Farming Carbon

1. Farming Carbon Soil Carbon Sequestration By Thea Hassan

2. Carbon Sequestration • Carbon capture and storage • Where to store it? • Expensive to capture the carbon

3. Global Carbon Sinks Measurements in petagrams= 1 billion ton

4. Pedologic Sink • Composed of soil inorganic carbon and soil organic carbon (SOC) • SOC vital for plant processes • ‘‘soil organic matter is one of our most important national resources; its unwise exploitation has been devastating; and it must be given its proper rank in any conservation policy.’’ –Albrecht, 1938

5. SOC Depletion • Biomass burning • Tropical Deforestation • Agricultural Activities • Drainage of Wetlands • Plowing

6. Soil Organic Carbon • Historically, loss of ~55-78 Gt of Carbon • Varies depending on: • Climate • Vegetation Cover • Land Use • Nature of Parent Materials

8. SOC Restoration • Restore the depleted sink • Recommended Management Practices: • Afforestation • Conversion • Conservation Agriculture • Crop Rotations • Integrated Nutrient Management Reduce energy needs by 10%-40%

9. Benefits of SOC Restoration • Climate Change Mitigation • Increased Agronomic Activity • Cost Effective and Natural • Decrease Effects of Nutrient Run Off

10. Potential Costs • Hidden Carbon Costs • Irrigation • Fertilizer Use • Stability of Carbon • Resource Poor Farmers

11. Summary • Natural sequestration to capture carbon • Storage benefits the land • Carbon credits exchange

12. Thank You! • Questions?