Farmers and other agricultural producers are often interested in the environmental impacts of their land management practices. Many of the practices in use today can improve soil quality, reduce water pollution, and contribute positively to farm productivity and the environment. In this online tool, we look at how these practices may generate additional benefits by reducing greenhouse gas concentrations. The greenhouse gas offset market in California and Farm Bill conservation programs can provide financial incentives for farmers to adopt these practices.
This data is from the T-AGG synthesis of greenhouse gas mitigation potential of more than 40 agricultural practices. The synthesis pulls together measurements and estimates from the scientific literature on three primary greenhouse gases affected by agricultural activities—carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane. In addition to land-based emissions, it includes upstream as well as process, fuel, and energy emissions, in keeping with the streamlined life-cycle analysis outlined by ISO 14064-2.
Regional estimates were not calculated if there were fewer than five studies that measured greenhouse gas effects of that practice in a given region. Even so, the data are often sparse and can range widely. It should also be noted that the regions do not directly correspond with biomes, so some caution should be taken when interpreting the data, as the ranges listed may correspond more directly with biomes than with the regions. For more information on this, see the full assessment report or the T-AGG website.
This new online tool provides estimates of the greenhouse gas reductions or mitigation potential of a wide range of management practices for ten regions across the U.S. Data are available in tables for both regional and national estimates or can be accessed through a clickable U.S. map (link coming). See the navigation bar to the right for these links and other information.