Eco-intensification through soil carbon sequestration: Harnessing ecosystem services and advancing sustainable development goals

Excerpt

Land misuse and soil mismanagement, causing land trauma and severe degradation (Steinbeck 1939; Jacks and Whyte 1939; Wood 1951; Buck 2012), must be replaced by a judicious land use and prudent soil/crop/water management to restore degraded soils and improve the environment. The rapid increase in agricultural production since the 1960s has been caused by massive input of fertilizers (nitrogen [N], phosphorus [P], and potassium [K]), pesticides, energy use in plowing and other farm operations, and irrigation of about 350 Mha (8.645 × 10⁸ ac) of land (Smil 2003; Tilman et al. 2001; Arizpe et al. 2011; Gomiero 2016). However, such an indiscriminate intensification through plowing, flood-based irrigation, and high inputs of chemicals has strong adverse effects on the quality and functionality of soil, water, air, vegetation, and biodiversity (Benson 2014). Despite these massive inputs, agronomic production of food staples has stagnated in some regions (Grassini et al. 2013), and new approaches to food production must be identified in the face of climate change (Beddington et al. 2012; Foley et al. 2011; Lal 2016a, 2018). Thus, the use of nutrients and pesticides, as well as rates and mode of application, in agroecosystems must be revisited (Drinkwater and Snapp 2007).

Advancing food…