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Carbon as the Keystone
Carbon as the Keystone
Increasing on-farm carbon capture as above and below ground biomass and, most importantly, soil organic carbon, is the resource concern of overriding importance for the CFP process. Building the list of on-farm carbon capture opportunities is a brain-storming process; it should be as extensive as possible, including everything the farmer and planners can think of that could potentially reduce emissions and capture and sequester carbon on the farm. While actions proposed in the Plan must reflect the inherent limits of the farm ecosystem, financial considerations should not limit this initial brainstorming process, as one goal of the CFP process is to identify potential funding opportunities, above and beyond existing resources, to realize implementation of the Plan. Throughout this module, we will dive into carbon farming practices and reading the landscape to facilitate the initial brainstorming process.
When implemented, a successful carbon farm plan can support multiple on-farm benefits, such as improved soil fertility, soil water holding capacity, and farm resilience to environmental stressors. Carbon farm planning can also contribute to reductions in agricultural greenhouse gas emissions through implementation of conservation practices whose benefits can be quantified using existing models, like those underlying the COMET-Tools. The carbon farm planning process can be broken down into three major stages: pre-planning; developing the plan; and implementation/evaluation. Module 2 of this curriculum focuses on resources for the pre-planning stage and information that can be included in the development of your carbon farm plan.
‼️ STOP AND THINK: Think about what you learned in Module 1, why is carbon considered the organizing principle of developing your plan?
‼️ STOP AND THINK: Why is it important to take a whole-systems approach to carbon farm planning? What could be missed by taking a narrow single-practice approach to carbon farm planning? Share your thoughts on the discussion board!
❓Check your knowledge!
❓Check your knowledge!
How is carbon farm planning different from the standard NRCS whole-farm or whole-ranch conservation planning process?
a. Carbon farm planning results in climate and other ecosystem benefits
b. Carbon farm planning uses carbon and carbon capture as the organizing principle around which the plan is designed
c. They are the same
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Discussion board: If you have any questions throughout Module 2, please use the discussion board below to post.
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