Organic farming has the potential to increase soil carbon levels compared to conventional farming through practices like incorporating fertility-building grass-clover leys and using livestock manures. However, the exact amount of carbon sequestration from organic management remains uncertain due to disparities in assessment methods and farming systems. While organic management often results in higher or slower declining soil carbon levels, the differences compared to conventional are only statistically significant in a few studies. More research is still needed to better define organic and conventional systems and determine their contributions to soil carbon stocks and flows.
Benefits of Soil Organic Carbon - an overviewExternalEvents
The presentation was given by Mr. Niels H. Batjes, ISRIC, during the GSOC Mapping Global Training hosted by ISRIC - World Soil Information, 6 - 23 June 2017, Wageningen (The Netherlands).
This presentation was presented during the Plenary 1, Opening Ceremony of the Global Symposium on Soil Organic Carbon that took place in Rome 21-23 March 2017. The presentation was made by Mr. Luca Montanarella from EU Commission’s Joint Research Centre, in FAO Hq, Rome
Soil management strategies to enhance carbon sequestration potential of degra...koushalya T.N
Reclamation of degraded lands has huge potential for carbon (C) sequestration to counteract the climate change. It was estimated that about 1,964 Mha of land is degraded worldwide and in India 146.8 Mha of land is degraded ( Bai et al., 2008). The major land-degradation processes in the World and in Asia are water erosion, wind erosion, salinity, alkalinity, nutrient depletion and metal pollution. Enrichment of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks through sequestration of atmospheric CO2 in agricultural soils and degraded lands is important because of its impacts on improving soil quality and agronomic production, and also for adaptation to mitigation of climate change. Various management strategies like conservation agriculture, integrated nutrient management, afforestation, alternate land use, plantations and amendments and use of biochar hold promise for long-term C sequestration. It can be concluded that land degradation is a serious problem in India which need to be tackled because shrinking of land resource base will lead to a substantial decline in food grain production which in turn would hamper the economic growth rate and there would also be unprecedented increase in mortality rate owing to hunger and malnutrition.
soil organic carbon- a key for sustainable soil quality under scenario of cli...Bornali Borah
The global soil resource is already showing a sign of serious degradation (Banwart et al. 2014) which has ultimately negative impact on sustained crop yield and environmental quality. Due to intense rainfall and concurrent rise in temperature with changing climate, the fertile top soil is prone to severe degradation with depletion of SOC. Most soils in agricultural ecosystems have lost soil C ranging from 30 to 60 t C ha-1 with the magnitude of 50 to 75% loss (Lal, 2004). Hence, restoration of soil quality through different carbon management options will enhance soil health, mitigate climate change and provide sustained agricultural production.
Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration: Importance and State of ScienceExternalEvents
This presentation was presented during the Plenary 1, GSOC17 – Setting the scientific scene for GSOC17 of the Global Symposium on Soil Organic Carbon that took place in Rome 21-23 March 2017. The presentation was made by Mr. Rattan Lal from Carbon Management and Sequestration Center – USA , in FAO Hq, Rome
Benefits of Soil Organic Carbon - an overviewExternalEvents
The presentation was given by Mr. Niels H. Batjes, ISRIC, during the GSOC Mapping Global Training hosted by ISRIC - World Soil Information, 6 - 23 June 2017, Wageningen (The Netherlands).
This presentation was presented during the Plenary 1, Opening Ceremony of the Global Symposium on Soil Organic Carbon that took place in Rome 21-23 March 2017. The presentation was made by Mr. Luca Montanarella from EU Commission’s Joint Research Centre, in FAO Hq, Rome
Soil management strategies to enhance carbon sequestration potential of degra...koushalya T.N
Reclamation of degraded lands has huge potential for carbon (C) sequestration to counteract the climate change. It was estimated that about 1,964 Mha of land is degraded worldwide and in India 146.8 Mha of land is degraded ( Bai et al., 2008). The major land-degradation processes in the World and in Asia are water erosion, wind erosion, salinity, alkalinity, nutrient depletion and metal pollution. Enrichment of soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks through sequestration of atmospheric CO2 in agricultural soils and degraded lands is important because of its impacts on improving soil quality and agronomic production, and also for adaptation to mitigation of climate change. Various management strategies like conservation agriculture, integrated nutrient management, afforestation, alternate land use, plantations and amendments and use of biochar hold promise for long-term C sequestration. It can be concluded that land degradation is a serious problem in India which need to be tackled because shrinking of land resource base will lead to a substantial decline in food grain production which in turn would hamper the economic growth rate and there would also be unprecedented increase in mortality rate owing to hunger and malnutrition.
soil organic carbon- a key for sustainable soil quality under scenario of cli...Bornali Borah
The global soil resource is already showing a sign of serious degradation (Banwart et al. 2014) which has ultimately negative impact on sustained crop yield and environmental quality. Due to intense rainfall and concurrent rise in temperature with changing climate, the fertile top soil is prone to severe degradation with depletion of SOC. Most soils in agricultural ecosystems have lost soil C ranging from 30 to 60 t C ha-1 with the magnitude of 50 to 75% loss (Lal, 2004). Hence, restoration of soil quality through different carbon management options will enhance soil health, mitigate climate change and provide sustained agricultural production.
Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration: Importance and State of ScienceExternalEvents
This presentation was presented during the Plenary 1, GSOC17 – Setting the scientific scene for GSOC17 of the Global Symposium on Soil Organic Carbon that took place in Rome 21-23 March 2017. The presentation was made by Mr. Rattan Lal from Carbon Management and Sequestration Center – USA , in FAO Hq, Rome
Climate change impacts on soil health and their mitigation and adaptation str...Rajendra meena
The increasing concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) is bringing about major changes to the global environment resulting in global warming, depletion of ozone concentration in the stratosphere, changes in atmospheric moisture and precipitation and enhanced atmospheric deposition. These changes impact several soil processes, which are influence soil health. Soil health refers to the capacity of soil to perform agronomic and environmental functions. A number of physical, chemical and biological characteristics have been proposed as indicators of soil health. Generally, biological processes in soil such as decomposition and storage of organic matter, C and N cycling, microbial and metabolic quotients are likely to be influenced greatly by climate change and have thus high relevance to assess climate change impacts (Allen et al., 2011). Soil organic matter (SOM) exerts a major influence on several soil health indicators and is thus considered a key indicator of soil health. An optimal level of SOM is essential for maintaining soil health and alleviating rising atmospheric CO2 concentration. Elevated CO2 has increased C decay rates generally but in some cases elevated CO2 increases soil C storage (Jastrow et al., 2016). Enhancing the soil organic carbon pool also improves agro-ecosystem resilience, eco-efficiency, and adaptation to climate change. Healthy soils provide the largest store of terrestrial carbon, when managed sustainably; soils can play an important role in climate change mitigation by storing carbon (carbon sequestration) and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere (Paustian et al., 2016).
Wright et al., (2005) reported that no tillage increase soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (SON) 11 and 21% in corn and 22 and 12 % in cotton than conventional tillage. Agroforestry system at farmers’ field enhance soil biological activity and amongst trees, P. cineraria based system brought maximum and significant improvement in soil biological activity (Yadav et al ., 2011).
It is about the importance of Soil carbon.The ways for enhancing the soil carbon and how these soil carbon changes over period of time under different land use systems.
Impact of soil properties on carbon sequestrationyoginimahadule
Carbon sequestration is an important global phenomenon that plays a significant role in maintaining a balanced global carbon cycle and sustainable crop production. Carbon Sequestration is the placement of CO2 into a depository in such way that it remains safely and not released back to the atmosphere.
Among the soil factors, texture plays an important role in C sequestration. The observation that the decrease in clay- and silt associated C and N upon cultivation of soils was generally less than the decrease in C and N in the particle size fraction > 20 µm confirms that clay and sift particles protect C against microbial degradation (Hassink, 1997).
Increase in SOC concentration with conservation tillage was partly responsible for the increased macroaggregation near the soil surface.( Zhang et al. 2013)
Electrical conductivity in soils affects the organic carbon content by reducing the uptake of minerals and water by the plant which ultimately results in less plant growth. A higher electrical conductivity causes less decomposition in soils which consequently reduces the accumulation of humus meanwhile, the values of acidity; percentage of organic matter, organic carbon and the sequestration of carbon in soils containing T. kotschyiwas more than the values observed in soils containing T. aphylla and the soil of the control which contained no plants.
Nitrogen applicaton at optimum rate help to sequester carbon in soil.(Jiang et al. 2019). Integrated nutrient application in long-term rice-wheat cropping system would be a suitable option with respect to its potentiality of increasing yield, nutrient availability, and sequestering soil organic carbon for sustainable soil health management in partially reclaimed sodic soils of the north Indian subcontinent. He concluded that FYM application increase passive pool of soil while green manure increase active and labile pool. (Choudhury et al. 2018)
Six et al. (2006) by various observation of different sites concludes changes in the relative abundance and activity of bacteria and fungi may significantly affect C cycling and storage, due to the unique physiologies and differential interactions with soil physical properties of these two microbial groups. It has been hypothesized that C turnover is slower in fungal-dominated communities in part because fungi in corporate more soil C into biomass than bacteria and because fungal cell walls are more recalcitrant than bacterial cell walls. Same result by Aliasgharzad et al. 2016).
Tsai et al. (2013) showed positive correlation of soil organic carbon with elevation
Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a concept for resource-saving agricultural crop production system that strives to achieve acceptable profits together with high and sustained production levels while conserving the environment.
It is based on minimum tillage, crop residue retention, and crop rotations, has been proposed as an alternative system combining benefits for the farmer with advantages for the society.
Conservation Agriculture remains an important technology that improves soil processes, controls soil erosion and reduces production cost.
Keynote presentation by Dr Reiner Wassmann, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) at CCAFS webinar 'Exploring GHG mitigation potential in rice production' on 18 September 2014.
A holistic approach to crop production, which encompasses conservation tillage (CT), and also seeks to preserve biodiversity in terms of both flora and fauna. Activities such as Integrated Crop (ICM), Integrated Weed (IWM) and Integrated Pest (IPM) Management form part of Conservation Agriculture (CA)
Climate change impacts on soil health and their mitigation and adaptation str...Rajendra meena
The increasing concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) is bringing about major changes to the global environment resulting in global warming, depletion of ozone concentration in the stratosphere, changes in atmospheric moisture and precipitation and enhanced atmospheric deposition. These changes impact several soil processes, which are influence soil health. Soil health refers to the capacity of soil to perform agronomic and environmental functions. A number of physical, chemical and biological characteristics have been proposed as indicators of soil health. Generally, biological processes in soil such as decomposition and storage of organic matter, C and N cycling, microbial and metabolic quotients are likely to be influenced greatly by climate change and have thus high relevance to assess climate change impacts (Allen et al., 2011). Soil organic matter (SOM) exerts a major influence on several soil health indicators and is thus considered a key indicator of soil health. An optimal level of SOM is essential for maintaining soil health and alleviating rising atmospheric CO2 concentration. Elevated CO2 has increased C decay rates generally but in some cases elevated CO2 increases soil C storage (Jastrow et al., 2016). Enhancing the soil organic carbon pool also improves agro-ecosystem resilience, eco-efficiency, and adaptation to climate change. Healthy soils provide the largest store of terrestrial carbon, when managed sustainably; soils can play an important role in climate change mitigation by storing carbon (carbon sequestration) and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere (Paustian et al., 2016).
Wright et al., (2005) reported that no tillage increase soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen (SON) 11 and 21% in corn and 22 and 12 % in cotton than conventional tillage. Agroforestry system at farmers’ field enhance soil biological activity and amongst trees, P. cineraria based system brought maximum and significant improvement in soil biological activity (Yadav et al ., 2011).
It is about the importance of Soil carbon.The ways for enhancing the soil carbon and how these soil carbon changes over period of time under different land use systems.
Impact of soil properties on carbon sequestrationyoginimahadule
Carbon sequestration is an important global phenomenon that plays a significant role in maintaining a balanced global carbon cycle and sustainable crop production. Carbon Sequestration is the placement of CO2 into a depository in such way that it remains safely and not released back to the atmosphere.
Among the soil factors, texture plays an important role in C sequestration. The observation that the decrease in clay- and silt associated C and N upon cultivation of soils was generally less than the decrease in C and N in the particle size fraction > 20 µm confirms that clay and sift particles protect C against microbial degradation (Hassink, 1997).
Increase in SOC concentration with conservation tillage was partly responsible for the increased macroaggregation near the soil surface.( Zhang et al. 2013)
Electrical conductivity in soils affects the organic carbon content by reducing the uptake of minerals and water by the plant which ultimately results in less plant growth. A higher electrical conductivity causes less decomposition in soils which consequently reduces the accumulation of humus meanwhile, the values of acidity; percentage of organic matter, organic carbon and the sequestration of carbon in soils containing T. kotschyiwas more than the values observed in soils containing T. aphylla and the soil of the control which contained no plants.
Nitrogen applicaton at optimum rate help to sequester carbon in soil.(Jiang et al. 2019). Integrated nutrient application in long-term rice-wheat cropping system would be a suitable option with respect to its potentiality of increasing yield, nutrient availability, and sequestering soil organic carbon for sustainable soil health management in partially reclaimed sodic soils of the north Indian subcontinent. He concluded that FYM application increase passive pool of soil while green manure increase active and labile pool. (Choudhury et al. 2018)
Six et al. (2006) by various observation of different sites concludes changes in the relative abundance and activity of bacteria and fungi may significantly affect C cycling and storage, due to the unique physiologies and differential interactions with soil physical properties of these two microbial groups. It has been hypothesized that C turnover is slower in fungal-dominated communities in part because fungi in corporate more soil C into biomass than bacteria and because fungal cell walls are more recalcitrant than bacterial cell walls. Same result by Aliasgharzad et al. 2016).
Tsai et al. (2013) showed positive correlation of soil organic carbon with elevation
Conservation Agriculture (CA) is a concept for resource-saving agricultural crop production system that strives to achieve acceptable profits together with high and sustained production levels while conserving the environment.
It is based on minimum tillage, crop residue retention, and crop rotations, has been proposed as an alternative system combining benefits for the farmer with advantages for the society.
Conservation Agriculture remains an important technology that improves soil processes, controls soil erosion and reduces production cost.
Keynote presentation by Dr Reiner Wassmann, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) at CCAFS webinar 'Exploring GHG mitigation potential in rice production' on 18 September 2014.
A holistic approach to crop production, which encompasses conservation tillage (CT), and also seeks to preserve biodiversity in terms of both flora and fauna. Activities such as Integrated Crop (ICM), Integrated Weed (IWM) and Integrated Pest (IPM) Management form part of Conservation Agriculture (CA)
Lessons Learned on CO2 Storage from the Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration...Global CCS Institute
Completing field tests that demonstrate that geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) can be conducted safely and commercially is one step towards developing robust strategies for mitigating large point source CO2 emissions.
The Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership Program (MRCSP) large volume CO2 injection test is providing data for improving capacity estimates and demonstrating storage capacity within a regionally significant resource. MRCSP is also evaluating CO2 storage potential in Ohio and other areas of the Midwest and the East Coast through regional mapping and exploratory site characterization. Lessons learned from pressure data analysis, modeling, monitoring technologies assessment, accounting, regional mapping and exploration enable technology advancements needed to help carbon capture and storage reach a commercial stage.
This webinar presented an update of the progress made to date and key findings from the MRCSP large volume CO2 injection test and regional exploration work. The topics that were covered include:
Background
- About the MRCSP
- Research objectives
Large Volume CO2 Injection Test, Approaches and Results:
- Description/Overview
- Data Uses
- Pressure Data Analysis and Modelling
- Monitoring Technology Assessment
- Accounting
Regional Mapping and Characterization of Storage Resources
- Known Sources and Sinks
- Studies of Reservoirs and Seals Underway
this presentation tells u all about the infectious diseases..their causes.............and how they are transmitted...............so i hope that it will be very knowledgeable for u all.......
Jatropha-based alley cropping system’s contribution to carbon sequestrationInnspub Net
The study was conducted to evaluate the total carbon stocks sequestered in a Jatropha – based alley cropping system treated with varying fertilizer applications. The study was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The alley was planted with corn in two seasons Treatments include control (no fertilizer), organic fertilizer and inorganic fertilizer applied to the alley crops. Findings showed that the treatments with fertilizer applications had higher carbon stock in the jatropha hedges. The carbon content of the corn stover was also higher in organic and inorganic fertilizer-applied treatments. However, highest soil carbon content was shown in treatments applied with organic fertilizer (4.28 Ton ha-1). The inorganic fertilizer treatment had the lowest soil carbon content with a mean of 4.28 Ton ha-1. In terms of total carbon stock of the entire jatropha-based alley cropping system, there was a significant difference among treatments with organic fertilizer application having the highest mean of 7.79 Ton ha-1 while the inorganic treated plots had 6.53 Ton ha-1. The no fertilizer treatment had the least carbon stocks with 6.53 Ton ha-1. This recent study revealed that the jatropha-based alley cropping system is a potential land-use for carbon sequestration. This farming system needs to be promoted in upland areas to function not only as soil and water conservation measures but also as a possible remedy for global warming. Get the Abstract and full articles at: http://www.innspub.net/ijaar/jatropha-based-alley-cropping-systems-contribution-to-carbon-sequestration/
One of the challenges of ecological intensification is to move agricultural research out of a focus on singular focal areas – e.g., improved seed, pest control, water management – to solutions that integrate all components of the farming system. As such, the canon of knowledge supporting ecological intensification is transdisciplinary, focusing on the biological components of farming systems and agroecological practices but extending as well to considerations of policy and farmer
and societal benefits. As the biodiversity benefits of ecological intensification, along with the negative externalities of conventional agriculture are an important motivation for ecological intensification, we have included literature on these topic, as well as references that relate climate change to ecosystem services in agriculture.
The annotated bibliography presented here is compiled on this basis, to identify the literature relevant to ecological intensification, with respect to the following categories:
1. Ecosystem services
2. Agroecology and agroecological practices
3. Farmer and societal benefits from enhancing ecosystem services
4. Biodiversity benefits of ecological intensification
5. Agriculture-induced impacts
6. Climate change
7. Policy
Within the category of ecosystem services, it has been noted in the keywords if the relevant study addresses one or several of the key ecosystem services underpinning ecological intensification in agriculture: pollination, pest regulation or soil nutrients/cycling. (Bommarco et al. 2013)
Andre Leu, Chairman of the Organic Federation of Australia, declares that organic farming is the most natural form of "Carbon Farming" and explains why.
Impact of organic and conventional practices on, soil health and crop yield u...Agriculture Journal IJOEAR
Abstract— This study was carried out to evaluate the improvement of soil fertility and crop yield using formulated organic fertilizers in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) from October 2008 to April 2015 and the test crop was tomato, eggplant, cabbage and cauliflower. The physicochemical properties, behavior and persistence of plant beneficial microorganisms including nitrogen fixing bacteria, (e.g. Rhizobium sp., Azotobacter sp.), phosphate solubilizing bacteria e.g. (Bacillus sp. Pseudomonas sp., Phosphobacteria), Aspergillus sp. and Trichoderma sp., in the amended/ non-amended block were evaluated each year. The soil beneficial microbial populations and health properties including pH, nitrogen content, organic matter, phosphorus, K, Ca, and S, increased significantly in the compost-amended soils compared to the conventional practices. The total nitrogen (N) content and the organic matter of compost amended soil were 215% and 200% higher respectively than that of conventional practices (CP). Furthermore, significant increase of available organic matter, N, P, & K was observed in the compost-amended soils compared to conventional and control block. Furthermore, microbial population showed significant linear correlations with the organic matter contents of the soils and yearly vegetables yield increased gradually and was reached to almost identical to conventional field within 5 years, implying that the soil amended with BIOFER compost increased the soil fertility, and vegetables yields. Thus, application of BAOFER compost at the rate of 15 t/ha/year was found adequate in improving the vegetable yields and soil health in open field cultivation under subtropical climatic conditions.
Impact of Agricultural Management on Quality of Soil, Carbon Storage and Carb...Agriculture Journal IJOEAR
Abstract— The aim of this study was to characterize the carbon storage - Ec (Mg ha-1), carbon stratification ratio, carbon management index (CMI) in various systems use and management: a) Native forest (NF), b) improved pasture of Tanzania grass (TIP), c) degraded pasture of Tanzania grass (DP), d) hay area (H) with Urochloa (syn. Brachiaria sp) and e) Corn crop conventionally cultivated for 10 years (CTC). The experiment was conducted at Institute of Animal Science, at Sertaozinho, São Paulo State, Brazil. The experimental design was randomized blocks with six replicates. The Ec, in Mg ha-1, adjusted variations in soil density, related to changes in land use were for native forest (112.9), improved pasture (81.6), system of conventional maize (78.2), field of hay (75.1) and degraded pasture (66.5). The highest values of carbon stratification (SR) were the forest (1.98), and lower in degraded pasture and conventional maize (1.10) - are considered poor in quality, while the improved pasture (1.28) and the area of hay (1.23 ) of media quality and while the forest considered great quality. For the different systems of use and management, low CMI values indicate a loss of soil quality related to native forest (100%), the values obtained in improved pasture (58%) indicate that there is potential for advances in the soil quality, adjusting grazing management and fertilization of annual replacement.
BC3 Policy Briefing Videos Series: Reports that synthesise the research work carried out by the team from the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3). This content is intended to be of use for the agents involved in decision-making on climate change.
This report was authored by Elena Pérez-Miñana, Agustin del Prado, Patricia Gallejones, Guillermo Pardo, Stefano Balbi and Ferdinando Villa
Organic Farming: An Agricultural Waste Management System for Enhancing Soil P...CrimsonpublishersMCDA
Sustainable agricultural production systems are crucial for meeting the food demand of the ever-increasing human population. However, these systems generate large amount of wastes which is a major environmental challenge when not properly managed. The difficulty and cost-related constraints associated with achieving sustainable food production through effective soil and crop management practices has led to a paradigm shift from inorganic farming to organic farming, where agricultural wastes are incorporated into the production systems. Organic farming applies natural principles for improved quality and quantity of crop produce while maintaining and/or improving soil health. This paper explores some ways in which agricultural wastes are used and their impacts on soil properties and crop yield in organic farming systems.
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
We all have good and bad thoughts from time to time and situation to situation. We are bombarded daily with spiraling thoughts(both negative and positive) creating all-consuming feel , making us difficult to manage with associated suffering. Good thoughts are like our Mob Signal (Positive thought) amidst noise(negative thought) in the atmosphere. Negative thoughts like noise outweigh positive thoughts. These thoughts often create unwanted confusion, trouble, stress and frustration in our mind as well as chaos in our physical world. Negative thoughts are also known as “distorted thinking”.
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
How to Split Bills in the Odoo 17 POS ModuleCeline George
Bills have a main role in point of sale procedure. It will help to track sales, handling payments and giving receipts to customers. Bill splitting also has an important role in POS. For example, If some friends come together for dinner and if they want to divide the bill then it is possible by POS bill splitting. This slide will show how to split bills in odoo 17 POS.
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
2024.06.01 Introducing a competency framework for languag learning materials ...Sandy Millin
http://sandymillin.wordpress.com/iateflwebinar2024
Published classroom materials form the basis of syllabuses, drive teacher professional development, and have a potentially huge influence on learners, teachers and education systems. All teachers also create their own materials, whether a few sentences on a blackboard, a highly-structured fully-realised online course, or anything in between. Despite this, the knowledge and skills needed to create effective language learning materials are rarely part of teacher training, and are mostly learnt by trial and error.
Knowledge and skills frameworks, generally called competency frameworks, for ELT teachers, trainers and managers have existed for a few years now. However, until I created one for my MA dissertation, there wasn’t one drawing together what we need to know and do to be able to effectively produce language learning materials.
This webinar will introduce you to my framework, highlighting the key competencies I identified from my research. It will also show how anybody involved in language teaching (any language, not just English!), teacher training, managing schools or developing language learning materials can benefit from using the framework.
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
1. Soil Carbon Sequestration and Organic Farming:
An overview of current evidence
Laurence Smith, Susanne Padel, Bruce Pearce
Organic Research Centre, Elm Farm,
Hamstead Marshall,
Newbury, Berkshire, RG20 0HR
Organic Centre Wales
Aberystwyth
February 2011
2. Organic Centre Wales is a publicly funded organisation responsible for the dissemination
of information on organic food and farming in Wales. The Centre comprises three
partners: ADAS Wales, the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences at
Aberystwyth University, and the Organic Research Centre, Elm Farm.
Published by Organic Centre Wales
P: IBERS, Gogerddan Campus Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion, SY23 3EB.
T: +44 (0) 1970 622248.
E: organic@aber.ac.uk
W: www.organiccentrewales.org.uk
Page 1
3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
With the recent interest in the potential for agriculture to capture atmospheric CO2, through the
accumulation of soil carbon, measurements in this area have been viewed as increasingly important.
Promoting soil health and encouraging the development of soil organic matter have always been
central tenets of the organic approach, and the contribution of organic systems to this area has
therefore been of considerable interest. This paper attempts to review the current evidence in this
area, presenting the following main points:
1. Organic cropping systems have considerable potential for increasing soil carbon, through the
incorporation of fertility building grass-clover leys and use of livestock manures within
diverse crop rotations, when compared with specialist (eg: monoculture) cropping systems;
2. The exact amount of carbon that can be sequestered through organic management of
cropping systems is still uncertain, due to the disparity in assessment methods, and
farming/land-use systems;
3. The difference between the wide range of organic and conventional farm types is not yet
clear, partly because of the current difficulty in defining these systems and their individual
characteristics;
4. Organic management of grassland is unlikely to increase soil carbon levels over those from
conventional management, but the reliance on legumes and biological instead of industrial
nitrogen fixation will still have a positive impact on climate change mitigation through
reduced fossil energy use and related carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions;
5. Future work is needed in this area to (a) determine the common characteristics of organic
and conventional farming systems in terms of carbon stocks and flows (b) ascertain the
contribution of grass/clover leys in terms of providing soil carbon and (c) take full account of
external factors such as previous land use.
Current/ongoing work may help us to answer some of these questions, until this work is completed
however the authors conclude that while organic farming can certainly contribute to soil carbon
sequestration within cropping systems, the precise quantification of this area remains uncertain.
This should not prevent the implementation of organic farming as one of the methods for
atmospheric CO2 reduction in the United Kingdom.
Page 2
4. 1. INTRODUCTION
The potential for agricultural systems to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) through
building levels of soil carbon, has been an area of considerable interest in recent years, in view of
greenhouse gas reduction targets set through such policy measures as annex B of the Kyoto Protocol
and the Climate Change Act (2008). This briefing paper will review the evidence for organic cropping
systems’ contribution to soil carbon levels, referring to previous work in this area. This paper has
focussed on arable cropping systems; grassland systems have not been considered in detail, despite
being the most common type of organically managed land in the UK. This is because the differences
in soil carbon levels between organic and conventionally managed grassland have not been found to
be significant in the few studies that have examined this area (eg: Armstrong Brown et al. 2000).
Despite this, many other benefits of organic grassland management are well-accepted, for example
with regard to biodiversity and soil-quality (eg: Shepherd et al. 2003) however, a detailed
consideration of these additional benefits is beyond the scope of this study.
Organic farming practices have been developed with an emphasis on the soil as a living ecosystem,
building on the principle that the health of soil, plant, animal and man is one and indivisible (Balfour,
1943). With this as a central concept for the development of the organic principles (IFOAM, 2009)
and standards, the improvement in the soil’s characteristics is a central tenet of the organic
approach. Indeed it is well documented that improved soil quality can be observed on organically
managed farms, compared to conventional (Lampkin, 1990, European Union, 2007a).
Organic
farming systems also encourage a healthier soil ecosystem through provision of nutrients and
energy, which are derived from organic matter (Watson et al. 2002) instead of from mineral fertiliser.
Maintaining levels of soil organic matter (SOM) is therefore of paramount importance for the longterm productivity and sustainability of an organic system.
The causes of the improved soil characteristics observed on organic farms are claimed to be to the
suite of practices used by organic farmers, including the utilisation of a fertility building ley in the
rotation and the use of organic manures and composts, as opposed to mineral fertilisers (Azeez,
2009). Both of these measures have been shown to have a positive effect on levels of SOM in a
number of studies (Hepperly et al. 2006; Clement & Williams 1967; Grace et al. 1995, cited by
Watson et al. 2002) and are important aspects of ensuring the overall health of an organic farming
system (Watson et al. 2002). Moreover, organic farming is the only system that has a legal definition
setting out the importance of these practices, and in some cases official requirements are set out for
their inclusion (Soil Association, 2008, European Union, 2007b).
Page 3
5. Based on the high levels of adoption of these principles and farm practices on organic farms, it is
possible to state that organic farming has the potential for increasing the carbon content of soils
(Azeez, 2009). However the exact quantification of benefits in terms of amount of soil organic carbon
(SOC) accumulation, compared to conventional, is still an area of debate. Part of the issue is related
to the methodological challenge of comparing the two farming systems, and defining the
characteristics that underlie them, it is also claimed by some that increases in soil organic matter
derived from organic management might be undercut by organic systems’ reliance on tillage
(Macilwain, 2004) whereas others state that the increased residual biomass from the ley component
of the rotation offsets any losses that will occur (Marriot and Wander, 2006). What is clear from
existing studies is that the diversity in the approaches used to carry out assessments within this area
makes comparisons difficult.
This briefing paper will review the current state-of-the-art and will
attempt to identify the common messages coming out of this developing area of research.
2. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
A number of attempts have been made to quantify this area in recent years, a total of six studies
from Northern Europe and two from the USA have been summarised in Table 1 below. The studies
focus on the relative performance of arable systems, only two studies also consider pasture
dominated farms in addition to arable (ie: Pulleman et al. 2003 and Armstrong Brown et al. 2000).
Page 4
6. Table 1: Comparative studies illustrating difference between organically and conventionally managed soils
Author and
country of
study
Type of trial and Farming
farming systems systems
covered
covered
Pulleman et al. Farm systems
2003
trial: conv.; org;
Netherlands
perm pasture
length Average Organic vs Manure/organ
of trial Sample conv. %
ic fertiliser
significant Additional authors' notes
(years) depth
difference added*
**
included in the papers reviewed
Soil assessment
of 30 org and
conv. farm pairs
70
20cm
+60% External inputs Y at 5%
Horticultu
re
1
31cm
+57% Unknown
trend
Arable
1
31cm
+34% Unknown
trend
Pasture
Armstrong
Brown et al.
2000
England
Arable
and perm.
pasture
1
30cm
-12% Unknown
Both organic and conventional
soils were severley compacted.
As a result favourable effects
asscociated with a higher SOM
content in the organic system, in
terms of soil macrostructure,
were not observed
n/s
Increased FYM use on organic
and slightly reduced tillage
intensity
Arable
19
30cm
Concentrations of SOC decreased
in both systems, however rate of
decrease was less for organic. No
+31% External inputs not given
discernable difference when
factoring in manure input to
organic system
Friedel et al.
2000
Germany
Soil assessment:
2 plots: org. and Arable
conv.
21
25cm
+11% Unknown
Hepperly et al.
2006
USA
Arable 3 field plots:
manure
manure based
org; legume
Arable based org; conv.
legume
Kirchmann et al. 3 Field plots:
2007
conv.; org;
Sweden
control
3 field plots:
inorganic
Raupp and
fertiliser; org
Oltmanns, 2006
manure;
Germany
biodynamic
manure
Marriot and
Wander, 2006
USA
Arable
Farming systems
trial: legume and
Arable
manure; legume
based; conv.
n/s
26 15-30cm
+25%
Proportionate
Y at 5%
to yield
26 15-30cm
+20%
Proportionate
Y at 5%
to yield
25
not
given
10 avg 0-25cm
4 Field-plots:
Arable organic;
biodynam
21 0-20cm
Fließbach et al. biodynamic;
ic
2007. DOK trial conv. mineral
Switzerland
fertiliser;
Arable 21 0-20cm
unfertilised
organic
control
*After Leifeld and Fuhrer (2010) ** n/s = not significant
Page 5
+19%
Proportionate
n/s
to yield
+14% External inputs Y at 5%
No significant differences
between organic and
conventional
Annual soil C increase of 981 and
574 kg/ha in organic manure and
organic legume systems
Soil organic C acccumulation did
not occur under conv. or organic
management. However higher
rates of FYM on organic plots
preserved higher SOC contents,
whereas increasing amounts of
inorganic fertiliser had no effect.
Organic systems retain more SOC
than conventional systems,
despite intensive cultivations
SOM decreased across all
Proportionate
not given systems, however extent of loss
to yield
was less in organic. Biological
parameters of soil quality were
Proportionate
+2%
not given also enhanced in organic farming
to yield
systems
+6%
7. It is clear from Table 1 that although in many cases organic farming results in higher levels or lower
reductions of soil carbon, in only three of the studies is this difference stated to be statistically
significant. Moreover, the range of effects on soil carbon resulting from organic management differs
widely across the studies. The authors’ comments also illustrate that the differences between the
two farming systems are not always clear with regard to manure use. This disparity was highlighted
by Leifeld and Fuhrer (2010) in their review of 32 peer-reviewed publications, looking at the issue of
soil carbon and organic farming. Although their analysis revealed a 2.2% average annual increase in
soil carbon content (SOC) within organic systems, in 74% of cases the amount of organic fertiliser (ie:
manure and/or compost) in the organic systems exceeded that applied in the conventional. Leifeld
and Fuhrer (2010) state that a truly unbiased comparison of management types should be based on
similar organic fertiliser (eg: manure) rates, and crop rotations incorporating fertility building leys, as
neither of these aspects are unique to organic farming. Whilst this is true, an experiment of this kind
would lose the significance of the farming system. In reality organic farmers are more likely to be
using a fertility building period in their crop rotation and manures than non-organic; European
organic regulations dictate that the fertility of the soil should be maintained and increased through
crop rotations including legumes, and through application of manures or other organic material
(European Union, 2007b). Certification bodies, such as the Soil Association in the UK, also require
certified producers to include a balance of cropping and grass/clover leys in their crop rotations (Soil
Association, 2008). Moreover, Marriott and Wander (2006) found that legume based and manure
and legume based organic management resulted in similar levels of soil organic matter increase in
their study, suggesting that the ley period alone is more significant than additions of manure, in
terms of building soil carbon.
It is also clear that in practice conventional farms are increasingly abandoning the use of manure in
favour of mineral fertilisers (Niggli et al. 2009).
It therefore seems unlikely that in reality
conventional farms will be adding similar amounts of manure/compost as organic, and a useful
comparison cannot ignore this. Azeez (2009) also highlights that the use of external organic matter
sources is fairly limited in the organic sector in the UK, with most of the farms sourcing manure from
livestock managed as part of an integrated mixed farming system. Azeez (2009) also highlights that
organic farms appear to provide much better soil carbon stabilisation conditions than non-organic
holdings, suggesting that even if organic farms are importing carbon from outside of the system, the
favourable soil conditions will help to ensure that this carbon is retained in the soil.
The results from the DOK trial in Switzerland (Fließbach et al. 2007) also found that when similar
levels of manure inputs (but in a variety of methods) are applied to conventional, organic and
Page 6
8. biodynamic plots, the biodynamic system showed the highest SOC levels, with 6-7% higher organic
carbon levels than either organic and conventional, although total levels of organic carbon decreased
in all systems. The reason given for this was that the biodynamic system makes use of composted
manure, which has a higher level of stable organic matter than fresh farmyard manure. There was a
small difference between the standard organic and conventional plots (12% and 13% higher than ‘no
fertiliser’ plots respectively) however this is likely to be a result of the crop rotation used on the
conventional farm – the DOK trial used a similar rotation, incorporating a 2-3 year ley, within both
the organic and conventional systems. If this element were removed from the conventional system,
a larger difference between organic and conventional soil organic matter levels would be expected.
The DOK trial also found that in terms of biological soil quality (eg: microbial biomass) the differences
between the conventional and organic/biodynamic systems were much greater (over 40% higher on
organic plots), the effect of pesticides and mineral fertiliser can therefore not be excluded from an
assessment of this nature (Fließbach et al. 2007) or underestimated in terms of effect in terms of
improving soil nutrient availability and crop quality (Mondini et al. 1999). On a similar note it has
been suggested that an increased quality of residue in the organic system may stimulate a greater
amount of humus formation (Friedel et al. 2000, Raupp and Oltmanns, 2006) and that this can help
to create more resilient systems, in terms of adapting to the effects of climate change (Niggli et al.
2007) through encouraging better soil structure, water retention and nutrient supply to crops (Azeez,
2009).
Based on the results from some of the trials described above, Freibauer et al. (2004) illustrated the
higher degree of soil carbon sequestration that could result from a greater uptake of organic farming
in the EU. Smith et al. (2005) built on this work through an exploration of the potential for C
enhancement through a range of farming practices within the then EU-15, suggesting that organic
farming was the only carbon sequestrating practice that has increased over the 10 year period from
1990 to 2000. The estimate of sequestration potential within these studies ranged from 0 to 0.5
tonnes of C per ha, however both studies highlighted the considerable uncertainty in this area;
particularly as a result of the effects on N2O emissions from manure management and leaching. This
is an important consideration in terms of the greenhouse gas balance of the farming system, as N2O
is 298 times worse than CO2 in terms of its Global Warming Potential (GWP).
Uncertainty in this area is also partly a result of the wide variability in assessment methods, as may
be seen from Table 1 where the soil sample depth varies greatly across the studies. The
heterogeneous nature of soils, land uses and management practices also leads to assumptions being
Page 7
9. made when making comparisons between systems (Dawson and Smith, 2007) and inconsistency in
results can easily be due to effects other than those of current management. The short time-scale of
many of the measurements carried out means that in many cases only a ‘snapshot view’ is presented
and the previous land-use may still be having an effect at the time of the trial (Leifeld and Fuhrer,
2010). For example Sanderman and Baldock (2010) found that fewer than 50% of the studies in
major reviews of SOC stocks have followed a change in management through time, focussing instead
on the implementation effects from an established farming system.
The focus of existing studies on the effects from arable farming, also limits the applicability of the
debate to pasture dominated or mixed farms, although Armstrong Brown et al. (2000) found that
differences between conventional and organic management were limited to arable cropping areas there was no significant difference in the topsoil characteristics of organic and conventional
permanent pasture within their trial. Another issue with the comparison of data between studies is
that many tend to focus on a wider range of issues other than only soil carbon sequestration, eg:
crop yields and quality (Raupp and Oltmanns, 2006). Moreover, most have been completed outside
of the UK and in somewhat specific locations, for example, the Pulleman et al. (2003) study was
completed on a single biodynamic farm in Polder region of the Netherlands. The wider application of
results which lack specificity to UK climate, soil types and land-use is therefore called into question.
Defining the characteristics of organic and conventional farming systems when making comparisons
is also currently difficult, for instance there may be significant variation in the definition of organic
farming standards between countries and certification bodies, and variation in the length of time
since conversion to organic management (Hole et al. 2005). There are also issues with defining
factors that are determined by the organic and conventional management of the system (eg: manure
application rates) and these distinctions are not always clear cut when making comparisons (Lampkin
and Padel, 1994). There are also considerable uncertainties concerning the scale of observation in
studies. Many of the studies in Table 1 are carried out at the field scale, but these may be
inappropriate if there are emergent properties at the whole-farm level. Some of the benefits of an
organic approach, which focuses on holistic management and the positive interaction between a
range of factors, may also be missed in a study that looks at only one element such as soil carbon.
There are currently few studies which take account of these interactions; however work on this area
is currently ongoing through the development of sustainability assessment methods and
benchmarking tools (Lampkin et al. 2006).
Page 8
10. Ongoing work by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Switzerland (FiBL) is also seeking to
address some of the above issues through the completion of a meta analysis which is collating over
45 studies which have looked at the issue of soil carbon in organic farming. Initial results are
encouraging for organic producers in that recorded levels of SOC in topsoil are at a level of 1.47%,
compared to 1.16% on conventional farms/plots. Preliminary results have also illustrated higher C
stocks on organic farms (37.4 t C/ha on compared to 26.7 t C/ha on conventional) (Gattinger, 2010 –
in preparation). This work has focussed on studies that have not been using imported organic matter
(ie: for 70% of studies any organic fertilisers are sourced from livestock within the farm) and these
first results would therefore suggest that a ‘self-contained’ organic farm can sequester more carbon
than a conventional system. The final outcome of this work is expected in the spring of 2011.
3. CONCLUSION
Reviewing the above papers it is clear that the level of soil carbon sequestration resulting from
organic cropping systems is still an area of great uncertainty. A better understanding of how
legumes, in particular clover grass leys, and manures differ in terms of their contribution to soil
carbon would help increase our understanding of this area (Marriott and Wander, 2006). Until this
level of understanding is reached it would appear that while organic cropping systems can increase
soil carbon levels, due to the common characteristics inherent to these systems (such as higher
likelihood of rotations containing clover grass leys, integration of crops and livestock and less reliance
on external inputs) it is not yet clear by how much individual farm types differ (eg: arable,
horticulture, dairy). It is also clear that although plot based trials reviewed in this paper may be
unbiased in terms of the variables applied, they potentially ignore the integration of livestock or the
fundamental differences between organic and conventional farming practice in reality (eg: the lack of
a fertility building phase on most conventional farms).
It should also be remembered that in terms of climate change mitigation, although agriculture in
temperate zones can make a contribution in terms of C sequestration, this is likely to be a small
percentage of global anthropogenic CO2 carbon (less than 1%) and more significant reductions can be
achieved by addressing the issue of fossil fuel burning and deforestation in the tropics (Smith et al.
1997). Moreover, recent work has highlighted that initial estimates of the potential CO2 reductions
that can be achieved through management of croplands has been overestimated, and that limited
uptake of measures such as organic farming and zero-tillage limits their potential for climate change
Page 9
11. mitigation (Smith et al. 2005). Despite this, there is a small role for carbon sequestration in
agricultural systems, and organic farming methods can clearly contribute to this (Freibaeur et al.
2004) however it is likely that within this context both specific farming systems (such as organic) and
farm practices (such as the use of manure) have a role to play.
This review has focussed on the issue of soil carbon, and the potential for organic farming systems to
contribute to sequestration of atmospheric CO2. However, it should be remembered that in terms of
climate change mitigation, there are many other ways in which organic farming can contribute. For
instance, lower rates of fossil energy use have been identified on organic farms, compared to
conventional (Cormack and Metcalfe, 2000; Lampkin, 2007). Organic systems can also reduce N2O
emissions, through avoidance of mineral fertiliser manufacture (Niggli et al. 2009). There is also great
potential for organic farming to contribute to coping with climate change effects in the near future,
through higher diversity, robust varieties and better soil quality (Niggli, 2010). Quantification of such
benefits will take time and considerable investment in research; however it is already clear that
organic farming will have a significant role to play in creating a lower greenhouse gas agriculture in
the UK.
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