Conservation agriculture and ecosystem services: An overview
TL;DR: The potential and limitations of conservation agriculture for low productivity, small-scale farming systems in Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia is discussed in this article. But, the authors highlight some research priorities for ecosystem services in conservational agriculture.
About: This article is published in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment.The article was published on 2014-04-01. It has received 658 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Conservation agriculture & Soil quality.
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The Nature Conservancy1, James Madison University2, Woods Hole Research Center3, Ohio State University4, Institute of Ecosystem Studies5, Resources For The Future6, University of Aberdeen7, Cornell University8, Colorado State University9, World Resources Institute10, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences11, University of Minnesota12, University of Maryland, College Park13, University of Florida14, Wetlands International15, University of Vermont16
TL;DR: It is shown that NCS can provide over one-third of the cost-effective climate mitigation needed between now and 2030 to stabilize warming to below 2 °C.
Abstract: Better stewardship of land is needed to achieve the Paris Climate Agreement goal of holding warming to below 2 °C; however, confusion persists about the specific set of land stewardship options available and their mitigation potential. To address this, we identify and quantify "natural climate solutions" (NCS): 20 conservation, restoration, and improved land management actions that increase carbon storage and/or avoid greenhouse gas emissions across global forests, wetlands, grasslands, and agricultural lands. We find that the maximum potential of NCS-when constrained by food security, fiber security, and biodiversity conservation-is 23.8 petagrams of CO2 equivalent (PgCO2e) y-1 (95% CI 20.3-37.4). This is ≥30% higher than prior estimates, which did not include the full range of options and safeguards considered here. About half of this maximum (11.3 PgCO2e y-1) represents cost-effective climate mitigation, assuming the social cost of CO2 pollution is ≥100 USD MgCO2e-1 by 2030. Natural climate solutions can provide 37% of cost-effective CO2 mitigation needed through 2030 for a >66% chance of holding warming to below 2 °C. One-third of this cost-effective NCS mitigation can be delivered at or below 10 USD MgCO2-1 Most NCS actions-if effectively implemented-also offer water filtration, flood buffering, soil health, biodiversity habitat, and enhanced climate resilience. Work remains to better constrain uncertainty of NCS mitigation estimates. Nevertheless, existing knowledge reported here provides a robust basis for immediate global action to improve ecosystem stewardship as a major solution to climate change.
1,508 citations
University of Sydney1, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada2, Institut national de la recherche agronomique3, Natural Resources Conservation Service4, Centre national de la recherche scientifique5, National Taiwan University6, Nanjing Agricultural University7, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur8, James Hutton Institute9, Landcare Research10, Rural Development Administration11, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya12, British Geological Survey13, Wageningen University and Research Centre14, University College Dublin15, Colorado State University16, World Agroforestry Centre17, Université catholique de Louvain18
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors surveyed the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock estimates and sequestration potentials from 20 regions in the world (New Zealand, Chile, South Africa, Australia, Tanzania, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, India, China Taiwan, South Korea, China Mainland, United States of America, France, Canada, Belgium, England & Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and Russia).
1,171 citations
TL;DR: A global meta-analysis using 5,463 paired yield observations from 610 studies to compare no-till, the original and central concept of conservation agriculture, with conventional tillage practices across 48 crops and 63 countries indicates that the potential contribution of no-Till to the sustainable intensification of agriculture is more limited than often assumed.
Abstract: One of the primary challenges of our time is to feed a growing and more demanding world population with reduced external inputs and minimal environmental impacts, all under more variable and extreme climate conditions in the future. Conservation agriculture represents a set of three crop management principles that has received strong international support to help address this challenge, with recent conservation agriculture efforts focusing on smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. However, conservation agriculture is highly debated, with respect to both its effects on crop yields and its applicability in different farming contexts. Here we conduct a global meta-analysis using 5,463 paired yield observations from 610 studies to compare no-till, the original and central concept of conservation agriculture, with conventional tillage practices across 48 crops and 63 countries. Overall, our results show that no-till reduces yields, yet this response is variable and under certain conditions no-till can produce equivalent or greater yields than conventional tillage. Importantly, when no-till is combined with the other two conservation agriculture principles of residue retention and crop rotation, its negative impacts are minimized. Moreover, no-till in combination with the other two principles significantly increases rainfed crop productivity in dry climates, suggesting that it may become an important climate-change adaptation strategy for ever-drier regions of the world. However, any expansion of conservation agriculture should be done with caution in these areas, as implementation of the other two principles is often challenging in resource-poor and vulnerable smallholder farming systems, thereby increasing the likelihood of yield losses rather than gains. Although farming systems are multifunctional, and environmental and socio-economic factors need to be considered, our analysis indicates that the potential contribution of no-till to the sustainable intensification of agriculture is more limited than often assumed.
994 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a summary of the existing knowledge about potential multiple CC benefi ts is needed for a broader understanding of CC impacts on soil and agricultural production and identifi cation of knowledge gaps that deserve further research.
Abstract: 2449 Enhancing ecosystem services of current cropping systems is a priority for sustaining crop and livestock production, developing biofuel industries, and maintaining or improving soil and environmental quality. Integrating CCs with existing cropping systems has the potential to enhance ecosystem services such as: (i) food, feed, fi ber, and fuel production, (ii) C and other nutrient and water cycling, and (iii) soil, water, and air quality improvement. Th is is particularly important with increased concerns about the following challenges to agriculture: high production costs, environmental degradation, food security, and climate change. According to the Soil Science Society of America Glossary of Terms, CCs are defi ned as a “close-growing crop that provides soil protection, seeding protection, and soil improvement between periods of normal crop production, or between trees in orchards and vines in vineyards. When plowed under and incorporated into the soil, CCs may be referred to as green manure crops” (SSSA, 2008). While the use of CCs is not a new concept, the implications of their re-emerging importance and impacts on ecosystem services such as crop and livestock production and soil and environmental quality deserve further discussion. Historically, CCs have been used to meet a few specifi c needs (i.e., soil conservation, N2 fi xation, and weed and pest management), but now CC management questions increasingly revolve around the potential multi-functionality of CCs including soil C sequestration, mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, benefi ts to “soil health,” feed for livestock, biofuel production, farm economics, and others. Th ere are many studies on CCs assessing soil and crop production, but few have attempted to discuss or integrate all the multiple ecosystem services that CCs provide (Dabney et al., 2001; Snapp et al., 2005). Th us, a summarization of the existing knowledge about potential multiple CC benefi ts is needed for a broader understanding of CC impacts on soil and agricultural production and identifi cation of knowledge gaps that deserve further research. Th is summarization will help answer the following question: Can CCs provide multiple ecosystem services to address the current challenges in soil and environmental quality, crop and livestock production, biofuel production, among others? review & interpretation
633 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the potential for climate change mitigation through soil carbon sequestration that is possible from a change to no-till agriculture has been widely overstated, arguing that the potential of climate adaptation through carbon sequestering is limited.
Abstract: No-till agriculture is generally considered good for soils, and probably also beneficial in relation to climate change adaptation. However, this Perspective argues that the potential for climate change mitigation through soil carbon sequestration that is possible from a change to no-till agriculture has been widely overstated.
616 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, the carbon sink capacity of the world’s agricultural and degraded soils is 50 to 66% of the historic carbon loss of 42 to 78 gigatons of carbon.
Abstract: :The carbon sink capacity of the world’s agricultural and degraded soils is 50 to 66% of the historic carbon loss of 42 to 78 gigatons of carbon. The rate of soil organic carbon sequestration with adoption of recommended technologies depends on soil texture and structure, rainfall, temperature, farming system, and soil management. Strategies to increase the soil carbon pool include soil restoration and woodland regeneration, no-till farming, cover crops, nutrient management, manuring and sludge application, improved grazing, water conservation and harvesting, efficient irrigation, agroforestry practices, and growing energy crops on spare lands. An increase of 1 ton of soil carbon pool of degraded cropland soils may increase crop yield by 20 to 40 kilograms per hectare (kg/ha) for wheat, 10 to 20 kg/ha for maize, and 0.5 to 1 kg/ha for cowpeas. As well as enhancing food security, carbon sequestration has the potential to offset fossilfuel emissions by 0.4 to 1.2 gigatons of carbon per year, or 5 to 15% of the global fossil-fuel emissions.
5,835 citations
TL;DR: The relationship between soil structure and the ability of soil to stabilize soil organic matter (SOM) is a key element in soil C dynamics that has either been overlooked or treated in a cursory fashion when developing SOM models as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The relationship between soil structure and the ability of soil to stabilize soil organic matter (SOM) is a key element in soil C dynamics that has either been overlooked or treated in a cursory fashion when developing SOM models. The purpose of this paper is to review current knowledge of SOM dynamics within the framework of a newly proposed soil C saturation concept. Initially, we distinguish SOM that is protected against decomposition by various mechanisms from that which is not protected from decomposition. Methods of quantification and characteristics of three SOM pools defined as protected are discussed. Soil organic matter can be: (1) physically stabilized, or protected from decomposition, through microaggregation, or (2) intimate association with silt and clay particles, and (3) can be biochemically stabilized through the formation of recalcitrant SOM compounds. In addition to behavior of each SOM pool, we discuss implications of changes in land management on processes by which SOM compounds undergo protection and release. The characteristics and responses to changes in land use or land management are described for the light fraction (LF) and particulate organic matter (POM). We defined the LF and POM not occluded within microaggregates (53–250 μm sized aggregates as unprotected. Our conclusions are illustrated in a new conceptual SOM model that differs from most SOM models in that the model state variables are measurable SOM pools. We suggest that physicochemical characteristics inherent to soils define the maximum protective capacity of these pools, which limits increases in SOM (i.e. C sequestration) with increased organic residue inputs.
3,301 citations
TL;DR: The concept of ecosystem services has become an important model for linking the functioning of ecosystems to human welfare Understanding this link is critical for a wide-range of decision-making contexts.
2,679 citations
Book•
24 Nov 2003
TL;DR: The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) as discussed by the authors is a conceptual framework for analysis and decision-making of ecosystems and human well-being that was developed through interactions among the experts involved in the MA as well as stakeholders who will use its findings.
Abstract: This first report of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment describes the conceptual framework that is being used in the MA. It is not a formal assessment of the literature, but rather a scientifically informed presentation of the choices made by the assessment team in structuring the analysis and framing the issues. The conceptual framework elaborated in this report describes the approach and assumptions that will underlie the analysis conducted in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. The framework was developed through interactions among the experts involved in the MA as well as stakeholders who will use its findings. It represents one means of examining the linkages between ecosystems and human well-being that is both scientifically credible and relevant to decision-makers. This framework for analysis and decision-making should be of use to a wide array of individuals and institutions in government, the private sector, and civil society that seek to incorporate considerations of ecosystem services in their assessments, plans, and actions.
2,427 citations