What is Carbon Farming?
What is Carbon Farming?
In doing some research on at-home, DIY ways for individuals to fight climate change, I stumbled on the concept of “carbon farming.” For home growers, you could also call it “carbon gardening.”
I was curious about it, and found that there was a webinar on carbon farming being held online through an Alameda-based organization called StopWaste, so I signed up and attended. Afterwards, they put the webinar online, which you can view here:
Basic Concepts of Carbon Farming
The idea of carbon farming or carbon gardening is simply about building healthy soil and feeding the microorganisms so that they will convert organic matter into stable carbon, thereby removing it from the atmosphere.
How Plants and Microbes Trap Carbon in the Soil
- Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through their leaves during photosynthesis;
- They split the CO2 into oxygen and carbon. The oxygen goes back into the atmosphere and the carbon is converted into sugars, many of which are leaked out of the roots;
- Microorganisms like bacteria and fungi hang out around those roots and eat the sugars, giving back nitrogen to the plants;
- The microorganisms eventually die, and the carbon stays in the soil.
The whole concept of carbon farming is based around respecting this natural process and using farming and gardening practices to enhance the ability of the soil to trap carbon. One of the side benefits of carbon farming practices is that they will improve your garden’s output as well!
Carbon Farming Tips
Here are some best practices for ensuring that you are encouraging the greatest possible soil health and carbon storage:
- Reduce bare soil. Apply compost or mulch around any bare areas to add nutrients, reduce erosion and help soil to retain water.
- Maximize living plant roots. The more living plant roots you have, the more microbial activity.
- Minimize soil disturbance. Digging up soil releases carbon and disturbs the soil ecosystem. Adopt no-till methods.
- Maximize biodiversity. A greater variety of plants will encourage a greater diversity of soil “critters” and healthier soil.
- Avoid chemicals. Stick to organic fertilizers, avoid the use of pesticides, herbicides and so on. You need the critters for a healthy soil ecosystem, and nitrogen fertilizer can cause nitrous oxide emissions, a powerful greenhouse gas. If you garden correctly to have a healthy soil system, you shouldn’t need chemicals anyway.
New to composting? Get started with our Composting 101 intro guide here.
