Agriculture is the second-largest contributor to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions around the world, accounting for one-fourth of carbon emissions. Along with GHG emissions, the global population and demand for food are on the rise. Estimates show that by 2030, the production of rice will need to increase by 30% to meet demand.

In 2015, 196 countries around the world came together to sign the United Nations Paris Agreement to slow climate change.

In order to meet the goals set forth, which include stopping temperature rise from exceeding 2 degrees Celsius, researchers and industry leaders at Bayer are working to turn agriculture from a climate liability into a climate solution.

Farming Can Capture GHG Emissions: Carbon Sequestration

The basics of plant biology reveal the potential for crops to sequester carbon in soil and plant material. Through photosynthesis, plants harness carbon from the atmosphere and create glucose¾a carbon-rich sugar. As plants grow and die, carbon is recycled by soil organisms and microbes into soil organic matter.

By changing crop management practices, some farmers are able to sequester 1,000 tons of carbon per acre each year.

Bayer is supporting carbon sequestration practices through the use of conservation tillage, cover crops, crop genetics, and precision technology. The Carbon Program tackles supply-chain-based carbon emissions by rewarding farmers for capturing carbon. The initiative launched in the 2020-21 growing season, with 1,200 farmers in Brazil and the United States representing 45,000 acres of land.

The integration of information technology and agriculture has provided farmers with the tools to track and implement carbon sequestration on their land. A digital platform has been developed to guide producers in choosing cover crops, tracking inputs, optimizing yield potential, and timing tillage for the best weather conditions.

Reducing Carbon Emissions

Enhancing crop genetics has shown vast potential for helping to reduce carbon emissions.

Rice production accounts for 9 percent of total emissions of methane¾a GHG with a 100-year global warming potential that is 28 to 34 times higher than carbon dioxide. Developing rice varieties that can be planted into dry soil can help to reduce methane emissions. Improving the ability of crop varieties to use nitrogen efficiently and increasing soil microbial mineralization of nitrogen can also decrease supply chain emissions produced by fertilizers.

Evolving agronomic practices to increase the amount of carbon trapped in soil and decrease soil disruption is another key to improving carbon sequestration. With every tillage pass through a field, oxygen aeration in soil increases cellular respiration by soil microbes, thus releasing carbon into the atmosphere. Low-till and no-till cropping systems minimize soil disturbance and retain carbon effectively. In addition to minimizing tillage of soil, adding cover crops between growing seasons can stop soil erosion and add plant residue into the soil.

Climate Change Resiliency

Agriculture needs to move toward both sustainability and climate resiliency. Farmers are among the first to feel the effects of climate change. Longer periods of drought, flash floods, frost, and other intensifying weather conditions will continue to stress crop production.

Once again, crop genetics is one of the emerging solutions to climate change. Bayer has been involved in the development of a short-stature variety of corn that better withstands extreme weather patterns and produces higher yields. Drought-resistant and -tolerant crop varieties will become increasingly important as water becomes more scarce.

Global collaboration is necessary to achieve the goals established in the UN Paris Agreement. By working with the Living Soils of the Americas initiative launched by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, Bayer and its partners will be able to provide policy creation support as well as incentives to transform agricultural systems and land management information.

Through the use of improved technology, crop genetics, and agronomic practices, agriculture can reduce its carbon footprint and become a solution by sequestering carbon in the soil. Giving farmers the resources and incentives to invest in climate change solutions can contribute to a more resilient future.