Globally, decline of soil organic carbon (SOC) is a major threat for agricultural systems, especially in tropical environments. Intensive agriculture has reduced SOC levels (25–30 % in some regions), leading to poor soil health, lower crop yields (up to 30 %), and increased emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (10–20 % ). Carbon (C) farming, which involves sustainable practices such as no-till farming, cover cropping with legumes, agroforestry, recycling of crop residues, and improved grazing regimes, is a sustainable approach to capturing atmospheric CO2 and storing it in the soil and in the case of agroforestry in plant biomass. This review is predominantly concentrated on the soil component. Carbon (C) farming increases SOC by 0.4–1.2 Mg C ha–1 yr–1and can offer ecosystem benefits such as enhanced soil health and increased biodiversity by 15–30 %, improvement in soil water-holding capacity (10–25 %) leading to more sustainable and resilient agricultural systems. Therefore, incentivizing farmers through C credits or payment for ecosystem services (PES) are recommended to support C farming as they directly contribute to improved livelihoods , increased income by 20 % especially in small holder farming systems, and achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to eliminating poverty (SDG 1), zero hunger (SDG 2), promoting good health and well-being (SDG 3) and climate action (SDG 13). Furthermore, cropping systems involving bioenergy crops may contribute to SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy) and SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production), with potential to produce 10–50 GJ ha–1 of renewable energy annually and making it a promising option for sustainable agricultural production and environmental protection.
- Carbon farming: Ecosystem services and its potential in achieving UN sustainable development goals
- Govindaraj Kamalam Dinesh - College of Agriculture, Central Agricultural University, Iroisemba, Imphal, Manipur, IndiaVeluswamy Venkatramanan - Indira Gandhi National Open UniversitySomasundaram Jayaraman - Indian Institute of Soil and Water ConservationNanthi Bolan - UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The UWA Institute of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, AustraliaCherukumalli Srinivasa Rao - ICAR – Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, New Delhi, IndiaRam Swaroop Meena - Institute of Agricultural Sciences, BHU, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaJVNS Prasad - Central Research Institute for Dryland AgricultureVinothini Ramasamy - MIT-College of Agricultural Technology, Musiri, Tamil Nadu, IndiaRajan Bhatt - ViGYAN (United States)Rachana Dubey - ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, IndiaMurugaiyan Sinduja - Agro (Czechia)Ravi Raveena - Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRichard Harper - Murdoch UniversitySangilidurai Karthika - Sultan Qaboos UniversityPete Smith - Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United KingdomShiv Prasad - ICAR – Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, New Delhi, IndiaRamasubramanian Sabarivasan - College of Agriculture, Central Agricultural University, Iroisemba, Imphal, Manipur, IndiaRam Chandra Dalal - School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, AustraliaRattan Lal - The Ohio State UniversityHimanshu Pathak - International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Hyderabad, IndiaShanmugam Gokul - College of Agriculture, Central Agricultural University, Iroisemba, Imphal, Manipur, IndiaA. Velmurugan - Indian Council of Agricultural Research, KAB-II, Pusa Campus, New Delhi, New Delhi, India
- Advances in agronomy, Vol.196, pp.201-378
- Elsevier Inc.
- 991005841254807891
- © 2025 Elsevier Inc.
- School of Agricultural Sciences
- English
- Journal article
