In carbon, gains for agriculture
Paying Cambodian farmers to capture carbon by not removing mulch during planting and harvesting would help support climate change mitigation, reduce soil deterioration and return higher yields in the long term, say leading agriculture experts.
Speaking at a conference in Phnom Penh last Friday, Professor Rattan Lal of the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State University, said soil erosion, leading to poorer yields over time, can be prevented by leaving biomass – foliage from crops that serves as mulch – on the ground aiding the fertility of the soil.Biomass also forms an important part of the carbon capture process, reducing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.
The challenge for farmers, Lal says, is balancing priorities when they can realise more immediate gains for the biomass such as feeding livestock.
“We have to develop a system whereby farmers are encouraged to leave as much biomass on the ground as possible,” he said.
phnompenh post
