Soil Carbon Sequestration to Mitigate Climate Change and Enhance Food Security

Abstract Climate change, driven largely by greenhouse gases (GHGs), poses severe risks to agriculture and food security. Carbon dioxide (CO2) alone contributes over 80% of global warming, with impacts including glacier retreat, sea-level rise, extreme weather and soil degradation. Soils are the largest terrestrial carbon reservoir, storing ~2,500 Gt of carbon, yet unsustainable land use has depleted it over 50 Gt historically thereby, affecting soil health and productivity. Soil carbon sequestration (SCS), which involve the capture of atmospheric CO2 through plants and its storage in soils, offers a cost-effective strategy to mitigate climate change while enhancing soil fertility and crop productivity. Agricultural soils can potentially offset 0.4–1.2 Gt C annually. Practices such as residue retention, reduced tillage, crop diversification, biochar application, agroforestry, and balanced nutrient management are most effective when performed in an integrated manner. Embedded in climate-smart agriculture, SCS can simultaneously mitigate GHGs, improve resilience, and ensure food security. Keywords: carbon sequestration, soil organic carbon, climate change, food security, sustainable agriculture and agro-ecosystem management