A greenhouse gas-negative future for agriculture presented at UN Climate Change Conference
Nov. 20, 2024
By Amy Gimpel
Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department
U of A System Divison of Agriculture
Fast facts
- U.S. agriculture has potential to be greenhouse gas negative
- Report to be presented at U.N. Climate Change Conference
- Five major areas of opportunity highlighted
(440 words)
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UNDATED — As delegates from around the world convene in Baku, Azerbaijan for the U.N. Climate Change Conference, a new report suggests that agriculture could become greenhouse gas negative.
Marty Matlock, a professor of biological and agricultural engineering with the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, is a leading author of a recently published report, “Potential for U.S. Agriculture to Be Greenhouse Gas Negative,” that will be presented at the conference on Nov. 20.
“U.S. agriculture has the technologies and practices necessary to achieve greenhouse gas-negative agriculture this decade,” said Matlock, who conducts research as part of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the Division of Agriculture.
Matlock’s co-authors on the report include Jerry L. Hatfield, retired U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service laboratory director; Ying Wang, former research associate with U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action; and Charles W. Rice, University Distinguished Professor at Kansas State University.
At the conference, Rice will present the report’s findings and highlight how agriculture provides food security, supports livelihoods and accelerates progress to limit climate change and enhance biodiversity.
Carbon dioxide is released back to the atmosphere through processes associated with agricultural production, along with methane from ruminants and nitrous oxide from nitrogen fertilizer use. The report shows that U.S. agriculture, which currently accounts for roughly 10 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, has the potential to reduce its footprint and become a “carbon sink.”
Carbon sinks reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases by capturing or storing or carbon in another form. For example, trees and cover crops can sequester carbon, while anaerobic digesters can capture methane by using bacteria to maximize manure breakdown in sealed vessels where methane-rich biogas is generated.
Matlock noted that the authors see greenhouse gas-negative agriculture as a promising and achievable path forward. The report presents five major areas of opportunity:
- Soil carbon management
- Nitrogen fertilizer management
- Animal production and management
- Efficient energy use
- Closing the crop yield gap
More aggressive adoption of regenerative practices in these areas provides the opportunity for U.S. agriculture to more than offset its carbon footprint, Matlock explained.
“This report, co-authored by 26 of the nation’s leading agricultural scientists, provides a clear pathway for achieving this goal,” Matlock said. “But only farmers and ranchers can make this happen, in partnership with our land-grant universities and USDA,” Matlock said.
Matlock noted that the authors recommend that producers, researchers and stakeholders across the agricultural sector and beyond review the report and consider how they can support the vital role that farmers and ranchers play in our lives and our national security.
Read the report for free here: https://bit.ly/3O8hbOo.
To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website. Follow us on X at @ArkAgResearch, subscribe to the Food, Farms and Forests podcast and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on X at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Amy Gimpel , communications specialist
Biological and Agricultural Engineering
479-575-4929, agimpel@uark.edu