In light of escalating environmental concerns and the pressing need for climate-resilient agricultural practices, carbon farming has emerged as a crucial mechanism within the agriculture sector globally. Carbon, present in all living organisms and numerous minerals, serves as a cornerstone of life on earth, exerting significant influence over diverse processes such as photosynthesis and respiration; farming involves caring for the land, growing crops, and raising animals for food. What is Carbon Farming? About: Carbon farming represents a strategic approach aimed at maximising carbon sequestration and employing agricultural practices designed to enhance the absorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere while facilitating its retention in both plant biomass and soil organic matter. This process requires careful planning, monitoring, and adaptation to local conditions to maximise its effectiveness in mitigating climate change. What is the Significance of Carbon Farming? Climate Change Mitigation: Carbon farming is pivotal in the fight against climate change by sequestering carbon in soil and curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Soil Health Enhancement: By nurturing healthy soil, carbon farming bolsters water retention, diminishes erosion, and boosts nutrient availability, resulting in amplified crop yields and agricultural productivity. Converting organic waste into compost, which can be used as a soil amendment to improve soil structure, fertility, and carbon content. Biodiversity Enrichment: Carbon farming fosters biodiversity by fostering intricate ecosystems in agricultural settings, attracting beneficial insects and pollinators that fortify crop health and lessen dependence on pesticides. Economic Opportunities: Implementation of carbon farming practices opens avenues for farmers to tap into carbon credit markets, alongside potentially augmented yields from enriched soil, thus diversifying income streams and bolstering financial resilience. What are the Techniques Involved in Carbon Farming? Forest Management Healthy forests absorb and hold carbon dioxide emissions produced from other sources and are an important source of greenhouse gas (GHG) sequestration. Carbon offsets can be created through a variety of strategies including, avoiding deforestation and permanent land conservation, reforestation and replanting activities, and improved forest management. Agroforestry not only sequesters carbon but also provides additional sources of income for farmers and deforestation contributes to 15-20% of the rise in greenhouse gas levels globally, activities to address this include managing forests by thinning them out, selectively harvesting trees, encouraging regrowth, planting new trees, and using fertilisers to help forests grow in a productive and sustainable way. Grasslands Conservation Native grasses and other vegetation provide a natural source of greenhouse gas (GHG) absorption and sequestration. Carbon offsets from this category focus on maintaining native plant life through permanent land conservation and avoiding conversion for commercial development or intensive agriculture. Renewable Energy Production Renewable energy facilities such as wind or solar, generate carbon offsets by displacing fossil fuel-based electricity production sources within the power grid. The carbon offsets derived from a certified third-party project generates the carbon credit, which is owned by the entity that develops the project. Conservation Agriculture Techniques Methods like zero tillage, crop rotation, cover cropping, and crop residue management minimise soil disruption while fostering organic matter accumulation. Planting cover crops during fallow periods to protect and enrich the soil, enhance biodiversity, and sequester carbon. Rotational Grazing It entails periodically relocating livestock to new pastures, this practice allows previously grazed areas to rejuvenate, minimising erosion and fostering robust regrowth. The flourishing vegetation, in return, absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequesters it in the soil through photosynthesis.