herbicides,
pesticides and fertilizers, which are significant sources of greenhouse
gas emissions.

While some science suggests that regenerative ranching can result in
climate change mitigation through carbon drawdown into soils, that is
not usually the driving factor behind ranchers' decision to adopt the
practice, said the study's lead author, Hannah Gosnell, an OSU geographer
who studies the human dimensions of climate change.

Understanding what motivates ranchers to adopt carbon-friendly practices
will play an important role in efforts to expand the use of managed
grazing systems to reduce climate change impacts, said Gosnell, a
professor in Oregon State's College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric
Sciences.

"What we found is that ranchers manage regeneratively for all these other benefits, and if there's some measureable soil carbon sequestration and
it contributes to climate change mitigation, then that's icing on the
cake," she said.

The findings were just published in The Royal Society Interface Focus
journal as part of a special issue on carbon dioxide removal. Co-authors
are Susan Charnley of the U.S. Forest Service and Paige Stanley of the University of California, Berkeley.



==========================================================================
More than a third of the Earth's ice-free land surface is used for
livestock grazing. Livestock production, while important to livelihoods
across the world, is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions,
a key contributor to climate change, Gosnell said.

Regenerative ranching is drawing increased interest as a potential climate change solution. Previous studies have suggested that these practices
boost soil carbon sequestration, a process by which carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere is transferred into and stored in soil through vegetation,
and increase resilience to drought, which help ranchers both mitigate
and adapt to the effects of climate change, Gosnell said.

To better understand ranchers' motivations and interest in regenerative agriculture practices, Gosnell interviewed ranchers in the United States
and Australia about the perceived benefits and challenges of adopting
the practices.

She and her colleagues found that the transition to regenerative ranching
is often difficult because the practices require a thorough understanding
of the fundamental ecosystem processes involved. They also found that
offering incentives such as cash payments are not the most promising way
to convince ranchers to make the switch, since the practice requires a
paradigm shift in thinking along with a new set of practices.

"It's hard to transition to regenerative ranching because it requires
such a deep commitment," Gosnell said. "If you want ranchers to make the switch, paying them is likely not motivation enough." The most common
benefit of regenerative agriculture mentioned by the ranchers interviewed
was the increase in deep ground cover, which increases soil carbon sequestration and leads to increased forage for livestock and greater resilience to stressors such as droughts, floods or freezing temperatures.

Because ranchers using regenerative practices were not dependent on
expensive chemicals, they also were less vulnerable to financial shocks
and stressors, which in turn increased their resilience, Gosnell said.



========================================================================== Improved water retention, increased soil fertility and other benefits from regenerative ranching motivate ranchers to continue using the approach
once they adopt it, through a process of self-amplifying positive
feedbacks, she said.

"As a result of their new practices, ranchers see less bare ground,
more native perennials, more biodiversity and more forage for their
cattle, all without use of chemicals," she said. "This inspires them to continue with regenerative practices, which then leads to more ecological improvement, better economic returns and more positive feedback for
the rancher." There are few opportunities for ranchers to be paid
through carbon markets, a trading program where those who emit carbon
purchase "offsets" or credits from an entity that is reducing its carbon footprint or increasing carbon sequestration. Also, because the approach
takes tremendous dedication, cash incentives alone may not suffice,
Gosnell said.

"Putting a price on carbon and incentivizing practices with payments
is probably necessary, but certainly not sufficient for the approach
to scale up," Gosnell said. "A broader shift in practices will likely
require a 'bottom-up' approach involving networks of like-minded
individuals contributing to cultural change within agriculture and
the cultivation of new markets for regenerative products." Research,
outreach and education is also needed to help ranchers develop a deep understanding of the ecological processes that makes the switch to
regenerative ranching effective, she said.

"This is a low-cost, low-tech, natural climate solution, and it can be
a really effective and important one," she said. "But it is hard for
ranchers to transition to because it requires a deep understanding of fundamental ecological processes and adoption of a new set of management tools."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Oregon_State_University. Original
written by Michelle Klampe. Note: Content may be edited for style
and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Hannah Gosnell, Susan Charnley, Paige Stanley. Climate change
mitigation
as a co-benefit of regenerative ranching: insights from Australia
and the United States. Interface Focus, 2020; 10 (5): 20200027 DOI:
10.1098/ rsfs.2020.0027 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200817191752.htm

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