Adaptation and Mitigating Climate Change With Soil Organic Matter

8/3/2019 Adaptation and Mitigating Climate Change With Soil Organic Matter

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Louise Luttikholt for SOEL training 20080410- 1

International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements

Adaption and Mitigating Climate Change with SoilOrganic Matter in Organic Production Systems

Andre LeuVice President , IFOAM

UNCCD Land Day - 11-06-2011


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If the world stopped polluting the planet with greenhousegases it would take decades years to reverse climatechange.

Farmers have to adapt to the increasing intensity andfrequency of adverse weather events such as droughtsand intense damaging rainfall events.

Many parts of the planet are experiencing exactly this. Adaption has to be our first priority to ensure food

security

Adaptation to climate change due to highersoil carbon levels

Farm Adaption


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Mitigation of Carbon Dioxide

Well managed Soil Carbon has the greatest potential forboth mitigation and adaption

Soils are the greatest carbon sink after the oceans

Over 2700 Gt of carbon is stored in soils worldwide

Atmosphere 780 Gt

Biomass 575 Gt most of which is wood.Source (Lal 2008)

Despite this Soil Carbon and Agriculture are notincluded in the KP, Cancun Agreements or REDD+


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Organic Higher Yields in Climate Extremes

Organic systems have higher yields than conventional

farming systems in weather extremes such as floods anddroughts. (Drinkwater 1998, Welsh R. 1999)

The Wisconsin Integrated Cropping Systems Trialsfound that organic yields were higher in drought yearsand the same as conventional in normal weather years.(Posner et al. 2008)

The Rodale FST showed that the organic systemsproduced 30 per cent more corn than the conventionalsystem in drought years. (Pimentel D 2005, La Salle andHepperly 2008)

Soil Organic Carbon Adapts


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Increased aggregate stability (Gerhardt, 1997; Siegrist et al.,1998; Brown et al., 2000; Maeder et al., 2002; Pulleman et al., 2003;Williams & Petticrew, 2009).

Increased water holding capacity, higher watercontent in soil (Brown et al., 2000; Lotter et al., 2003; Pimentel et al.,2005)

Improved infiltration rate of water(Lotter et al., 2003;

Pimentel et al., 2005; Zeiger & Fohrer, 2009).

Adaptation to climate change due to highersoil carbon levels



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Research Shows that Organic Systems use Water MoreEfficiently

The exceptional water capture capability of the organictreatments stood out during the torrential downpours

during hurricane Floyd in September of 1999.

The organic systems captured about twice as much water

as the conventional treatment during that two day event(Lotter 2003)


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Higher corn and

soybean yields indrought years

Increased soil C and N

Higher water infiltration

Higher water holding cap

Higher microbial activity

Increased stability

Soil Organic Carbon Mitigatesand Adapts


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Organic Matter Increases Infiltration

Conventional

Organic UsingCompost


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Adapting to Climate ExtremesAdapting to Climate Extremes

System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

Cuba Two rice plants the same age and same variety

Building resilience through better soil management

By: Dr. Norman Uphoff, Cornell University


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After typhoon,After typhoon,FFS farmer inFFS farmer in

Dng TrDng Tr village,village,Hanoi Province,Hanoi Province,

Viet NamViet Nam

Photo: Dr. Norman Uphoff, Cornell University



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Research Shows that Organic Systems use Water MoreEfficiently

Soil water held in the crop root zone was measured andshown to be consistently higher in the organic plots

than the conventional plots, due to the higher organicmatter ... (Lotter 2003)


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Sustainability and Adaption

Scientific Review by Cornell University into a 22 year-long Field Study

The improved soil allowed the organic land to generate yields equal to orgreater than the conventional crops after 5 years

The conventional crops collapsed during drought years.

The organic crops fluctuated only slightly during drought years, due to greaterwater holding capacity in the enriched soil.

The organic crops used 30% less fossil energy inputs than the conventionalcrops.

Pimental et al 2005 Published in the Journal Bioscience

S il O i M tt


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Soil Organic MatterLiving Carbon

Holds water

Cements soil particlesand reduces soilerosion

Increases nutrientstorage & availability

Humus can last 2000years in the soil

Electron micrograph ofsoil humus


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Soil Organic Matter


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Soil Organic Matter

Research Shows that Organic Systems use WaterMore Efficiently

Volume of Water Retained /ha (to 30 cm) in relation to soilorganic matter (OM).

0.5% OM = 80,000 litres (common conventional level) 1 % OM = 160,000 litres (common conventional level)

2 % OM = 320,000 litres

3 % OM = 480,000 litres 4 % OM = 640,000 litres

5 % OM = 800,000 litres


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Organic Corn - 1995 Drought

OrganicOrganic ConventionalConventional

Better infiltration, retention, andBetter infiltration, retention, and

delivery to plants helps avoiddelivery to plants helps avoid

drought damagedrought damage


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Composting the logical consequence

Sekem Egypt

March 2008June 2009

Maintain agricultural land or even re-cultivate degraded soils

Restore degraded lands


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Soil Carbon Sequestration

Sekem Farm in Egypt

Demonstrated that good organic practices usingcomposts can sequester 14,000 kgs of CO2 perhectare per year - year after year


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Potential for sequestering carbon

Grassland 3,488,000,000 haArable Crops 1,405,000,000 ha

Permanent Crops 130,000,000 ha

Total 5,023,000,000 ha

Organic @ 14,000 tonnes perhectare 70 Gt CO2

Annual GHG emissions 49 Gt CO2 equ.

S C S


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Soil Carbon Sequestration

IFOAM Case StudyResearch shows that pasturesystems are the best at sequestering

CO2


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Pasture Cropping

Oats Sown into Pasture


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Pasture Cropping

Oats Sow n into Pasture


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MANAGING GROUND COVERS

Biological activityin soil isstimulated byrootmass activity

which feedsmicrobecommunities andgenerates soil

carbon andnutrients for thecrop


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MANAGING GROUND COVERS


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Soil Aggregation: A Biological Process


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Pasture Cropping

Soil Comparison between Winonaand nearby property. Picture: Christine Jones


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Pasture Cropping

The following increases in soil minerals haveoccurred

calcium 277%, magnesium 138%, potassium146%, sulphur 157%, phosphorus 151%, zinc186%, iron 122%, copper 202%, boron 156%,

molybdenum 151%, cobalt 179% and selenium117%.(Carbon that Counts: www.ofa.org)


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Pasture Cropping

Dr Christine Jones has conducted research atColin Siess property in NSW showing that in thelast 10 years 168.5 t/ha of CO2 was sequestered.

The sequestration rate in the last two years(2008-2010) has been 33 tonnes of CO2 per

hectare per year.

This increase occurred during the worst

drought in recorded Australian history


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Potential for sequestering carbon

Grassland 3'488'000'000 haArable Crops 1'405'000'000 ha

Permanent Crops 130'000'000 ha

Total (FAO) 5'023'000'000 ha

Organic @ 33 tonnes per hectare 165 Gt C

Annual GHG emissions (UNFCC) 49 Gt CO2 equ.


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Tigray Ethiopia

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1. Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger


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Organic Agriculture and the Millennium Development Goals 31

7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability (3)

Organic Agriculture prevents soilerosion and land degradationthrough:

Improving soil fertility Preventing wind and

water erosion Improving waterinfiltration and retentioncapacity


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Organic Agriculture and the Millennium Development Goals 32

7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability (4)


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Yields

20,000 farmers in Tigray, Ethiopia, moved away from intensive

agrochemical usage in favor of composting has seen cropyields double and in the range of crops it is possible to grow.

Formally one of the most degraded regions of Ethiopia, the

environment and the community have been restored andrevitalized

Source: Nicolas Parrott, Cardiff University, 'The Real GreenRevolution


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Yields

A report by the United National Conference on Tradeand Development (UNCTAD) and the United Nations

Environment Programme (UNEP) stated on OrganicAgriculture:

the average crop yield was 116 per cent increasefor all African projects and 128 per cent increase for theprojects in East Africa.

Organic Agriculture and Food Security in Africa 2008


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Thank YouThank YouThank You

Documents

Adaptation and Mitigating Climate Change With Soil Organic Matter