Agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, primarily through deforestation, rice cultivation, and livestock rearing. However, there are ways to make agriculture more sustainable and even use it as a tool to combat climate change.
Practices such as regenerative agriculture, which includes cover cropping, crop rotation, and reduced tillage, can improve soil health and sequester carbon. Livestock management practices like rotational grazing can also contribute to carbon sequestration while reducing methane emissions. Similarly, using biochar or compost instead of synthetic fertilizers can help capture carbon and reduce nitrous oxide emissions.
On the policy side, incentives for farmers to adopt sustainable practices can be an effective way to decarbonize agriculture. This could include subsidies for organic farming, payments for ecosystem services, or carbon farming initiatives that pay farmers for the carbon they sequester on their lands.
In class, let's look at the case of "zero budget natural farming" in Andhra Pradesh, India. This method of farming uses natural inputs instead of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and it's claimed to be carbon neutral. What would you do to promote this method of farming? If you were a farmer, would you adopt these practices? Why or why not?
Reading: Andhra Pradesh Zero Budget Natural Farming