This synthesis paper is a product of a first workshop on upscaling the potential of soil organic carbon for climate action, held in April 2020. Experts came together for the “Climate-Soil Community of Practice” to disseminate information on successful land management and soil carbon projects, highlight good practices for overcoming adoption barriers and strengthen the case for sustainable land management as a key to effective climate action. This synthesis paper presents the outcomes of the presentations and discussions derived during the event on the linkages between sustainable land management and climate change. It aims to provide guidance on a holistic approach to land use and climate policy processes within the scope of international agendas and national actions. It offers entry points at the national level and presents good practices to current barriers in aligning these two closely interconnected, yet often separately treated processes.

Climate change is a major threat to agricultural production. Africa is particularly affected. Since 1961, total agricultural productivity growth in Africa has been reduced by 34 per cent due to climate change. These negative effects are likely to increase. The yields of staple cereals and legumes in the tropics are expected to decline by 5 per cent for every degree Celsius of global warming. Yield reductions and harvest failures are undermining food security and increasing hunger. Depending on the climate scenario, up to 80 million additional people could be at risk of hunger due to climate change (IPCC 2022).

To accelerate regenerative agriculture and transition agricultural models that work within planetary boundaries, it is essential to converge on an integrated measurement architecture. This includes addressing and overcoming the key challenges to alignment – a lack of cohesion on definition and outcomes, fragmented and siloed data collection and reporting, a need to translate global frameworks into local action plans, and a lack of inclusivity of farmers and Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC) in the process.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has prioritized strengthening corporate performance accountability systems for carbon, nature and equity. To this end, WBCSD has launched the Regenerative Agriculture Metrics (RAM) joint working group with the One Planet Business for Biodiversity (OP2B) coalition. This collaborative effort involves more than 50 members and 27 business-focused partners, representing more than 1,100 businesses.

Excerpt:

“Soil is a natural resource which most of us either ignore or take for granted. Yet the thin layer of ‘dirt’ that covers much of the surface of the Earth is vital to the environment and invaluable to our societies.

However, soil quality is declining in many areas, meaning that it is less able to perform its essential functions. One area of concern is the effect of soil degradation on the climate, and vice versa.”

Read the full report from the European Commission (2011)

Business as usual strategies for agriculture, land use and land use changes will impede the contribution of the food systems to the net zero CO2 emission ambition.

Food system transformation is needed for "safeguarding food security and ending hunger, and the particular vulnerabilities of food production systems to adverse impact of climate change3".

Read the policy brief from 4p1000, CIRAD, and IRD

Abstract

The advent of “natural climate solutions” and “climate smart agriculture” has increased interest in managing agricultural lands to sequester soil carbon and mitigate climate change. This has led to enormous opportunities for soil scientists and growers alike, as new soil carbon initiatives are created by public, private, and philanthropic entities. It has also led to confusion over what is possible or practical to achieve through agricultural management, as soil carbon formation and storage is complex, and its response to management is context-dependent… cont.

44 illustrated pages simply explain the approach of betterSoil. Based on the scientific paper by Azadeh Farajpour it illustrates how better soils actively supports climate and environmental protection, promotes the sustainability goals of the United Nations (Agenda 2030), and shows what every single person can do right now.