Carbon-farming & soil conservation
Carbon-farming ... or soil (organic matter) conservation?
Soinne et al. 2024 (https://lnkd.in/gE56WgQq) recent is a reminder that things might be simpler than they look. Though Sionne's article is nuanced, they nevertheless state that ; "Alongside the aim of increasing OC accrual in mineral agricultural soils, we should stress the importance of maintaining [conserving] the current OC stocks /.../".
I tend to agree (https://lnkd.in/eJv_qhKt). Carbon-farming as presently advocated implies that we know, precisely, the stocks, accrual rates, pristine SOC levels, and critical SOC thresholds. This sounds very heroic. Why not focus on SOC conservation, ... and let the soils decide for themselves. Poorer soils will accumulate SOC, richer soils maintain it. Either way, soil (organic matter) conservation provides a (refundable) service to the environment.
For those interested in looking into a simpler, cheaper, way to soil organic matter conservation through fertilizer management, see Polyor SAS's AgroNum concept ; https://lnkd.in/exiTpR5a.
#ai #mrv #agronum #carbonfarming #sustainableagriculture
