Learn More
Browse carbon removal fact sheets
Consult our carbon removal glossary
Watch our carbon removal webinars
Soil carbon sequestration, also known as “carbon farming” or “regenerative agriculture,” includes various ways of managing land, especially farmland, so that soils absorb and hold more carbon. Increasing soil carbon is accomplished in various ways, including: (1) reducing soil disturbance by switching to low-till or no-till practices or planting perennial crops; (2) changing planting schedules or rotations, such as by planting cover crops or double crops instead of leaving fields fallow; (3) managed grazing of livestock; and (4) applying compost or crop residues to fields. In addition to providing local environmental and economic benefits, these practices can capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and store it in soils, making them a form of carbon removal.
Soils hold three times the amount of carbon currently in the atmosphere or almost four times the amount held in living matter. But over the last 10,000 years, agriculture and land conversion has decreased soil carbon globally by 840 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (GtCO2), and many cultivated soils have lost 50–70% of their original organic carbon. Because soils have such a large storage capacity, enhancing soil storage by even a few percentage points makes a big difference. A recent expert assessment estimates that soil carbon sequestration could be scaled up to sequester 2–5 GtCO2 per year by 2050, with a cumulative potential of 104–130 GtCO2 by the end of the century at a cost of between $0 and $100 per ton of CO2.
Soil carbon sequestration techniques are already in widespread use, but they would need to be scaled up substantially to achieve significant climate benefits.
Last updated June 24, 2020
Browse carbon removal fact sheets
Consult our carbon removal glossary
Watch our carbon removal webinars