The relationships between land tenure, cattle production, and climate change – A systematic literature review

Climate change is one of humanity’s greatest concerns because of its environmental, economic, and social impacts. Our study addresses land tenure (expressed through agrarian reforms) and traditional livestock farming (countered by practices such as silvopastoral systems) among the numerous causes of this phenomenon. To do this, we conducted a systematic literature review, based on empirical evidence from six countries in the Global South: Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. The results reveal that agrarian reforms have contributed to deforestation but have not yielded positive effects such as improved access to credit for adopting sustainability practices. Furthermore, the implementation of silvopastoral systems faces common challenges, such as a lack of technical support and financial resources, thus hindering the mitigation of impacts from traditional livestock farming, particularly deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. The historical perspective allows us to comprehend political responsibilities across the Global South when it comes to climate change. This assertion does not negate ongoing efforts to increase sustainability but underscores the need to overcome systemic challenges such as inadequate state control in certain territories or mismanagement of public resources.