Incentivizing Soil Organic Carbon Management in Terrestrial Biomes of the United States of America

Abstract

The soil organic carbon (SOC) stock of actively managed portions of terrestrial biomes of the U.S. can be maintained and/or increased by targeted soil and land-use management practices. Soils that have lost large amount of SOC in the past (carbon ‘debt’) such as cropland soils, and soils with unsaturated reactive mineral/metal-associated C pools can be particularly managed towards increasing SOC stocks. This increase is associated with many benefits including improvements in soil health and quality, soil water storage, biodiversity and biomass production while also contributing to climate change adaptation and mitigation. However, the adoption of SOC-conserving practices such as no-till (NT) and cover crops in the U.S. has been slow as these are also associated with costs to farmers, growers, ranchers and forest land owners while their economic benefits are not immediately tangible, in addition to other barriers to adoption. Here, federal and state level legislation can support the more widespread adoption of carbon farming practices in agricultural and forest land. Another lever is the increasing private sector interest in soil health and climate-friendly supply chains which may be facilitated by generating carbon offsets or credits by enhancing SOC stocks. Many companies in the U.S. have realized this potential as a business opportunity but voluntary carbon markets are in a nascent state and outcomes with regards to net zero emission commitments by corporations uncertain. Importantly, SOC credits must be standardized to build trust and confidence in the credits generated. Another approach may be adding price premiums on products from climate-smart and SOC-friendly practices indicated by a unique seal. This would have the advantage of being independent of any political change similar to the USDA seal for products from organic agriculture (OA) which is well respected in society and already in place for several decades. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware about the effects of their personal choices on the environment, and this should be leveraged for incentivizing more climate-smart and SOC-friendly consumption and use of resources. Long-term commitments over decades and longer are needed to increase and stabilize SOC stocks of terrestrial biomes in the U.S. towards adaption and mitigation of climate change. This chapter briefly summarizes evidence from the previous chapters on how the SOC stock of terrestrial biomes in the U.S. is affected by climate and global changes, and how it can be protected and enhanced by soil and land-use management practices to increase SOC sequestration. This is followed by an overview on initiatives at the federal and state level, and in industry, private and public sectors to increase the adoption of SOC-enhancing practices. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the potential of carbon farming and carbon markets to incentivize stewardship of SOC by land managers.