About This Project

Atmospheric levels of CO2 have risen 100 ppm. During this same period, the world's arable agricultural soils have lost much of their original carbon stock. Restoring that soil organic carbon may help reverse global warming.

Several methods of agriculture have been measured to sequester 5-20 tonnes CO2 equivalent/hectare/year, but they are not methods for growing vegetables and produce. I will measure the carbon sequestration rate of a new method for produce production.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

If we change Agricultural methods to high yielding regenerative models of production, can we reverse global warming?

There is more carbon missing from agricultural soils worldwide than extra in the atmosphere.

Low carbon in soil has an adverse impact on agronomic productivity, profitability, the environment, and its effect on food security, and the quality of life according to the USDA.

Putting that carbon back into the soil could be an important solution to these problems if the rate of sequestration is large enough to draw down some of the legacy CO2 emissions from the atmosphere and store that carbon safely in the soil where it belongs.

My new method that I have developed appears to be capable of good yields, significant carbon sequestration, and with minimal inputs.

What is the significance of this project?

It is well established that different agricultural methods can have widely different effects on soil carbon. And it is well known that soil degradation is a serious problem in its own right that must be dealt with to sustain food security for the world's populations.

However, there is quite a bit of controversy regarding the rates at which soil carbon can be sequestered in the soil, and how to optimize the rate. Will this rate be enough to significantly reduce atmospheric CO2 when combined with reductions in fossil fuel emissions in the energy sector?

The only way to know for sure is to directly measure these SOC rates over time. I have developed an organic no-till methodology that early results show promise, but to really know requires empirical evidence.

What are the goals of the project?

I am introducing a new organic no till methodology with perennial ground cover I have been developing for several years. It should gain significant benefits to soil carbon if it functions in a similar way to the wild ecosystems it was patterned after.

This fundraiser will help determine the absolute net rate of carbon sequestration in the soil, which is a key factor in determining if they can also be used as a tool for global warming mitigation, since most modern agriculture degrades Soil Organic Carbon.

I will be planting a small 1/2 acre research plot and measuring how much CO2 is removed from the atmosphere and sequestered long term in the soil by my methods, by directly sampling the soil and measuring SOC. That rate can then be used to extrapolate the AGW mitigation potential.