Land and water conservation technologies for building carbon positive villages in India

Abstract

Continuous and unabated land degradation in India is a threat to agricultural sustainability while increasing temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and precipitation intensification are going to further aggravate degradation in future. The timely adoption of integrated land and water conservation technologies minimises erosion and provides significant adaptation and mitigation co‐benefits. The objectives of this study were to assess the mitigation potential of soil and water conservation technologies and also the feasibility of making villages carbon positive. The extent of minimisation of soil loss due to soil conservation technologies ranges from 0.10 to 21.65 Mg ha−1 yr−1, while carbon emissions minimised range from 0.73 to 158.77 kg ha−1 yr−1. Emission minimisation from various water management technologies in rice ranges from 73.0 to 507.9 kg CO2 equivalents ha−1 yr−1. Agroforestry practices can sequester 8.64 to 52.77 Mg CO2 ha−1 yr−1 besides enhancing system productivity, arresting soil erosion and carbon loss through erosion. Integration of multiple technologies in a farming system further enhances the adaptation and mitigation benefits. Adoption of conservation technologies resulted in a net carbon balance of 0.05–1.23 CO2 Mg ha−1 yr−1 in 9 villages in India, indicating net positive carbon balance due to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration. Building carbon positive villages is a potential approach for preventing land degradation, while enhancing productivity, mitigating climate change and realising the sustainable development goals. Building capacities of communities and establishing institutions in villages are essential for upscaling and maintaining of soil and water conservation structures and community assets in the village. Furthermore, prioritisation and scaling of location specific land and water conservation technologies hold the key to establish carbon‐positive villages.

Impact of Land Cover Changes on Reducing Greenhouse Emissions: Site Selection, Baseline Modeling, and Strategic Environmental Assessment of REDD+ Projects

“…Deforestation and forest degradation are recognized as critical environmental issues that contribute significantly to global greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions (Fujisaki et al, 2020; Mattsson et al, 2012; Sheng et al, 2016). The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) introduced an international management mechanism to confront climate change, namely Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) (Maraseni et al, 2020; Sheng, 2020; Srinivasarao et al, 2022). In recent years, REDD+ projects have been considered as a worldwide policy to avoid deforestation in developing countries (Atela et al, 2014; Lin et al, 2014; Maraseni et al, 2014; Wei et al, 2020).…”

Effects of soil conservation on the spatial heterogeneity of vegetation carbon sequestration in the Yellow River Basin, China

“…SC not only maximizes the prevention of soil erosion, but also yields evident ecological benefits, such as reducing carbon loss due to soil erosion and increasing the level of carbon sequestration in vegetation systems (Srinivasarao et al, 2022). The impact of SC on VCS can be manifested as follows: on the one hand, SC indirectly affects the carbon sequestration capacity of vegetation by altering soil physicochemical properties related to soil fertility, such as water holding capacity, nutrient conditions, and topsoil thickness (Bouchoms et al, 2019), and by promoting the normal colonization, survival, and growth of plants.…”

“…In addition, SC enhances the capability of the soil to maintain biodiversity above and below ground (Orgiazzi & Panagos, 2018); it also contributes to the sequestration of carbon and nitrogen, thereby providing additional ecosystem services (Eekhout & de Vente, 2020). Recent results have shown that SC is effective in reducing CO 2 emissions and increasing carbon sinks by enhancing vegetation resilience (Srinivasarao et al, 2022). Therefore, SC is an ecologically valuable solution for achieving increased vegetation carbon sinks and mitigating global climate change.…”