CARBON FARMING - THE HEALING LUNGS OF FUTURE AGRICULTURE: A REVIEWGUMMADALA KASIRAO, P. HIMAVARSHA, SHIVSINGH TOMAR AND ARPITA SHARMAAbstract Carbon farming is an innovative agricultural practice with the principal aim of removing excess carbon from the atmosphere and using it as an input agricultural practice. Soil carbon sequestration in agricultural lands through soil amendments and management strategies regarded as a relatively well-tested and cost-effective method of removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Carbon farming has beneficial effects on soil health, biomass production, and crop productivity in a sustainable manner. Carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is used by plants to prepare their food. They also convert the gas to a stable, solid form of carbon, which they store in the soil via direct or indirect fixation. Unlike carbon farming practices, which emphasize keeping carbon in the ground for long periods of time, several conventional agriculture practices, such as unscientific ploughing and tractors, tilling, overgrazing and so on, result in the release of carbon into the atmosphere rather than capturing it. Carbon benefits from conservation and/or land management practices need to exceed carbon losses for carbon farming to be effective. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to clarify carbon farming, the need for carbon farming in the present agricultural scenario and the pros and cons associated with soil carbon sequestration. |