Agriculture is one of the major contributors to the climate crisis. Large agribusinesses are promoting agricultural innovations to increase soil carbon sequestration, known as "carbon farming," which includes practices such as agroforestry, intercropping, conservation tillage, and optimized fertilization. Companies hope to use this approach to mitigate climate change while allowing farmers to generate additional income by producing and selling carbon credits.
However, a study published in Environmental Science & Policy points out problems with carbon farming. Sarah Hackfort from Humboldt University of Berlin and Tobias Haas from the GFZ Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research state that the benefits of these "climate-smart" agricultural practices are primarily based on estimates rather than actual measurements. Large corporations can also use this to offset their carbon footprints without making substantial changes to their production methods, and their overall contribution to emission reductions may be overestimated.
There are also many questions regarding the permanence of existing carbon storage schemes. Haas explains that carbon stored in the soil using these methods may be released back into the atmosphere due to land-use changes, climate fluctuations, or soil disturbances, reversing the carbon sequestration benefits. Soil carbon sequestration levels fluctuate significantly and are difficult to measure with scientifically reliable and stable instruments. Some established agricultural companies often disguise "estimated values" as "measured values" and promise additional benefits that may not be achievable.
The uncertainty about how much carbon dioxide agriculture can actually sequester raises serious doubts about the viability of carbon markets for carbon farming and may damage the credibility and legitimacy of the agricultural sector. Haas notes that in discussions about carbon farming, large agribusinesses, much like the petrochemical industry, seek to position themselves as part of the solution to the climate problem. However, the concepts they promote create false hope and divert attention from the need to reduce emissions and make profound changes to agricultural systems. The debate over carbon farming methods may lead to the continuation of the existing industrial agricultural model, with negative consequences for the climate.
