Low Greenhouse Gas Agriculture: Mitigation and Adaptation Potential of Sustainable Farming Systems
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Each year, agriculture emits 10 to 12 percent of the global total of estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, some 5.1 to 6.1 Gt CO2 equivalents per year. Smith, et al. (2007) and Bellarby, et al. (2008) have proposed mitigation options for GHG emissions that include: improved crop, grazing, livestock and manure management; conservation of organic soils; restoration of degraded lands; and the use of agro-energy crops. These mitigation options challenge farmers and policy-makers to change practi ces and, inter alia, to improve development of no-till cropping, agro-forestry and integrated crop and animal farming, and to decrease use of external inputs in food and agriculture. Organic agriculture offers techniques which are valuable for consideration in further debates. This paper examines current farming practices and uses scientific data of mainly long- term field experiments as case studies for low greenhouse gas agriculture. It also elucidates the adaptive capacity of agro-ecologica l farming system approaches, using organic system case studies from the scientific literature.