4. Crop Residue and Ecosystem Services Biofuel Animal Feed Industrial Raw Material Soil Quality Improvement Traditional Erosion Control Nutrient Cycling Modern Liquid Biofuels Agronomic/Biomass Productivity and Sustainability Soil Biodiversity Water Management Soil Structure & Tilth Carbon Sequestration Crop residues have numerous competing uses, such as removal for biofuel production, animal feed, industrial raw material or returned to soil as an amendment. Soil application of crop residues as amendment is necessary to enhance/maintain soil quality and sustain agronomic productivity.
23. Biofuel From Industrial CO2 and SOC Sequestration Bioenergy Bioreactors Algae Algae Ethanol Biodiesel Biochemicals Nutrient- Enriched & Biochar/ Compost Residues Cynobacteria Cynobacteria Soil Carbon Sequestration Application on Ag. Soils
24. Strategic Questions Should crop residues be used for carbon sequestration and soil quality improvement or producing energy? Should the answer to this question be determined by short-term economics or the long-term sustainability of natural resources? Should the need for fuel override the urgency to achieve global food security?
38. Commodification of soil C How can soil C be made a commodity that can be traded like any other farm product?
39. The value of soil carbon Value to farmer: for soil quality enhancement Value to society: for ecosystem services
40. Societal value of soil carbon Reduction in erosion and sedimentation of water bodies. Improvement in water quality. Biodegradation of pollutants. Mitigation of climate change.
41. On-farm value of soil carbon The quantity of NPK, Zn, Cu etc. and H2O retention in humus. Improvements in soil structure and tilth. Decrease in losses due to runoff, leaching and erosion. ~ $200/ton
42. Need for determining a just value of soil carbon Under valuing a resource can lead to its abuse. It is important to identify criteria for determining the societal value of soil C, and using it for trading purposes.
43. Trading C Credits The C market may reach $ trillion by 2020. We need to make this market accessible to land managers.
44. Challenges to Trading Soil Carbon Credits Aggregating small land holders (1-5 acre farm size) to make a meaningful transaction of 100,000 t C/yr Assessing net increase in soil C pool on annual basis over a country/district level. Determining the societal value of soil C (~$250/t) Paying farmers a just/fair value Minimizing transaction costs
49. Ten Options (continued) Conserve water through sub/drip irrigation and water harvesting. Restore marginal/degraded/desertified soils. Grow improved/GM plants along with agroforestry measures. Integrate principles of watershed management. Restore wetlands.
50. Ultimate Goal of Soil Management The strategy is to: Adopting RMPs where extractive farming practices are widely used. Enhancing SOC pool through use of residue mulch and manures where soil has been traditionally mined for millennia. Using INM (Manure, biosolids BNF, fertilizers) to achieve positive nutrient balances, where negative balances have occurred, and Making agriculture and soil a solution rather than cause of the environmental problem.
51. Sustainability of a Land Use System CNPP S1 = n (Σ Ci) i = 1 S1 = Sustainability index of a land use system CNPP = C output as net primary productivity Ci = C input from all factors of production
52. A Precious Resource Irrespective of the climate debate, soil quality and its organic matter content must be restored, enhanced and improved.