Managing Soil Organic Carbon for Mitigating Climate Change and Increasing Food Security

Cornelia Rumpel,Abad Chabbi

doi:10.3390/agronomy11081553

Abstract

This Special Issue contains articles presenting advances in soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration practices, considering their benefits, trade-offs and monitoring. The studies deal with (1) agricultural practices and climate change, (2) the effect of organic matter amendments, and (3) the development of monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) strategies. It is concluded that region-specific approaches are required for the implementation and monitoring of SOC sequestering practices.

Highlights

IntroductionThe restoration of these soil functions is possible, and (agroecological) practices leading to the recarbonization of soil organic carbon (SOC)-depleted agricultural soils are known [8]
To facilitate the transition of agriculture towards sustainable soil use and change the farmers’ role in the climate change debate, the 4p1000 initiative was launched in 2015. This policy initiative aims towards sustainable changes in agricultural production systems in order to increase soil carbon sequestration, with three objectives: (1) climate change mitigation, (2) climate change adaptation, and (3) food security
In this Special Issue (SI), we invited contributions dealing with sustainable agricultural practices and their effects on soil organic matter quantity and quality, addressing their link with climate change and food security

Summary

Introduction

The restoration of these soil functions is possible, and (agroecological) practices leading to the recarbonization of SOC-depleted agricultural soils are known [8] They rely on increasing organic matter inputs and/or reducing SOC loss through minimal soil disturbance. Applying these practices to already existing agricultural land may increase food security by providing more fertile soils and resistance to climate change [9]. To facilitate the transition of agriculture towards sustainable soil use and change the farmers’ role in the climate change debate, the 4p1000 initiative (www.4p1000.org) was launched in 2015 This policy initiative aims towards sustainable changes in agricultural production systems in order to increase soil carbon sequestration, with three objectives: (1) climate change mitigation, (2) climate change adaptation, and (3) food security.

Special Issue Overview

Effect of Climate Change and Agricultural Practices

Organic Inputs

Monitoring

Findings

Conclusions