How can agricultural practices reduce or offset greenhouse gases and climate change?
Plants naturally take up carbon dioxide (a primary greenhouse gas) and give off oxygen. In this process, they also store or “sequester” carbon in the soil through their roots; however, most of that carbon is released when farmers plow up the field to plant a crop. If farmers were to use direct seeding or no-till practices to plant crops, they would keep all that stored carbon in the soil. Practices like this, which have the ability to literally take CO2 out of the atmosphere and sink it into soils –also create better soil fertility, water quality, water retention and greater wildlife habitat. Other farming practices could also qualify for GHG emission reduction credits under the bill now before Congress. ACES allows for 2 billion annual offset credits to be traded on the market.
