Carbon Footprint Management by Agricultural Practices

Over the last half-century, global attention has focused on climate change, particularly changes in air temperature. Concerns about the sustainability of the Earth’s ecosystems and other human life on the land are increasing along with population growth, rising surface temperature, and higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Agriculture is responsible for ~18% of total GHG emissions. Therefore, mitigating the effects of climate change by reducing GHG emissions is essential and can be achieved by careful evaluation of the carbon footprint (CF). The goal of this study was to gain a better understanding of the changes in CF due to agricultural management practices. Carbon footprint is a popular concept in agro-environmental sciences owing to its role in the environmental impact assessments related to alternative solutions and global climate change. The CF of agricultural products is one of the most crucial indicators to assess the effectiveness and long-term viability of agricultural products. Soil-moisture content, soil temperature, porosity, and anoxic conditions are some of the soil properties directly related to GHG emissions. The GHG emissions are also affected by different land-use changes, soil types, and agricultural management practices. Globally, better soil-management techniques can alter atmospheric GHG emissions. Therefore, the relation between photosynthesis and GHG emissions is impacted by agricultural management practices, especially focusing on soil and related systems. When maximizing crop productivity, environmental factors, land use, and agricultural practices all should be considered in CF management. The current review highlights the importance of CF and its role in maintaining the sustainability of agricultural systems.

A wide range of calculators have been developed to assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of agricultural products, including biomass for bioenergy production. However, these calculators often fail in their ability to take into account the differences in pedoclimatic conditions, agricultural management practices and characteristics of perennial crops and crop rotations. As a result, the predictions of GHG emissions by these calculators are characterized by a high level of uncertainty, and calculators may fail in their ability to detect mitigation options along the production chain. The aim of this study was to analyze the available calculators for calculating GHG emissions from energy crop cultivation based on Carbon Footprint (CFP) approaches according to the goal and scope of the calculator, the methodology used to account for GHG emissions from energy crop cultivation, energy crop cultivation management practices and the ability to model crop rotation. Out of 44 environmental assessment calculators for agricultural products, we identified 18 calculators which are capable of assessing GHG emissions from energy crop cultivation. These calculators differ in their goal and scope and which farming operations related to crop management are taken into account; this makes it difficult to compare and interpret the results from these CFP assessments. Only seven calculators out of 18 can calculate GHG emissions from energy crop rotations. At the moment, none of these calculators are able to consider actual effects from energy crops in rotation in the context of nutrient shifts, reductions in the use of agricultural operating needs, or the sequence and composition of crop rotations. However, by expanding the system boundaries of the CFP study, by taking the whole energy crop rotation and local agricultural management practices into account, the opportunity to identify more GHG mitigation options increases.

Agricultural lands make up approximately 37% of the global land surface, and agriculture is a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Those GHGs are responsible for the majority of the anthropogenic global warming effect. Agricultural GHG emissions are associated with agricultural soil management (e.g. tillage), use of both synthetic and organic fertilisers, livestock management, burning of fossil fuel for agricultural operations, and burning of agricultural residues and land use change. When natural ecosystems such as grasslands are converted to agricultural production, 20–40% of the soil organic carbon (SOC) is lost over time, following cultivation. We thus need to develop management practices that can maintain or even increase SOCstorage in and reduce GHG emissions from agricultural ecosystems. We need to design systematic approaches and agricultural strategies that can ensure sustainable food production under predicted climate change scenarios, approaches that are being called climate‐smart agriculture (CSA). Climate‐smart agricultural management practices, including conservation tillage, use of cover crops and biochar application to agricultural fields, and strategic application of synthetic and organic fertilisers have been considered a way to reduce GHG emission from agriculture. Agricultural management practices can be improved to decreasing disturbance to the soil by decreasing the frequency and extent of cultivation as a way to minimise soil C loss and/or to increase soil C storage. Fertiliser nitrogen (N) use efficiency can be improved to reduce fertilizer N application and N loss. Management measures can also be taken to minimise agricultural biomass burning. This chapter reviews the current literature on CSA practices that are available to reduce GHG emissions and increase soil Csequestration and develops a guideline on best management practices to reduce GHG emissions, increase C sequestration, and enhance crop productivity in agricultural production systems.

For many developing countries, the land use sector, particularly agriculture and forestry, represents a large proportion of their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making this sector a priority for GHG mitigation activities. Previous global surveys (e.g., IPCC 2000) as well as the most recent IPCC assessment report clearly indicate that the greatest technical potential for carbon sequestration and reductions of non-CO2 GHG emissions from the land use sector is in developing countries. Estimates that consider economic feasibility suggest that agriculture and forestry together provide among the greatest opportunities for short-term and low-cost mitigation measures across all sectors of the global economy1 (IPCC 2007). In addition, it is widely recognized that the ecosystem changes entailed by most mitigation practices, i.e., building soil organic matter, reducing losses and tightening nutrient cycles, more efficient production systems and preserving native vegetation, are well aligned with goals of increasing food security and rural development as well as buffering land use systems against climate change (Lal 2004). Hence, there is growing interest in jump-starting the capacity for broad-based engagement in agriculturally-based GHG mitigation projects in developing countries.

Crop agriculture occupies 13 percent of the conterminous United States. Agricultural management practices, such as crop and tillage types, affect the hydrologic flow paths through the landscape. Some agricultural practices, such as drainage and irrigation, create entirely new hydrologic flow paths upon the landscapes where they are implemented. These hydrologic changes can affect the magnitude and partitioning of water budgets and sediment erosion. Given the wide degree of variability amongst agricultural settings, changes in the magnitudes of hydrologic flow paths and sediment erosion induced by agricultural management practices commonly are difficult to characterize, quantify, and compare using only field observations. The Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model was used to simulate two landscape characteristics (slope and soil texture) and three agricultural management practices (land cover/crop type, tillage type, and selected agricultural land management practices) to evaluate their effects on the water budgets of and sediment yield from agricultural lands. An array of sixty-eight 60-year simulations were run, each representing a distinct natural or agricultural scenario with various slopes, soil textures, crop or land cover types, tillage types, and select agricultural management practices on an isolated 16.2-hectare field. Simulations were made to represent two common agricultural climate regimes: arid with sprinkler irrigation and humid. These climate regimes were constructed with actual climate and irrigation data. The results of these simulations demonstrate the magnitudes of potential changes in water budgets and sediment yields from lands as a result of landscape characteristics and agricultural practices adopted on them. These simulations showed that variations in landscape characteristics, such as slope and soil type, had appreciable effects on water budgets and sediment yields. As slopes increased, sediment yields increased in both the arid and humid environments. However, runoff did not increase with slope in the arid environment as was observed in the humid environment. In both environments, clayey soils exhibited the greatest amount of runoff and sediment yields while sandy soils had greater recharge and lessor runoff and sediment yield. Scenarios simulating the effects of the timing and type of tillage practice showed that no-till, conservation, and contouring tillages reduced sediment yields and, with the exception of no-till, runoff in both environments. Changes in land cover and crop type simulated the changes between the evapotransporative potential and surface roughness imparted by specific vegetations. Substantial differences in water budgets and sediment yields were observed between most agricultural crops and the natural covers selected for each environment: scrub and prairie grass for the arid environment and forest and prairie grass for the humid environment. Finally, a group of simulations was performed to model selected agricultural management practices. Among the selected practices subsurface drainage and strip cropping exhibited the largest shifts in water budgets and sediment yields. The practice of crop rotation (corn/soybean) and cover cropping (corn/rye) were predicted to increase sediment yields from a field planted as conventional corn.

Carbon footprint of main crop production in China: Magnitude, spatial-temporal pattern and attribution

Increasing concentrations of the atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHGs) are serious threats to the living beings and their niches. The rapid increase in GHGs is undoubtedly related to anthropogenic activities. Literature related to GHG emissions and mitigation approaches is widely available, but very few reviews concentrated on spatial-temporal trends of GHG emission from the agriculture sector. Agriculture is a potent contributor to GHG emissions, involving different agricultural practices followed by the farmers, which affect the rate of emission either positively or negatively. Agricultural soil management practices add excess nutrients, which disturb the natural mineral cycling leading to soil and water pollution and increase emission from soil to atmosphere, thus contributing to climate change. Research papers and reports related to GHG emission from different agricultural sectors in different parts of the world were reviewed to find the variations in emission pattern and intensities, and the factors influencing the emissions from the soil. The soil GHG emissions are directly or indirectly modified by natural as well as anthropogenic factors, like pH, soil texture, tilling, fertilizer application, mulching, irrigation, etc. The determinants taking part in the soil GHG emissions varied with region and different agricultural practices. Different mitigation approaches for GHGs from the agriculture sector were also compared for their efficacy in reducing emissions. A variety of advanced techniques developed to enhance the yield of crops were found to influence GHG emissions by direct influence on soil pH, temperature, and moisture. The conditions favorable for GHG emissions can be modified to reduce the emissions as the soil acts both as a reservoir and as an emitter of GHGs based on local natural and anthropogenic factors.

Global awareness of climate change issues, particularly changes in air temperature, has increased dramatically over the last half a century.Concerns regarding ecosystem sustainability and human existence on Earth arise due to population expansion, rising surface temperatures and increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.Agriculture accounts for approximately 18% of the total GHG emissions, largely in the form of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.As a result, limiting GHG emissions is critical to alleviating the consequences of climate change, which is attainable if the concept of carbon footprint is understood.Cereal production produces more GHG emissions than other farming methods, including vegetables and fruits.'Carbon footprint' is a popular term in agriculture and environmental research due to its involvement in environmental impact assessments and global climate change.GHG emissions are influenced by changes in land use, soil type and agricultural management approaches.Therefore, it is important to consider how agricultural management practices, particularly those involving the soil and related systems, affect the relationships between photosynthesis and GHG emissions.This study deals with the concept of carbon footprint in agriculture and various mitigation measures for its management.

Carbon footprint of a typical pomelo production region in China based on farm survey data

<p>Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in to the atmosphere to limit global warming is the big challenge of the coming decades. The focus lies on negative emission technologies to remove GHGs from the atmosphere from different sectors. Agriculture produces around a quarter of all the anthropogenic GHGs globally (including land use change and afforestation). Reducing these net emissions can be achieved through techniques that increase the soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks. These techniques include improved management practices in agriculture and grassland systems, which increase the organic carbon (C) input or reduce soil disturbances. The C sequestration potential differs among soils depending on climate, soil properties and management, with the highest potential for poor soils (SOC stock farthest from saturation).</p><p>Modelling can be used to estimate the technical potential to sequester C of agricultural land under different mitigation practices for the next decades under different climate scenarios. The ECOSSE model was developed to simulate soil C dynamics and GHG emissions in mineral and organic soils. A spatial version of the model (GlobalECOSSE) was adapted to simulate agricultural soils around the world to calculate the SOC change under changing management and climate.</p><p>Practices like different tillage management, crop rotations and residue incorporation showed regional differences and the importance of adapting mitigation practices under an increased changing climate. A fast adoption of practices that increase SOC has its own challenges, as the potential to sequester C is high until the soil reached a new C equilibrium. Therefore, the potential to use soil C sequestration to reduce overall GHG emissions is limited. The results showed a high potential to sequester C until 2050 but much lower rates in the second half of the century, highlighting the importance of using soil C sequestration in the coming decades to reach net zero by 2050.</p>

Carbon sequestration is a natural process that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it in plant biomass, soils, oceans, and geological formations- a very important process for reducing greenhouse gas concentrations, mitigating climate change and improving soil health. This study explores the environmental impact of implementing Nature Based Solutions (NBSs) in peach orchards and olive groves in Greece, using a cradle-to-farm-gate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach. It specifically examines the chemical, physical, and soil conditions necessary for humification and organic carbon accumulation. The objectives are to: (1) assess the effectiveness NBSs in enhancing soil carbon sequestration within different agricultural management practices, (2) quantify the impact of cultivation transitions on soil carbon storage capacity and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, (3) integrate soil carbon stock dynamics into LCA methodologies to improve accuracy in carbon footprint assessments, and (4) highlight the importance of soil organic carbon (SOC) pools and soil properties in refining LCA interpretations for sustainable land management. By Implementing NBSs at pilot sites and using the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification system to track GHG emissions and SOC changes in the field, carbon stocks increased: −179.2 kg CO₂ eq in the peach orchard and −186.3 kg CO₂ eq in the olive grove. GHG emissions reduced by 16.4% in peach cultivation and 51.1% per hectare in olive grove. Main emission sources included crop protection and field energy use; in olives, residue management also played a significant role. This study provides empirical evidence on how NBSs can enhance soil carbon sequestration and reduce GHG emissions, contributing to both climate change mitigation and sustainable agricultural management. These findings demonstrate the value of integrating SOC dynamics into LCA for more reliable carbon assessments, offering a more accurate representation of carbon sequestration potential. The study can support policymakers, farmers, and stakeholders in adopting strategies that maximize environmental benefits and promote soil health. More long- term research on the implementation of Nature Based Solutions is required to properly assess their impact across cultivations, soil types and pedoclimatic zones.

Two of the biggest problems facing humankind are feeding an exponentially growing human population and preventing the accumulation of atmospheric greenhouse gases and its climate change consequences. Refined agricultural practices could address both of these problems. The research addressed here is an exploration of the efficacy of alternative agricultural practices in sequestering carbon (C). The study was conducted in Zimbabwe with the intent to (a) demonstrate the utility of micrometeorological methods for measuring carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange between the surface and the atmosphere in the short-term, and (b) to quantify differences in such exchange rates for a variety of agricultural practices. Four Bowen ratio energy balance (BREB) systems were established on the following agricultural management practices: (1) no-till (NT) followed by planting of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum), (2) NT followed by planting of blue lupin (Lupinus angustifolios L.), (3) maize crop residue (Zea mays L.) left on the surface, and (4) maize crop residue incorporated with tillage. Over a period of 139 days (from 15 June to 31 October 2013) the winter wheat cover crop produced a net accumulation of 257 g CO2-C m-2, while the tilled plot with no cover crop produced a net emission of 197 g CO2-C m-2 and the untilled plot with no cover emitted 235 g CO2-C m-2. The blue lupin cover crop emitted 58 g CO2-C m-2, indicating that winter cover crops can sequester carbon and reduce emissions over land left fallow through the non-growing season. The micrometeorological methods described in this work can detect significant differences between treatments over a period of a few months, an outcome important to determine which smallholder soil management practices can contribute towards mitigating climate change.

Identifying effective agricultural management practices for climate change adaptation and mitigation: A win-win strategy in South-Eastern Australia

Abstract. Identifying the drivers of soil organic carbon (SOC) stock changes is of the utmost importance to contribute to global challenges like climate change, land degradation, biodiversity loss, or food security. Evaluating the impacts of land use and management practices in agriculture and forestry on SOC is still challenging. Merging datasets or making databases interoperable is a promising way, but still has several semantic challenges. So far, a comprehensive thesaurus and classification of management practices in agriculture and forestry has been lacking, especially while focusing on SOC storage. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to present a first comprehensive thesaurus for management practices driving SOC storage (DATA4C+). The DATA4C+ thesaurus contains 224 classified and defined terms related to land management practices in agriculture and forestry. It is organized as a hierarchical tree reflecting the drivers of SOC storage. It is oriented to be used by scientists in agronomy, forestry, and soil sciences with the aim of uniformizing the description of practices influencing SOC in their original research. It is accessible in Agroportal (http://agroportal.lirmm.fr/ontologies/DATA4CPLUS, last access: 24 March 2022) to enhance its findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reuse by scientists and others such as laboratories or land managers. Future uses of the DATA4C+ thesaurus will be crucial to improve and enrich it, but also to raise the quality of meta-analyses on SOC, and ultimately help policymakers to identify efficient agricultural and forest management practices to enhance SOC storage.

--------Abstract. This paper presents an overview of global climate management practices in agriculture in response to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report and the Kyoto Protocol. Agriculture is a significant net contributor to climate change through the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) -- nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), and carbon dioxide (CO2). At the same time, agriculture is affected by the global rise in temperature, change in precipitation patterns and extreme weather events. To remain sustainable, agriculture must limit its impact on the global climate. The Kyoto Protocol was placed into effect February 2005. Clean development mechanism (CDM) is a flexible mechanism to reduce emission. --In agriculture, it is recognized that more work is needed to propose simplified guidelines and methodologies for small scale CDM projects. Methane recovery projects and avoidance of methane production are treated separately. Recent research summarizes global measures to agriculture including improvement of feed digestibility and rice paddy management to decrease methane emission, utility of soil as carbon sink, control of N--fertilizer application, land management, and pest and disease control. As bio--ethanol production as an alternative to the use of fossil fuel creates a demand on agricultural land, the Brazilian, American and Chinese approaches are compared. Management practices in agriculture include ecological management, hierarchical analysis, emissions balance, and climatic data management. Beyond 2012, deeper reductions in global emissions will be required. A reconstruction of the problem in the framework of biocapacity and ecological footprint can stimulate problem solving.