Soil Management and climate change - Exacerbation and Mitigation

Did you know that soil is the largest carbon store on earth?

Many waste materials can be effectively pre-processed before application to soils by feeding them to animals. Farmyard manure, pig slurry, poultry litter and urban sewage sludge are rich organic fertilisers after being processed by faunal digestive systems. Non-comestible organic wastes are more beneficial to soil if they are composted first. Organic fertilisers have the added advantage of reducing the demand for horticultural peat.

Planting trees, biofuel crops and grassland increases carbon storage, leading to lasting increases in soil organic matter. Above ground carbon is more ephemeral.

Soil management changes that reduce fossil fuel use are beneficial in CO2 reduction. Rising oil prices and environmental concerns prompt farmers towards energy frugality. Crop drying depends on weather and cannot be avoided in wet summers. Reducing soil cultivation operations offers more scope for energy economies. On some soils farmers obtain satisfactory yields and improved returns with zero or minimal tillage, but savings may be offset by greater use of agrochemicals.

To find out more download our Soil Management and Climate Change leaflet and poster