Sequestering carbon and increasing productivity by conservation agriculture

Excerpt

The quantum jump in food production and progress toward elimination of mass starvation have been driven by mechanization of plowing and other farm operations, introduction of input-responsive varieties, use of chemical fertilizers along with herbicides and pesticides, increase in supplemental irrigation, and reliance on information and communication technology. Notable among the consequences of the agricultural revolution between 1960 and 2015 are increase in (1) human population from 3 billion to 7.3 billion (United Nations 2014); (2) atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from 316 ppm to 400 ppm (IPCC 2014); (3) global temperature by 0.12°C (0.22°F) per decade (IPCC 2014); (4) problems of soil degradation by erosion, salinization, depletion of soil organic matter (SOM), and nutrient imbalance (Bai et al. 2008); (5) depletion, pollution, and eutrophication of natural waters; and (6) risk of extinction of soils (Tenseson 2014) and species. Yet, food production must be increased by another 1 billion t (1.1 billion tn) by 2050, while also restoring the degraded soils and ecosystems, reducing net anthropogenic emissions, and improving the environment.

Plow-based agriculture has exacerbated the problems of accelerated soil erosion by water and wind, oxidation of SOM, and decline in soil structure (aggregation) and tilth. The plow-related problems…