Soil\u2019s contribution to climate change, through the oxidation\nof soil carbon, is important, and soils\u2014and thus agriculture\u2014can play a major\nrole in mitigating climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThrough multiple agricultural practices, we could help store vast amounts of atmospheric carbon in the soil, while at the same time regenerating soil fertility, plant health and whole ecosystems. This is a no-regret option that offers multiple benefits and deserves high-level visibility,\u201d says a recent United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Foresight Brief titled\u00a0Putting carbon back where it belongs – the potential of carbon sequestration in the soil<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Industrial farming systems succeed in producing large\nvolumes of food for the global market. However, they cause significant soil\nerosion, biodiversity (including pollinator) losses and pollution of freshwater\nbodies. They promote a high dependency on the agro-industry and its products\nand require huge amounts of freshwater and fertilizer. Agriculture\ncontributes about 23 per cent of all human-induced greenhouse gas emissions<\/a>,\nwith the livestock sector representing 14.5 per cent<\/a> of such\nemissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fragility of soils, the thin layer of the earth which is\nthe foundation of nearly everything growing and almost all that we eat, puts\nthe \u201csustainability\u201d of industrialized agriculture into question. One major\nproblem is that we are losing soil due to poor land management practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOverall, the soil is being lost from agricultural areas 10 to 40 times faster than the rate of soil formation, imperilling humanity\u2019s food security,\u201d says UNEP soil and landscape expert Abdelkader Bensada. \u201cA quarter of the Earth\u2019s surface has already become degraded.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fertile topsoil equivalent to a land area almost the size of\nGreece or Malawi is being lost every year, says the UNEP Foresight Brief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n