GH023-08
Soil organic carbon sequestration as a strategy to enhance soil health and ecosystem resilience to mitigate future pandemics and global change.
Wednesday, 16 December 2020: 09:05
Virtual
Cornelia Rumpel, CNRS, Paris Cedex 16, France, Farshad Amiraslani, University of Tehran, Faculty of Geography, Tehran, Iran, Claire Chenu, INRAE, Thiverval-Grignon, France, Alejandro Fuentes Espinoza, International Organisation of Vine and Wine, Paris, France, Beverley Henry, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, Lydie Stella Koutika, CRDPI, Pointe-Noire, People's Republic Of Congo, Jagdish Ladha, University of California, Davis, United States, Budiman Minasni, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, Beata Madari, EMBRAPA, Santo Antônio de Goiás, Brazil, Saidou Nourou Sall, Université Gaston Berger, Saint-Louis, Senegal, Yasuhito Shirato, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Japan, Jean-Francois Soussana, INRA Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Paris Cedex 07, France, Consuelo Varela-Ortega, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain and Eva Wollenberg, Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security program (CCAFS), Burlington, United States
Abstract:
Global lockdown during the COVID-19 crisis emphasised the importance of consumption of locally produced food, as a fundamental pillar of sustainability goals. On a regional and local level, in rural and urban contexts, the production of agri-food products and other commodities relies in great majority on productive, fertile soils. The maintenance of soil health is thus of utmost importance. In this presentation, we will show how soil carbon sequestration is linked to soil health as the basis for the resilience of agri-food production systems under the conditions of climate change. We will present literature evidence for the essential role of soils for resilience of food systems and ecosystem services. Moreover, we will emphasise the need of collaboration between multiple stakeholders to increase soil health through soil organic carbon storage with sustainable agricultural management to mitigate future crises and global change.
In fact, due to its numerous co-benefits, increasing soil organic carbon stocks through sustainable agricultural practices may be a strategy to increase soil productivity, the quality of agri-food products and other ecosystem services required for healthy societies resilient to future sanitary crises. Moreover, soil organic matter is the largest terrestrial carbon pool manageable by human activity and its increase could make a significant contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation. On the other hand, soil harbours a large biodiversity with as yet unknown potential, which is supported by high soil organic carbon stocks. Enabling soil to deliver its functions and to accomplish its important roles requires the introduction of agroecological practices preserving and enhancing the soils’ organic matter contents. These must be region-specific and employed at a local level by a multitude of farmers with locally specific constraints. To overcome biophysical, socioeconomical and political barriers, strengthened regional and global networks including farmers, NGOs, scientists, and policymakers should be established to take advantage of innovations and to scale up promising practices.
