October 17, 2024.4 minutes

Soil Carbon: How farmers can boost soil health and sustainability

Soil carbon: How farmers can boost soil health and sustainability

Soil carbon is one of the most valuable resources in agriculture, essential for improving soil health, increasing resilience to climate change, and enhancing water retention. For farmers, adopting practices that build soil carbon can lead to improved soil fertility, reduced water runoff, and new revenue streams through carbon credits. This blog explores why soil carbon matters and how farmers can enhance it through regenerative agriculture.

What is soil carbon?

Soil contains organic matter that is rich in carbon. Soil carbon refers to the carbon stored within soil. Carbon is critical to healthy soils, and the level of carbon in any given area of land is directly linked to the quantity of organic matter present. Soil contains organic carbon (from living matter) and inorganic carbon (in the form of elemental carbon and materials like calcite, gypsum and dolomite).

Soil Carbon is a vital component of soil health, influencing fertility, water retention, and overall ecosystem stability. Soil also acts as a significant carbon sink, absorbing and storing CO2 from the atmosphere, which plays a critical role in combating climate change.

Soil carbon improves biodiversity in the fields.

Why soil carbon matters to farmers

For farmers, soil carbon isn’t just an environmental factor—it’s an economic and productivity advantage. Higher levels of soil carbon help to:

Improve soil fertility, allowing for healthier and stronger crops.
Increase water retention, making fields more drought-resistant.
Support biodiversity, fostering a more balanced and resilient ecosystem.
Enhance resilience against climate change impacts like droughts and floods.

These benefits directly impact the bottom line by reducing the need for synthetic inputs like fertilisers and creating a path for long-term profitability. Additionally, the potential to generate carbon credits by sequestering carbon in the soil offers an extra income stream for farmers.

How farmers can increase soil carbon

Farmers can adopt several strategies to increase soil carbon, particularly through regenerative agriculture. This approach promotes practices that enhance soil health and sequester carbon.

Regenerative agriculture

Regenerative agriculture includes a variety of farming practices that restore soil health and increase carbon storage. Key methods include:

Cover cropping: Planting cover crops between harvests helps protect and enrich the soil.
Reduced tillage: Minimising soil disturbance prevents the release of stored carbon.
Crop rotation: Rotating crops improves soil biodiversity and enhances carbon sequestration.
Residue management or mulching: Leaving crop residues on the field or applying organic mulch protects the soil, conserves moisture, and boosts carbon retention.

By implementing regenerative agriculture, a holistic farming approach, ecosystems are restored, biodiversity is improved, and carbon storage is increased to combat climate change. This method enhances soil, water, and air quality while producing nutrient-dense food.

Hands-on with nature—exploring the power of soil carbon to restore soil health and improve sustainability in farming.

Benefits of soil carbon for farmers

Enhancing soil carbon brings a host of benefits to farmers, beyond just environmental gains:

Higher crop yields: Healthier soils rich in carbon lead to better crop growth.
Increased resilience: Carbon-rich soils are better able to retain water and nutrients, making them more resistant to droughts.
Economic advantages: By participating in programs like AgreenaCarbon, farmers can earn additional income through carbon credits.
Environmental co-benefits: Soil carbon also promotes biodiversity and reduces dependence on chemical inputs like synthetic fertilisers.

Soil carbon as a climate solution

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), reducing global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net zero is essential to halt global warming. Soil carbon sequestration is one of the most effective and scalable methods to achieve this. By increasing soil carbon storage, farmers not only contribute to climate mitigation but also create more resilient agricultural systems that are better equipped to withstand climate extremes.

Soil carbon sequestration is particularly attractive because it offers multiple co-benefits, including improved water retention, enhanced biodiversity, and strengthened ecosystem services. It is estimated that by 2050, soils could remove up to five gigatonnes of CO2 annually.

Conclusion

Soil carbon is a crucial component for building sustainable farming systems. By adopting practices like regenerative agriculture and participating in soil carbon programmes, farmers can enhance their soil’s carbon storage capacity, leading to improved yields, resilience to climate impacts, and the potential to earn carbon credits. As we face the challenge of mitigating climate change, soil carbon offers a natural and scalable solution for farmers to be at the forefront of sustainability.

Ready to enhance your farm’s sustainability? Explore the AgreenaCarbon programme and start boosting your soil carbon today.