Leveraging Soil Microbes with Good Farming Practices for Higher Soil Carbon Sequestration (SCS) and Farm Productivity

Plants reduce carbon dioxide content in atmosphere through photosynthetic absorption. Though they also add it by respiration, the amount absorbed is more than the amount added as evident from the growth of plants having more than 50% carbon. It makes agriculture as the net carbon sink. The movement of carbon dioxide from atmosphere to plants is under carbon cycle of the natural ecosystem. Though the ecosystem is resilient, human activities releasing carbon dioxide intensively can disturb it. Any farming activity releasing carbon dioxide from soil to atmosphere including injury to soil microbes, which are integral to ecosystem, can disrupt the ecosystem processes. Soil microbes playing key role in exchange of nutrients between soil and plants receive the photosynthetic food via roots. They repeatedly process it turning it into stable humus. This is “soil carbon sequestration (SCS).” These creatures can be leveraged with good farming practices that ensure their food and safety. Such a leverage can enhance soil health, farm output, and SCS reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide level which imply a perfect business case. However, as only informed farmers can do it, they need to be oriented to understand good farming practices and their benefits. This chapter aims at just that