The amount of carbon in the soil is more than double the amount of carbon found in trees and other biomass. But one-third of the world's soil has already fallen into disrepair, limiting agricultural production and emitting nearly 500 gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
In an article published in the prestigious journal Nature, the climate and agricultural community is formulating an algorithm for rebuilding soil carbon, mitigating climate change, and improving soil fertility. This algorithm, released ahead of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Summit and World Soil Day (December 5), includes eight steps.
1. Stop carbon emissions. Protect peatlands by following rules that prevent fires and drainage.
2. Promote carbon sequestration. Identify and promote best practices for carbon storage in ways that are appropriate for local conditions, including through the inclusion of crop residues, crop cover, agroforestry, contour farming, and terracing.
3. Monitoring, reporting and soil verification. Track and evaluate all interventions performed against scientifically validated standards.
4. Improving technology. Harness high-tech capabilities to monitor soil carbon changes faster, cheaper and more accurately.
5. Determine operating strategies for each specific location using effective models.
6. Engage the community: use citizen science to collect data and create an open online platform for sharing information.
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7. Coordination policy: integrate this issue with national climate commitments and other agreements on soil and climate.
8. Provide support. Provide technical assistance and incentives for farmers, establish a monitoring and taxation system for carbon emissions.
Co-author Farshad Amiraslani, a remote sensing specialist and fellow at the University of Tehran, is concerned that a lack of stakeholder coordination and a comprehensive database is hampering land restoration. According to him, it is necessary to use satellite images to record changes taking place on a global scale, which is effective from an economic point of view.
“We have enough knowledge to increase soil carbon stocks, but we still need further research. For example, root systems are known to be important contributors to soil carbon storage, but we are still investigating how specific deep-rooted crops contribute to increasing soil carbon. In addition, more data is needed on the impact of agricultural practices in different ecosystems,”explains Professor Claire Chenu, Faculty of Soil Science at AgroParisTech in France.
Dmitry Mazalevsky