Managing Agricultural Systems for Climate Stability.

Globally agriculture contributes around 13.5% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (IPCC 2007).  If the loss of forests associated with the expansion of agriculture is included, that number approximately doubles. However, agricultural soils can also be a large sink for carbon helping to offset emissions.   The agricultural sector can contribute to climate stability through large scale changes in the food system including increasing the efficiency of production and distribution of food, and reducing food waste so we can minimize the need to expand production into forested lands.  It can also contribute by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing carbon sequestration in existing production systems.   In the U.S. a number of potential management shifts can reduce the emissions footprint of productive lands (cropping and animal systems)(Olander et al. 2011: Archibeque et al. 2012).  Most of these would be aligned with efficiency gains or increases in system resilience and provision of other ecosystem services or societal benefits.  There are a few with inherent trade-offs. A number would require additional funding streams to offset costs or associated risks.  The reduction in emissions or increases in sequestration associated with management are varied, and locally small, but cover lager areas or populations of animals, thus if instituted broadly could play a measurable role in climate stability.  Research on almost all of these management options is insufficient to provide the certainty needed to drive management change.  In developing countries, limited resources and capacity to take on new management practices and technology means many options and opportunities for reduced emissions per unit of food produced through efficiency gains and management choice exist, if these capacity needs can be addressed (Smith et al.2007).  However, the potential for realized high efficiency (low emissions) large scale production may be greater in the developed countries (Lobell et al.2013).