scholarly journals Challenges of soil carbon sequestration in the NENA region

SOIL ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Talal Darwish ◽  
Thérèse Atallah ◽  
Ali Fadel
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Belowground Biomass ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Soil Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Land Capability ◽  
The Status ◽  
Irrigated Crops ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The Near East North Africa (NENA) region spans over 14 % of the total surface of the Earth and hosts 10 % of its population. Soils of the NENA region are mostly highly vulnerable to degradation, and future food security will much depend on sustainable agricultural measures. Weather variability, drought and depleting vegetation are dominant causes of the decline in soil organic carbon (SOC). In this work the status of SOC was studied, using a land capability model and soil mapping. The land capability model showed that most NENA countries and territories (17 out of 20) suffer from low productive lands (> 80 %). Stocks of SOC were mapped (1:5 000 000) in topsoils (0–0.30 m) and subsoils (0.30–1 m). The maps showed that 69 % of soil resources are shown to have a stock of SOC below the threshold of 30 tons ha−1. The stocks varied between ≈10 tons ha−1 in shrublands and 60 tons ha−1 for evergreen forests. Highest stocks were found in forests, irrigated crops, mixed orchards and saline flooded vegetation. The stocks of soil inorganic carbon (SIC) were higher than those of SOC. In subsoils, the SIC ranged between 25 and 450 tons ha−1, against 20 to 45 tons ha−1 for SOC. Results highlight the contribution of the NENA region to global SOC stock in the topsoil (4.1 %). The paper also discusses agricultural practices that are favorable to carbon sequestration such as organic amendment, no till or minimum tillage, crop rotation and mulching and the constraints caused by geomorphological and climatic conditions. The effects of crop rotations on SOC are related to the amounts of above and belowground biomass produced and retained in the system. Some knowledge gaps exist, especially in aspects related to the impact of climate change and effect of irrigation on SOC, and on SIC at the level of the soil profile and soil landscape. Still, major constraints facing soil carbon sequestration are policy-relevant and socioeconomic in nature, rather than scientific.

scholarly journals Challenges of soil carbon sequestration in NENA Region

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Talal Darwish ◽  
Therese Atallah ◽  
Ali Fadel
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Belowground Biomass ◽  
Soil Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Nitrogen Fertilizers ◽  
Land Capability ◽  
North East ◽  
Modest Contribution

Abstract. North East North Africa (NENA) region spans over 14 % of the total surface of the Earth and hosts 10 % of its population. Soils of the NENA region are mostly highly vulnerable to degradation, and food security will depend much on sustainable agricultural measures. Weather variability, drought and depleting vegetation are dominant causes of the decline in soil organic carbon (SOC). In this work the situation of SOC was studied, using a land capability model and soil mapping. The land capability model showed that most NENA countries (17 out of 20), suffer from low productive lands (> 80 %). Stocks of SOC were mapped (1 : 5 Million) in topsoils (0–30 cm) and subsoils (30–100 cm). The maps showed that 69 % of soil resources present a stock of SOC below the threshold of 30 t ha−1. The stocks varied between ≈ 10 t ha−1 in shrublands and 60 t ha−1 for evergreen forests. Highest stocks were found in forests, irrigated crops, mixed orchards and saline flooded vegetation. The stocks of SIC were higher than those of SOC. In subsoils, the SIC ranged between 25 and 450 t ha−1, against 20 to 45 t ha−1 for SOC. This paper also highlights the modest contribution of NENA region to global SOC stock in the topsoil not exceeding 4.1 %. The paper also discusses agricultural practices that are favorable to carbon sequestration. Practices of conservation agriculture could be effective, as the presence of soil cover reduces the evaporation, water and wind erosions. Further, the introduction of legumes, as part of a cereal-legume rotation, and the application of nitrogen fertilizers to the cereal, caused a notable increase of SOC after 10 years. The effects of crop rotations on SOC are related to the amounts of above and belowground biomass produced and retained in the system. Some knowledge gaps exist especially in aspects related to the effect of irrigation on SOC, and on SIC at the level of soil profile and soil landscape. Still, major constraints facing soil carbon sequestration are policy relevant and socio-economic in nature, rather than scientific.

scholarly journals Towards an EU Regulatory Framework for Climate-Smart Agriculture: The Example of Soil Carbon Sequestration

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Verschuuren
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Soil Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Agriculture Sector ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Smart Agriculture

AbstractThis article assesses current and proposed European Union (EU) climate and environmental law, and the legal instruments associated with the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), to see whether soil carbon sequestration is sufficiently promoted as a promising example of ‘climate-smart agriculture’. The assessment shows that current and proposed policies and instruments are inadequate to stimulate large-scale adoption of soil carbon projects across Europe. Given the identified structural flaws, it is likely that this is true for all climate-smart agricultural practices. An alternative approach needs to be developed. Under EU climate policy, agriculture should be included in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) by allowing regulated industries to buy offsets from the agricultural sector, following the examples set by Australia and others. The second element of a new approach is aimed at the CAP, which needs to be far more focused on the specific requirements of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Yet, such stronger focus does not take away the need to explore new income streams for farmers from offsets under the ETS, as the CAP will never have sufficient funds for the deep and full transition of Europe’s agriculture sector that is needed.

Effect of different agricultural practices on carbon emission and carbon stock in organic and conventional olive systems

Soil Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramez Saeid Mohamad ◽  
Vincenzo Verrastro ◽  
Lina Al Bitar ◽  
Rocco Roma ◽  
Michele Moretti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Carbon Flux ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Soil Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Conventional System ◽  
Organic System

Agricultural practices, particularly land use, inputs and soil management, have a significant impact on the carbon cycle. Good management of agricultural practices may reduce carbon emissions and increase soil carbon sequestration. In this context, organic agricultural practices may have a positive role in mitigating environmental burden. Organic olive cultivation is increasing globally, particularly in Italy, which is ranked first worldwide for both organic olive production and cultivated area. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of agricultural practices in organic and conventional olive systems on global warming potential (GWP) from a life cycle perspective and to identify the hot spots in each system. The impacts assessed were associated with the efficiency of both systems at sequestering soil in order to calculate the net carbon flux. There was a higher environmental impact on GWP in the organic system because of higher global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from manure fertilisation rather than the synthetic foliar fertilisers used in the conventional system. However, manure was the main reason behind the higher soil organic carbon (SOC) content and soil carbon sequestration in the organic system. Fertilisation activity was the main contributor to carbon emissions, accounting for approximately 80% of total emissions in the organic system and 45% in the conventional system. Conversely, given the similarity of other factors (land use, residues management, soil cover) that may affect soil carbon content, manure was the primary contributor to increased SOC in the organic system, resulting in a higher efficiency of carbon sequestration in the soil following the addition of soil organic matter. The contribution of the manure to increased SOC compensated for the higher carbon emission from the organic system, resulting in higher negative net carbon flux in the organic versus the conventional system (–1.7 vs –0.52 t C ha–1 year–1, respectively) and higher efficiency of CO2 mitigation in the organic system.

Modelling of soil carbon sequestration by use of rice-straw mulching in two citrus orchards in Valencia (Spain)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Pesce ◽  
Enrico Balugani ◽  
Josè Miguel De Paz ◽  
Fernado Visconti ◽  
Carlotta Carlini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Rice Straw ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Soil Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Carbon Sequestration Potential ◽  
Straw Mulch ◽  
Sequestration Potential

<p>In the context of sustainable development, agriculture holds a promising potential for CO2 sequestration and, accordingly, for the mitigation of climate change. This potential capacity can be developed through the adoption of less conventional farming techniques, such as the mulching of the topsoil with agricultural by-products where they are available, e.g., rice straw in the semiarid Valencia province (Eastern Spain). In general, the use of straw as mulching material has been found beneficial for soil quality as it reduces temperature excursions both daily and yearly, increases soil water content overall, and increases the activity of microbes. Moreover, it encourages the binding of organic matter and mineral particles into macro and micro aggregates, leading to: enhancement of the aggregate stability, restoration of stable C, and increase in the soil organic carbon (SOC) content and, thus, soil carbon sequestration. SOC dynamic models, like the widely used RothC, are useful to assess the soil carbon sequestration potential of different agricultural practices and to project their effects on the long term. However, there is a lack of studies focusing on the modelling of straw mulch effects on SOC dynamics.</p><p>Our work aimed at modelling the rice straw mulch degradation and its effects on the SOC dynamics in two citrus orchards, as observed during a short-term field experiment (2 years). In the orchards, the straw mulch was applied to the inter-rows once a year, and its effects on soil water content, temperature, respiration rate, and SOC contents (amidst other chemical and biological parameters) were compared with bare soil and natural grass formation</p><p>The RothC carbon dynamics model was modified by including the straw mulch effects on SOC dynamics as observed on the field and, additionally, by modelling the soil water dynamics with the HYDRUS1D model. The SOC pools for the RothC simulations were assessed following the fractionation of Zimmerman et al. (2007). The model parameters were calibrated with the soil respiration data.</p><p>The straw mulch model can be used for the estimation of the effects of the rice straw on the SOC in the short term. By changing the soil, climatic and agricultural practices inputs, the model can be applied to different fields in semiarid conditions, allowing the assessment of the soil carbon sequestration potential of different agricultural practices. However, the model still needs to be verified on long term field studies to deliver reliable long term sequestration projections.</p>

Potential agricultural soil carbon sequestration across Europe: a reality check

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonor Rodrigues ◽  
Brieuc Hardy ◽  
Bruno Huyghebaert ◽  
Jens Leifeld
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Soil Carbon Sequestration ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Reality Check

<p>To meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting average global warming to less than 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures, European Union (EU) aims to reduce by 40% its domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 and in the longer term to become the world’s first climate-neutral economy by 2050 (“Green Deal”). Today, 10% of the European GHG emissions derive directly from agriculture, and measures to decrease or compensate these emissions are required for achieving climatic goals. The role of soils in the global carbon cycle and the importance of reducing GHG emissions from agriculture has been increasingly acknowledged (IPCC, 2018, EEA report 2019). The “4 per 1000” initiative (4p1000) has become a prominent model for mitigating climate change and securing food security through an annual increase in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks by 0.4 %, or 4‰ per year, in the first 0-40 cm of soil. However, the feasibility of the 4p1000 scenario and more generally the capacity of European countries to implement soil carbon sequestration (SCS) measures are highly uncertain.</p><p>As part of the EJP Soil project, we collected country-specific informationonon on the available knowledge and data of achievable carbon sequestration in mineral agricultural soils (cropland and grassland) across Europe, under various farming systems and pedo-climatic conditions. With this bottom-up approach, we provide a reality check on weather European countries are on track in relation to GHG reductions targets and the “4p1000” initiative. First results showed that the availability of datasets on SCS is heterogeneous across Europe. While northern Europe and central Europe is relatively well studied, references are lacking for parts of Southern, Southeaster and Western Europe. Further, this stocktake highlighted that the current country-based knowledge and engagement is still poor; very few countries have an idea on their national-wide achievable SCS potential. Nevertheless, national SCS potentials that were estimated for 13 countries support the view that SCS can contribute significantly to climate mitigation, covering from 1 to 28, 5 % of the domestic GHG emissions from the agricultural sector, which underpins the importance of further investigations.</p>

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