Challenges to increasing the soil carbon pool of agro-ecosystems in China

Climate change will place agro-ecological systems and food security at serious risk. At the 21 st Conference of the Parties（COP21） in Paris in December of 2015, parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change（UNFCCC） reached a historic agreement（Paris Agreement） to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future. An initiative named the "4‰ initiative: Soils for food security and climate" was proposed by the French Minister of Agriculture, and this initiative was launched officially at the COP21 and adopted by many global organizations. The aim of this initiative was to increase carbon sequestration in soil to mitigate fossil fuel combustion emissions of greenhouse gasses. The present study found that China has high CO;emissions but a low soil carbon pool, and indicates that 4‰ increments of the soil carbon pool will not be sufficient to offset national CO;emissions. The current soil carbon sequestration rate would also not reach the mean level requested by the initiative. Therefore, China faces big challenges to achieve this initiative. An integrated use of straw technology may be used more widely to improve carbon sequestration, and other opportunities include improved fertilizer use efficiency and greenhouse gas mitigation through the waste management project under construction in China. This paper suggests that China may put forward the biomass treatment centered high yield and fertilizer-carbon sequestration project to enhance resilience of agro-ecosystems to climate change.

Traditional agroecological knowledge and practices:The drivers and opportunities for adaptation actions in the northern region of Ghana

Agroecological practices are promoted as a more proactive approach than conventional agriculture to achieving a collective global response to climate change and variability while building robust and resilient agricultural systems to meet food needs and protect the integrity of ecosystems.There is relatively limited evidence on the key traditional agroecological knowledge and practices adopted by smallholder farmers,the factors that influence smallholder farmers’decision to adopt these practices,and the opportunities it presents for building resilient agricultural systems.Using a multi-scale mixed method approach,we conducted key informant interviews(n=12),focus group discussions(n=5),and questionnaire surveys(N=220)to explore the traditional agroecological knowledge and practices,the influencing factors,and the opportunities smallholder farmers presented for achieving resilient agricultural systems.Our findings suggest that smallholder farmers employ a suite of traditional agroecological knowledge and practices to enhance food security,combat climate change,and build resilient agricultural systems.The most important traditional agroecological knowledge and practices in the study area comprise cultivating leguminous crops,mixed crop-livestock systems,and crop rotation,with Relative Importance Index(RII)values of 0.710,0.708,and 0.695,respectively.It is reported that the choice of these practices by smallholder farmers is influenced by their own farming experience,access to market,access to local resources,information,and expertise,and the perceived risk of climate change.Moreover,the results further show that improving household food security and nutrition,improving soil quality,control of pest and disease infestation,and support from NonGovernmental Organizations(NGOs)and local authorities are opportunities for smallholder farmers in adopting traditional agroecological knowledge and practices for achieving resilient agricultural systems.The findings call into question the need for stakeholders and policy-makers at all levels to develop capacity and increase the awareness of traditional agroecological knowledge and practices as mechanisms to ensure resilient agricultural systems for sustainable food security.