Farming feeds the world and is one of the greatest sectors contributors to climate change. At every stage of food production, from storing, processing, transport and packaging, there is an impact on climate change from the greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere.
The demand for carbon offset and zero-emission delivery and other initiatives to reverse climate change is a challenge we are experiencing as our population continues to grow past 7 billion.
With Manhattan’s Clock releasing we have less than 8 years before irreversible climate change occurs. We need to make changes urgently more than ever starting today. Farmers play a key role and need help with reducing their carbon footprint from production, as farmers contributing to roughly half of human produced methane emissions.Luckily for the agricultural sector, a lot more things can be done to make a difference.
And here are 5 things farmers can implement to make a difference globally and help reverse climate change!
1, SOS:
Save our Soil! – Soil is the biggest untapped reservoir to store carbon which makes it critical in mitigating climate change. However, with the rate of intensive agriculture happening today, soil is degrading rapidly. It can take up to 1000 years to produce 1cm of topsoil which means we need to protect it from harm. Investing in improving soil health will not only help the farmers yield, but also mitigate climate change.
2, Biodiversity is the spice of life:
Monoculture and cash crops degrade and deplete land nutrients from soil each year. These kinds of crops like maize, soya and palm are being grown in unnatural volumes that can be up to 1000s of hectares that also encourages deforestation from their harmful volume and unethical practice that goes unregulated. Positive farming practices such as having different crops on a rotation helps keep the soil maintain fertility, so the yield per crop will be higher and the soil can be used for longer periods of time without detriment to the food or environment.