Influence of Recommended Agricultural Management Practices on Enhancing Soil Carbon Sequestration

Climate change in India threatens food security due to the tropical monsoon climate and the poor cropping capacity of small and marginal farmers. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has projected a global mean surface temperature rise of 1.1–6.4 °C by 2100. Soil carbon sequestration refers to the ability of agricultural lands and forests to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Healthy soils can help combat climate change because soils with high organic matter have a greater CO 2 sequestration potential. Improper soil and crop management practices have led to a continuous loss of soil carbon. Agricultural practices primarily responsible for soil carbon loss include improper tillage operations, inadequate crop rotation, poor residue management, excessive fertilization, and low use of organic fertilizers, all resulting in an ongoing loss of soil organic matter in the form of CO 2 . In the last two decades, there has been a growing interest in the adoption of recommended agricultural practices aimed at improving the sustainability of agricultural lands among smallholder farmers in developing countries. This paper aims to understand the factors that influence the adoption of technologies that enhance soil carbon sequestration. The adoption of recommended agricultural management practices (RAMP) enhances carbon sequestration while reducing the rate of atmospheric CO 2 enrichment. Such an increase can result from practices that include improved conservation agriculture, which focuses on crop residue management, manure and compost application, and employs several techniques like no-tillage, lay farming, precision agriculture, and other carbon-rich resources that sustain soil health and increase SOC sequestration. The challenges for this study include high costs, substantial infrastructure investments, and public concerns about the safety of CO 2 storage. To mitigate these challenges, there is a need to further improve the RAMP, which is happening continuously.