Organic agriculture has gained increasing attention as a potential strategy for mitigating climate change due to its emphasis on soil health, biodiversity, and reduced reliance on synthetic inputs. This paper reviews current evidence on the carbon sequestration potential of organic farming systems, their greenhouse gas (GHG) emission profiles, and overall environmental impacts. Long‐term experiments reported by FAO and other global research networks demonstrate that organic farming can sequester ~0.2–0.5 t Cha −1 year −1 more carbon than a conventional system. This improvement is largely attributed to continuous organic matter inputs, the use of compost and cover crops, diverse crop rotations, and elevated soil biological activity. Research also shows that organic farming reduces on‐farm energy use by 15%–45% due to the avoidance of energy‐intensive synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, whose manufacturing processes are heavily fossil‐fuel dependent. Moreover, organic systems typically reduce nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions by 10%–20% per hectare, as nitrogen is supplied more gradually through organic amendments, lowering the risk of N 2 O release. Multiple reviews further indicate that organic fields support ~30% higher biodiversity than conventional farms, which enhances nutrient cycling, soil structure formation, pollination services, and carbon retention in agroecosystems. Collectively, these findings suggest that organic agriculture can meaningfully contribute to climate mitigation through increased soil organic carbon stocks, reduced reliance on fossil‐fuel‐dependent inputs and lower nitrous oxide emissions. However, yield gaps and land‐use implications pose challenges for large‐scale adoption. Therefore, the climate mitigation potential of organic agriculture depends on integrated approaches that balance productivity with ecological integrity, such as combining organic principles with agroecology, conservation agriculture, and improved nutrient management. Policy support, targeted incentives, and continued research are crucial to optimize the role of organic farming with sustainable food systems and to enhance climate resilience in agricultural landscapes.
Pandey et al. (Thu,) studied this question.