Favorable Forecast

The Agriculture Carbon Cycle

Burning fossil fuels and tilling the soil are practices that release carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas. Plants pull CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in their biomass. By minimizing tillage and incorporating cover crops and animal manure, organic farmers sequester CO2 in the soil. Methane, a natural by-product of cattle's digestion, is a short-lived greenhouse gas.

Illustration adapted from Oklahoma State University and courtesy of BeefResearch.CA

Regenerative organic agriculture can secure the long-term health of our planet and our species.

INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE GENERATES greenhouse gases that are contributing to the rise of global temperatures and destabilizing the climate. Regenerative organic farming has been proved to help reduce carbon in the atmosphere, and its practices support the overall well-being of the environment. Every acre that transitions from conventional to organic management—and every consumer who buys organic products— helps build a healthier tomorrow. Michael Graham, PhD, Rodale Institute’s climate scientist, breaks down the details.

Organic Benefits

Drop in dangerous emissions. Organic farming has performed better than conventional management in limiting greenhouse gas emissions in Rodale Institute’s 44-year-old Farming Systems Trial. “When the synthetic fertilizers used in conventional agriculture degrade, they emit nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 273 times more harmful to our atmosphere than carbon dioxide,” Graham says.

Easier on energy. Conventional farming consumes fossil fuels for the manufacturing, transportation, and distribution of synthetic fertilizers, as well as pesticides and herbicides, compounding the damaging environmental impact of these toxic chemicals.

When organic farmers use compost, like that produced by these windrows at Rodale Institute, carbon from the raw materials is returned to the soil.

Photo credit Rob Cardillo

Methane management. The confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) prevalent in conventional livestock production produce about 99 percent of the meat consumed in the US, and they generate high levels of methane, a greenhouse gas.

Yield stability. A changing climate is likely to generate extreme weather conditions that can directly affect farm productivity. Organic crops may provide greater yield stability than conventional ones under such extremes, Graham notes. “We have found that organic systems outperform conventional during major drought years,” he says.

Ecosystem protection. “Regenerative organic agriculture benefits both biodiversity and soil health, which is important because biodiversity is declining globally and soil degradation is becoming more widespread,” Graham explains.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

GO PLANT FORWARD. Build your meals around vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and whole grains, which require fewer resources to produce than meat and dairy products.

SHOP LOCAL. Reduce your “food miles,” or the distance your meals travel from farm to table, by buying products in season from organic farmers near you.

WASTE NOT. Purchase what you need and preserve or share what you can’t use right away. The 60 billion tons of edible food tossed in the trash each year in the US wastes the energy used—and greenhouse gases emitted—in its production.

GROW YOUR OWN. Plant a garden to bring a little of your food even closer, learn about the seasonal harvest where you live, and connect to the land outside your door. Compost your kitchen and garden scraps to recycle their nutrients.