Unlocking the Potential: Better Farming Techniques Hold Key to Carbon Storage In Soils

Jacqueline McGlade, former chief scientist at the UN Environment Programme, conducted estimates showing that storing just 1% more carbon in roughly half of the world's agricultural soils could absorb about 31 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide annually. This amount is close to the 32 gigatonnes gap between planned emissions reductions and the necessary carbon cuts by 2030. McGlade, who now leads Downforce Technologies, a company that sells soil data to farmers, stated that changing farming practices could make soils carbon negative, reducing farming costs and benefiting yields. The cost of restoring 40,000 hectares of degraded Kenyan farmland to healthier conditions is estimated at $1 million. Downforce data could enable farmers to sell carbon credits based on the amount of carbon dioxide their fields absorb.

Carbon dioxide removal, which involves techniques to increase carbon uptake and sequester it, is gaining attention as the world approaches the critical 1.5°C threshold of global heating. Arable farmers can sequester more carbon by altering crop rotation, planting cover crops, or using direct drilling. Livestock farmers can improve soil health by cultivating native grasses. Restoring hedgerows, which contain extensive underground networks of mycorrhizal fungi and microbes, can also enhance carbon sequestration and biodiversity while reducing topsoil erosion and agricultural runoff pollution.

The research underscores the significance of soils in climate change mitigation, with improved farming methods offering a practical solution to increase carbon storage. Assessing carbon levels in individual fields provides valuable data for farmers and opens up the potential for selling carbon credits based on carbon absorption. With about 40% of global farmland currently degraded, the findings emphasize the importance of sustainable farming practices to combat climate change and enhance agricultural productivity.