Carbon farming (carbon sequestration) is a system of agricultural management that helps the land store more carbon  and reduce the amount of GHG that it releases into the atmosphere. Carbon farming is successful when carbon gains resulting from enhanced land management or conservation practices exceed carbon losses.

What is Carbon Fiber?

Carbon fiber is a material consisting of thin, strong crystalline filaments of carbon, essentially carbon atoms bonded together in long chains. The fibers are extremely stiff, strong, and light, and are used in many processes to create excellent structural materials. Carbon fiber offers a variety of benefits including:

• High stiffness and stiffness-to-weight ratio
• High tensile strength and strength-to-weight ratio
• High-temperature tolerance with special resins
• Low thermal expansion
• High chemical resistance

Methods for Carbon Farming

• Forest Management
• Grasslands Conservation
• Mixed Farming
• Using Cover Crops
• Reduction of Soil Tillage
• Wetland Restoration

Significance of Carbon Farming

• Multidimensional Benefits
• Offsets Carbon Emissions
• Acts as an Intermediate Mitigation Strategy
• Helps Restoring Carbon Cycle

Carbon Farming in India

• In India, Meghalaya is currently working on a blueprint of a ‘carbon farming’ Act to create a prototype of sustainable agriculture model for the entire North-East region.
• An extensive and pioneering carbon farming Act — with a robust transition plan can effectively demonstrate the idea of creating a carbon sink on working land and farm our way out of climate crisis, improve nutrition, reduce the punishing inequalities within farming communities, alter the land use pattern and provide the much-needed solution to fix our broken food systems.

What is the case of Meghalaya regarding carbon farming?

• In India, Meghalaya is currently working on a blueprint of a‘carbon farming’ Act to create a prototype of sustainable agriculture model for the entire North-East region.
• Out of the 5.5 million hectares of cultivated land available in the North-East, organic farming barely covers 3% of arable land highlighting the tremendous potential.
• A pioneering Carbon Farming Act with a robust transition plan can effectively demonstrate the idea of creating a carbon sink.
• It can improve nutrition, reduce the inequalities within farming communities, alter the land use pattern and provide the much-needed solution to fix our broken food systems.

Also Read: What Is A Carbon Sink?