Soil Organic Carbon
Time and again, we are being made aware about the climate change through media. The adverse effects of climate change are being faced by us in different ways. The Corona epidemic which we are currently facing is also being linked to the climate change by some experts. The most prominent factor that affects our daily lives and we commonly attribute to climate change is increasing Carbon Di-oxide levels and depleting oxygen levels in the air. It is true that increased levels of smoke and pollutants in the air have made our lives miserable and causing health problems. However another major contributor to the increased level of Carbon di-oxide is destruction of soil organic carbon.
As per the estimates done by one group of scientists, there is 2700 Giga tons of carbon stored in the soil and it is 3 times the carbon that is present in the atmosphere. There is a cyclical movement of carbon in the environment. Plants do photosynthesis and utilise atmospheric carbon to make their food. As the organic matter decomposes, the carbon dioxide is released in the air. The carbon that is available in the organic form is called soil organic carbon. This carbon cycle is getting disturbed in our environment and contributing to the climate change in a major way along with the industrial and vehicle pollution. Depleted soil organic carbon is a worldwide issue as farmlands are intensively cultivated, forests are destroyed and wetlands are drained to make way for development.
In 2015, Government of India launched Soil Health Card scheme where soils from agricultural lands of the individual farms is tested and a report card about available plant nutrients in the soil is generated. It is supposed to help the farmers and take the policy decisions at macro level. The 2016 soil health map of India based on these cards reveals that majority of the farmlands in India has about 0.3% i.e. low soil organic carbon which should ideally be around 4%. The adequate soil organic carbon levels in farmlands entail higher productivity of crops, better plant health, reduction in the use of fertiliser, reduction in the use of pesticides and most importantly reduction in the requirement of water. However, over the years, farmers have shifted to unsustainable agricultural practices while responding to changed market demands. That has increased the use of resources and has also contributed to the carbon depletion in soils.
World over forests, grasslands and wetlands are being destroyed to make way for newer farmlands and urban sprawls. The case of wild fires in the Amazons is well known. In the city of Bengaluru, there used to 920 lakes which have reduced to only 580 in the year 1993. There is further degradation and destruction of these till date. There is also issue of how we handle our wastes in the cities and also in the rural areas. These are ending into the dumping sites leading to lot of pollution while depriving the soils.
There are people and institutions who have taken positive action and responded to this particular environmental concern. The town council of Vengurla, a place in Konkan region of Maharashtra has demonstrated a very good model of waste segregation and recycling of organic as well as inorganic waste through community participation. A large number of farmers in Uttar Pradesh have started using zero tillage methods, which has not only increased their soil carbon levels but also reduced their costs. Jadav Payeng from Assam, who developed a forest on 1360 acres single handed, has now gained worldwide recognition. There are ample of such examples. But these are like islets. We shall have to see that such positive changes contributing to the environmental regeneration become the norms.
As per the estimates done by one group of scientists, there is 2700 Giga tons of carbon stored in the soil and it is 3 times the carbon that is present in the atmosphere. There is a cyclical movement of carbon in the environment. Plants do photosynthesis and utilise atmospheric carbon to make their food. As the organic matter decomposes, the carbon dioxide is released in the air. The carbon that is available in the organic form is called soil organic carbon. This carbon cycle is getting disturbed in our environment and contributing to the climate change in a major way along with the industrial and vehicle pollution. Depleted soil organic carbon is a worldwide issue as farmlands are intensively cultivated, forests are destroyed and wetlands are drained to make way for development.
In 2015, Government of India launched Soil Health Card scheme where soils from agricultural lands of the individual farms is tested and a report card about available plant nutrients in the soil is generated. It is supposed to help the farmers and take the policy decisions at macro level. The 2016 soil health map of India based on these cards reveals that majority of the farmlands in India has about 0.3% i.e. low soil organic carbon which should ideally be around 4%. The adequate soil organic carbon levels in farmlands entail higher productivity of crops, better plant health, reduction in the use of fertiliser, reduction in the use of pesticides and most importantly reduction in the requirement of water. However, over the years, farmers have shifted to unsustainable agricultural practices while responding to changed market demands. That has increased the use of resources and has also contributed to the carbon depletion in soils.
World over forests, grasslands and wetlands are being destroyed to make way for newer farmlands and urban sprawls. The case of wild fires in the Amazons is well known. In the city of Bengaluru, there used to 920 lakes which have reduced to only 580 in the year 1993. There is further degradation and destruction of these till date. There is also issue of how we handle our wastes in the cities and also in the rural areas. These are ending into the dumping sites leading to lot of pollution while depriving the soils.
There are people and institutions who have taken positive action and responded to this particular environmental concern. The town council of Vengurla, a place in Konkan region of Maharashtra has demonstrated a very good model of waste segregation and recycling of organic as well as inorganic waste through community participation. A large number of farmers in Uttar Pradesh have started using zero tillage methods, which has not only increased their soil carbon levels but also reduced their costs. Jadav Payeng from Assam, who developed a forest on 1360 acres single handed, has now gained worldwide recognition. There are ample of such examples. But these are like islets. We shall have to see that such positive changes contributing to the environmental regeneration become the norms.
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