Growing Returns

Selected tag(s): Soil carbon

Two ways to improve soil carbon measurement

By Anna Raffeld / Published: April 25, 2024

Carbon markets and carbon monitoring programs track changes in cropland soil carbon stock over time to determine how agricultural management practices impact carbon storage in soil.

Soil carbon stock is typically measured by taking soil samples prior to the adoption of a new farming practice, followed by additional sampling after the practice has been in effect for several years.

However, commonly used methods to measure soil carbon stocks may not accurately capture how that carbon is changing over time, potentially undermining important mitigation efforts.

We need scientifically robust and accessible ways to measure soil carbon to ensure that different practice changes deliver reliable results. New research from Environmental Defense Fund highlights two best practices for measuring carbon in soil.

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged carbon sequestration, carbon storage, climate mitigation | Read 1 Response

Scientists agree: Soil health matters but climate mitigation potential still uncertain

By Eric Lee / Published: August 4, 2022

To keep global temperature increases below 1.5^o Celsius — the threshold for avoiding the worst consequences of climate change — the world needs both rapid reductions of new climate pollution and removal of existing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Increasing the amount of carbon stored in cropland soils is one pathway for carbon dioxide removal, and it has gained traction over the past several years in voluntary agricultural carbon markets and U.S. climate policy discussions. The idea is that farming practices, such as using cover crops, will add carbon to agricultural soils, and thus help slow climate change.

Scientists agree that agricultural soils can be part of the climate solution, but their estimates about when and how much carbon agricultural soils can store — and thus the magnitude of climate mitigation that soils could deliver — vary widely. Read More »

Posted in Carbon Market / Also tagged agriculture, soil health, sustainable agriculture | Comments are closed

How regional accounting can boost the integrity of the voluntary soil carbon market

By Emily Oldfield / Published: March 17, 2022

As enthusiasm for agricultural soil carbon as a climate mitigation strategy grows, carbon registries and private companies are developing carbon crediting protocols to bring soil carbon credits into the voluntary market. Credits need to accurately represent net greenhouse gas reductions and be equivalent to each other.

An analysis by Environmental Defense Fund and Woodwell Climate Research Center found that this isn’t the case across the board, which creates uncertainty and confusion in the marketplace.

In a new paper published in Science, scientists at these organizations recommend a regional framework to boost market integrity and support farmers, governments and the private sector in delivering high-quality credits.

Posted in Carbon Market / Also tagged carbon markets, climate-smart agriculture, soil carbon market, sustainable agriculture | Comments are closed

What agricultural lenders need to know about emerging carbon market opportunities

By Maggie Monast / Bio / Twitter profile / Published: August 4, 2021

Carbon markets have captured the attention of the agriculture sector, and agricultural lenders are no exception. I recently heard from a lender that their number one question from their farmer borrowers is about carbon credit opportunities.

As trusted advisors to farmers, here’s what lenders need to know to navigate these conversations. Read More »

Posted in Uncategorized / Also tagged carbon bank, carbon credits, farm finance, lenders, sustainable agriculture | Comments are closed

Quick action needed to achieve full mitigation potential of soil carbon credits

By Emily Oldfield / Published: July 27, 2021

The potential for agricultural climate solutions has led to surging interest in credits for soil carbon sequestration. The stakes for climate change and farmers are high, and there is a pressing need to evaluate emerging protocols for measuring, reporting and verifying soil carbon sequestration and net greenhouse gas removals.

With that in mind, Environmental Defense Fund and the Woodwell Climate Research Center reviewed 12 published protocols for soil carbon credits from cropland and rangeland, and published the results in a new report — Agricultural Soil Carbon Credits: Making sense of protocols for carbon sequestration and net greenhouse gas removals.

Here are the challenges the report found with current soil carbon credits and recommendations for overcoming them to build confidence in soil carbon markets. Read More »

Posted in sustainable agriculture / Also tagged carbon credits, climate mitigation, climate resilience | Comments are closed

Scientists urge action to increase soil carbon

By Leslie Jones / Bio / Published: November 13, 2019

Soil is one of the most precious and finite natural resources, and maintaining healthy soil is mandatory to provide enough food for the planet in the face of a changing climate.

There is strong scientific consensus on the urgent need to rebuild agricultural soil carbon. That’s the topline message of a comment published this week in the journal Nature Sustainability.

Scientists and farmers know that increasing soil carbon can improve soil fertility, stabilize yields, reduce the need for inputs like fertilizer, and boost resilience to droughts and floods. That’s why so many soil health initiatives focus on building soil carbon.

While the importance of building soil carbon is widely endorsed, there is scientific debate about exactly how much carbon can be sequestered in soils. That is important data to know, but it should not distract us from doing all we can to continue to build carbon in the soil.

Posted in Climate Resilience / Also tagged ecosystems, soil, soil fertility, soil health, sustainable agriculture | Comments are closed