Agroforestry and biochar to offset climate change: a review

Stavi, Ilan; Lal, Rattan

doi:10.1007/s13593-012-0081-1

Cited by 148 publications

(97 citation statements)

References 72 publications

(86 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Farm and food system issues: sustainable intensification, agroecosystem management and food systems Considerable research on climate change and agriculture exists at the farm and food system levels, including topics such as farming practices for mitigation of agricultural GHG emissions, choice and adaptation of crops and livestock to new climate regimes, decision-making by farmers and life-cycle assessments [51][52][53][54][55]. The tendency has been to apply disciplinary science that informs particular problems and solutions for agriculture, as demonstrated by the topics of the six sessions in theme 1.…”

Section: Themementioning

confidence: 99%

Climate-smart agriculture global research agenda: scientific basis for action

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) addresses the challenge of meeting the growing demand for food, fibre and fuel, despite the changing climate and fewer opportunities for agricultural expansion on additional lands. CSA focuses on contributing to economic development, poverty reduction and food security; maintaining and enhancing the productivity and resilience of natural and agricultural ecosystem functions, thus building natural capital; and reducing trade-offs involved in meeting these goals. Current gaps in knowledge, work within CSA, and agendas for interdisciplinary research and science-based actions identified at the 2013 Global Science Conference on Climate-Smart Agriculture (Davis, CA, USA) are described here within three themes: (1) farm and food systems, (2) landscape and regional issues and (3) institutional and policy aspects. The first two themes comprise crop physiology and genetics, mitigation and adaptation for livestock and agriculture, barriers to adoption of CSA practices, climate risk management and energy and biofuels (theme 1); and modelling adaptation and uncertainty, achieving multifunctionality, food and fishery systems, forest biodiversity and ecosystem services, rural migration from climate change and metrics (theme 2). Theme 3 comprises designing research that bridges disciplines, integrating stakeholder input to directly link science, action and governance.

show abstract

Section: Themementioning

confidence: 99%

Climate-smart agriculture global research agenda: scientific basis for action

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Among the important aspects of these practices is the decreased disturbance to the structure of the uppermost soil layers (Stavi and Lal 2012). This is achieved through the simultaneous adoption of two essential farm practices: a reduced tillage method of seedbed preparation and permanent soil cover through crop residue management (mulching).…”

Section: Minimum Soil Disturbancementioning

confidence: 99%

Food security, climate change, and sustainable land management. A review

Branca¹,

Lipper²,

McCarthy³

et al. 2013

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

216

122

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Agriculture production in developing countries must be increased to meet food demand for a growing population. Earlier literature suggests that sustainable land management could increase food production without degrading soil and water resources. Improved agronomic practices include organic fertilization, minimum soil disturbance, and incorporation of residues, terraces, water harvesting and conservation, and agroforestry. These practices can also deliver co-benefits in the form of reduced greenhouse gas emissions and enhanced carbon storage in soils and biomass. Here, we review 160 studies reporting original field data on the yield effects of sustainable land management practices sequestering soil carbon. The major points are: (1) sustainable land management generally leads to increased yields, although the magnitude and variability of results varies by specific practice and agro-climatic conditions. For instance, yield effects are in some cases negative for improved fallows, terraces, minimum tillage, and live fences. Whereas, positive yield effects are observed consistently for cover crops, organic fertilizer, mulching, and water harvesting. Yields are also generally higher in areas of low and variable rainfall. (2) Isolating the yield effects of individual practices is complicated by the adoption of combinations or "packages" of sustainable land management options. (3) Sustainable land management generally increases soil carbon sequestration. Agroforestry increases aboveground C sequestration and organic fertilization reduces CO 2 emissions. (4) Rainfall distribution is a key determinant of the mitigation effects of adopting specific sustainable land management practices. Mitigation effects of adopting sustainable land management are higher in higher rainfall areas, with the exception of water management.

show abstract

“…Produced by the thermochemical conversation of organic residues in an oxygen-limited environment [2], biochar is highly resistant to degradation due to recalcitrant carbon, and it has the potential to improve soil quality [3]. The addition of biochar has been documented to alter the soil porosity, moisture content, pH, labile C and N pool sizes, which would markedly impact soil CO 2 emissions [4,5]. However, previous studies have shown that biochar addition with different rawmaterials and different soil textures can have different effects (an increase, decrease or no effect) on the CO 2 flux in the laboratory or field experiments [6][7][8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Biochar Application on CO2 Emissions from a Cultivated Soil under Semiarid Climate Conditions in Northwest China

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Biochar amendments to soil have potential as a climate change mitigation strategy. However, their effect on carbon exchange in different ecosystems has not been well evaluated. Understanding how biochar affects carbon exchange from agricultural soil is essential for clarifying the contribution of biochar management to the carbon budget. We performed a laboratory and a two-year field experiment to investigate the short-and medium-term effects of biochar application on CO 2 emissions from semiarid farmland. There was no statistically significant alteration in the cumulative CO 2 emissions from the mixture of soil with biochar alone, while the emissions increased significantly with additional nitrogen amendment over the 46-day experimental period. Over the two-year experimental period, the cumulative CO 2 emissions from the field experiment decreased in the biochar-amended treatment, and the effects were significant at high application rates (20 and 30 t·ha −1 ) relative to the control in the MS. The seasonal CO 2 dynamics were strongly dependent on soil temperature, with a higher correlation with the temperature at a depth of 10cm than with the temperature at a depth of 0cm. Soil temperature, rather than soil water content, was the major environmental factor controlling the soil carbon exchange in the semiarid farmland of the Loess Plateau. In general, biochar additions enhanced aboveground dry matter accumulation in both the early and late stages of maize growth. The results suggested that biochar amendment was a preferable management practice to help maintain or increase carbon sequestration for this region with lower CO 2 emissions and higher dry matter production over a longer period.

show abstract

Agroforestry and biochar to offset climate change: a review

Cited by 148 publications

References 72 publications

Climate-smart agriculture global research agenda: scientific basis for action

Climate-smart agriculture global research agenda: scientific basis for action

Food security, climate change, and sustainable land management. A review

Effects of Biochar Application on CO2 Emissions from a Cultivated Soil under Semiarid Climate Conditions in Northwest China

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About