Quantitative Framework Helps Compare Ag Strategy Carbon-mitigation Potential

Scientists at the Queensland University of Technology led efforts to develop a quantitative framework that could allow comparison of different agriculture strategies, regarding their ability to help increase carbon storage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers point out that because of agriculture’s extremely large footprint, even modest changes in carbon mitigation strategies can lead to global-scale impact when they are widely implemented. The researchers identified reducing reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers as the single strategy that could have the most immediate, large-scale effects. However, they say that no one intervention will be adequate and that a portfolio of strategies will be needed. This new quantitative framework helps evaluate potential strategies, noting that successful interventions must be technically feasible, economically viable, durable, and scalable, while ensuring minimal harm to ecosystems.