Influence of Recommended Agricultural Management Practices on Enhancing Soil Carbon Sequestration

Climate change in India threatens food security due to the tropical monsoon climate and the
poor cropping capacity of small and marginal farmers. The Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) has projected a global mean surface temperature rise of 1.1–6.4 °C
by 2100. Soil carbon sequestration refers to the ability of agricultural lands and forests to
reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Healthy soils can help combat
climate change because soils with high organic matter have a greater CO 2 sequestration
potential. Improper soil and crop management practices have led to a continuous loss of soil
carbon. Agricultural practices primarily responsible for soil carbon loss include improper
tillage operations, inadequate crop rotation, poor residue management, excessive fertilization,
and low use of organic fertilizers, all resulting in an ongoing loss of soil organic matter in the
form of CO 2 . In the last two decades, there has been a growing interest in the adoption of
recommended agricultural practices aimed at improving the sustainability of agricultural
lands among smallholder farmers in developing countries. This paper aims to understand the
factors that influence the adoption of technologies that enhance soil carbon sequestration. The
adoption of recommended agricultural management practices (RAMP) enhances carbon
sequestration while reducing the rate of atmospheric CO 2 enrichment. Such an increase can
result from practices that include improved conservation agriculture, which focuses on crop
residue management, manure and compost application, and employs several techniques like
no-tillage, lay farming, precision agriculture, and other carbon-rich resources that sustain soil
health and increase SOC sequestration. The challenges for this study include high costs,
substantial infrastructure investments, and public concerns about the safety of CO 2 storage.
To mitigate these challenges, there is a need to further improve the RAMP, which is
happening continuously.