Farming and Land Use to Cool the
Planet
Introduction










Farmers in the Philippines did a lot of works on their environment
lately.
By growing crops, they caused erosion.
They also boost food production and income.
Their actions have some negatives consequences on their
surroundings too.
But overall, this human activities have been more useful to the
planet.
In fact, their actions not only enriched landscapes, but also helped to
“cool” the planet.
By cutting greenhouse emission and storing carbon soils and
vegetation.
In the other hand, climate change and global food security are
technically linked.
The resources are limited, but the population is increasing
exponentially.
Finally, degradation and loss of forests and other vegetative cover
puts the carbon cycle further off balance.
CONTINUED…



How could agriculture and climate change are
related?
Well, this is the main reason we are studying
this chapter.
It most likely explain one of the ways to “cool our
planet” since it is getting warmer.
The Need for Climate Action on
Agriculture and Land Use









Most of the world’s carbon is on land, besides the atmosphere
About 1,600 billion tons of this carbon is in the soil as organic
matter and some 540-610 billion tons is in living vegetation.
Life is possible on the planet because of the double actions of
carbon and atmosphere.
Plants also use it to produce food and resource that sustain
the rest of the biota.
Land use changes and fossil fuel burning are the two major
sources of the increased CO2 in the atmosphere that is
changing the global climate.
The example of Amazon and Volta basins is one of them
It affects climate by altering regional precipitation patterns.
Other mankind actions could have the opposite effect.
Growing plants can remove carbon from atmosphere ,stabilize
the climate and food production.
CONTINUED…








The temperature and rainfall are widely influenced by some
agricultural activities such the choice of crops, the timing of input
application, and vulnerability to pest and diseases.
If the climate change, the production will change and the farming
systems will be most affected.
That will explain the predictions in 2020 about Mexico maize
production.
A yearly looses of 140 million and immense socioeconomic disruption
are predicted.
Many other examples of countries which benefit from natural
climatic conditions and can be severely affected are listed.( North
America, India.)
In the other hand climatic conditions can get better in other places
such as east Africa and profit the population around.
Most of the strategies developed here in change of climate are all
related to the reduction of GHG emissions or increase the storage of
carbon in production and natural systems
Immediate human action for adaptation are recommended if we
want to slow the climate change.
Making Agriculture and Land Use
Climate-friendly and Climate-resilient






Agricultural landscape is very useful for every living
matter on earth.
When it comes to climate, landscape and farming influence
the amount of carbon, reduce emissions of methane, and
reduce nitrous oxide emissions from inorganic fertilizers.
Many techniques are already available to achieve climatefriendly landscapes.
Even though they are not a perfect success, their
combination help the world to move decisively forward.
The five important strategies are: Enriching soil carbon,
Creating high-carbon cropping systems, Promoting
climate-friendly livestock production systems, Protecting
existing carbon stores in natural forests and grasslands,
and Restoring vegetation in degraded areas.
Adapted seed varieties is one of the improvements needed
for production system.
CONTINUED…






These strategies will definitively meet the farmers
needs and wide range of socio-politic classes.
In addition, they can help to meet the internationally
agreed millennium development goals and other
global environmental conventions
Proper investments will be the key of the economic
success of such projects.
The government actions are also needed.
Mobilize the financing and the social organization
needed, plus the development of additional
incentives.
Finally, invest in the development of technologies
and management systems that are not well known.
Enriching Soil Carbon
All About Soil…
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Third largest carbon pool on planet
Consists of four components: minerals,H2O,air and organic
material.
Non-living organic material comes from dead plants/animals and
microbial matter
Living organic material-flora and fauna
Together only comprise 1-6% of soils volume, but are far more
valuable in their contribution to the soil.
Amending, not depleting carbon rich soil from year-year through
organic management will provide productive soils.
Effective tool in identifying areas where soil carbon is greatest2008 Global Carbon Gap Map
Three areas of enriching the soil: Enhancing nutrients,
minimizing tillage, incorporate biochar.
Enriching Soil Carbon;continued
Enhance Soil Nutrients






Inorganic vs.Organic methods
Inorganic fertilizer use est. at 102 million tons worldwide
(industrial countries/irrigated developing nations) emit 2 billion
tons of GHG per year.
Soils with nitrogen fertilizers release N20 (a GHG) with a
warming capacity 300x warmer than CO2
Bottom line, fertility management practices must be adopted;
remove carbon from the air and increase soil organic matter
Examples of minimizing need for inorganic fertilizers consists of:
Composting, green manures, nitrogen fixing cover crops,
livestock manures
Enriching Soil Carbon;continued
Enhance Soil Nutrients



Benefits of organic farming:( experiment by the Rodale Institute)
found that organic farming increased soil carbon 15-28% and
N2O 8-15%-result 65 million hectares of corn and soybean
switched to organic farming saves ¼ billion tons of carbon
Cons of organic farming
Cost and productivity vary widely; may require more labor or
costlier inputs( in replacing all or part of inorganic fertilizer in
high yield systems)
Question remains whether organic farming is capable of
sustaining the world population; more research needed to
evaluate soil type and climatic variances
Enriching Soil Carbon
Minimize Soil Tillage

Process of tilling releases carbon into air (anaerobic microbes
exposed to O2 when soil turned upside down; aerobic microbes
are under soil and suffocated; exposure of the nonliving matter to
O2 releases CO2)






Solutions
Keep mulch on soil to minimize decay and maintain moisture
hence less CO2 emitted
Use non-mechanized means of planting seeds; hand weed
Mechanized methods developed to drill seed through vegetative
layer
Combine no-till with crop rotation and green manure crops
Benefit of no till: Yield a 1/3 more wheat and soybean, reduce soil
erosion by 90%, reduce labor, fossil fuel use and enhancing
biodiversity.
Enriching Soil Carbon;
Incorporate Biochar



(Burning) keeps carbon in soil longer, because carbon rich
dark matter is stable.
Potential 594 million tons of CO2 equivalent in biochar
p/yr by using waste materials such as: forest/milling
residues, rice husks, groundnut shells and urban wasteplanting/converting more trees would increase production
of biochar
Biochar applied up to 183 tons of CO2 equivalent, applied
to 10% of world’s cropland could store 29 billion tons of
CO2; offset nearly all emissions from fossil fuel burning
Creating High-carbon Cropping Systems


Perrenial grains- are products such as rice,
sorghum, wheat, intermediate wheatgrass, rye
and sunflower. Currently,
2/3 of all arable land is used to grow only annual
grains. The problem with annual grain growing
is that the process of tilling, seeding, chemical
treatments, and such are not beneficial to the
climate. So researchers are studying the
development for switching over the production of
annual crops, to perrenial. There are challenges.
Breeding perrenial crops takes longer, the
rewards in the future for this research will be
worth it.
AGROFORESTRY INTERCROPS


In Dictionary.com, it says that agroforestry is “A system of
land use in which harvestable trees or shrubs are grown
among or around crops or on pastureland, as a means of
preserving or enhancing the productivity of the land.”
When you use agroforestry intercropping to increase
productivity to the land, you are mixing types of species of
crops together with the growing of climate sensitive trees
to that crop. The U.N. just launched a new campaign
starting in Nairobi in 2006 to help promote agroforestry,
the campaign was called, A Billion Tree Campaign. More
than 2 billion trees in 150 countries have been planted due
to this campaign, half started in Africa, while 700 million
trees were planted in Etheopia. This kind of initiative is
helping ensure the more economical hope of farmers to
help contain more significant amounts of carbon in the air.
Promoting Climate-friendly Livestock
Production
Three ways to promote climate friendly production:
Intensive rotational grazing, feed supplements, biogas
digesters.
 Domestic livestock-most of the total living animal biomass
worldwide. 50% of the emissions from agriculture and
land use change.
 Increase in meat consumption triggered rise of feedlots,
confined dairies, land clearing for grazing.
Result: Production of large amounts of GHG: (methane from
fermentation of food in animal’s stomach, NO2 from
denitrification from manure storage, carbon from
crop,animal, microbial respiration and fuel combustion)

Consumption of meat and dairy is not only alternative to
reducing GHG.
Promoting Climate-friendly Livestock Production
Intensive Rotational Grazing





Alternative to extensive grazing systems and confined
feedlots; to reduce GHG emissions; rotational grazing.
Rotational grazing practiced in: US, Australia, New
Zealand, parts of Europe, southern/eastern Africa.
Allows proper regeneration of plants after grazing and to
confined animal operations
Confined animal operations carbon footprints higher.
To improve footprints must: improve carbon storage in
grass systems, use higher –quality forage, eliminate
manure storage, increase meat/milk production per animal
Promoting Climate-friendly Livestock Production
Feed Supplements
and Biogas Digesters for Energy








Nutrient supplements and innovative feed mixes reduce
methane, but require sophisticated management
Advanced technologies include: removing microbial organisms
from the rumen/adding bacteria that reduces gas production.
Ongoing research to develop vaccines against methane producing
organisms.
Biogas…
Manure; major source of methane. Poor manure management
responsible for water pollution, but also a source of fossil fuel
through use of biogas digester.
Digester; biogas for heat/electricity and sludge as fertilizer
Methane 25x global warming potential than CO2 over 100 yr
period.
Penn England dairy farm purchased digester in 2005 that
indicates the possible commercial contribution.
Protecting Existing Carbon Stores in
Natural Forests and Grasslands







Forests and grasslands are major reservoir of
carbon.
Absorb carbon from atomosphere contributing to
better climate.
Deforestation causes more carbon in atomsphere.
Incentives should be developed to conserve key
stakeholders.
Raise economic value of forest and grasslands
Agricultural products should be labeled as not
harmful to natural habitat.
Local tenure rights should be secured for
communal forests and grasslands.
REDUCE UNCONTROLLED FOREST AND
GRASSLAND BURNING:






Burning significant source of carbon emission.
Fires in forests can have pros and cons.
In some ecosystems it helps weed control,
contributes to soil improvement.
In others it kills wildlife, reduces habitat and
increases chances of more fire.
Fire tracking systems tracks the parties
responsible.
Protecting conservative areas helps climate
regulations.
RESTORING VEGETATION IN DEGRADED
AREAS:








Extensive areas are being devegetated on large scale.
Causes loss in income, threat to wildlife and
ecosystems.
Can be restored as a win-win investment.
Accelerates soil loss, due to run off of bare soil with
rain water.
Causes water scarcity, while the demand for water is
on the rise
Cheap ways of revegetation are being used.
Threat to biodiversity due to loss and fragmentation
of natural habitat.
Conservation of biodiversity requires establishment
of biological corridors.
MARKET INCENTIVES FOR CLIMATE FRIENDLY
AGRICULTURE AND LAND USE:





policies, investment priorities, and supporting
institutions to create incentives for farmers and
forests owners etc is the challenge.
Farmers and communities who manage land are
central players.
Consumers and buyers awareness is the key.
Consumer’s choice impacts the climate
Product markets have been recognizing the
climate values.
Public Policies to Support the Transition


Costa Rica is a participant in the Coalition for Rainforest
Nations, and has increased its forest cover from 21 percent
in 1986, to 51percent in 2006. That is a difference of 30%.
There are Markets that make payments for these efforts to
the governments, and the governments spend billions of
dollars yearly on subsidy payments to farmers. The United
States, Europe, Japan, India and China are also Countries
that are focusing on rebuilding sustainable agricultural
practices that contribute to helping put climate change on
the right path again. The Regional Greenhouse Gas
Initiative, The World Bank’s Bio Carbon Fund,
Rabobank(the world’s largest agricultural financier), the
Kyoto Protocol, and the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation are such groups surfacing That are creating
talk about “re-greening” and offering financing to establish
the right tools to make that happen.
TAKING ACTION FOR CLIMATE FRIENDLY
LAND USE

Ingenious Systems are needing a fundamental
restructuring to ensure sustainable food systems will
be resilient to Future climate change. There are
currently more than 850 million hungry people in
developing countries all over this world, and the food
Production and land use that is being consumed to
feed all of these people is unfortunately harming the
climate that we live in. There have been an
increasing amount of scientists and entrepreneurs
that are becoming dedicated to tackle The food
challenge, but the scale of the action needed is in
need of a boost. There are no major international
initiatives that address the interlinked challenge of
climate, agriculture, and land use.