Farmers have to improve soil and water quality, manage pests, avoid using harmful chemicals, manage waste, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and protect biodiversity. Farmers are being paid to sequester carbon to mitigate climate change, to improve watershed management and to conserve biodiversity. Applying the right fertilizers at the right time will give farmers economic and environmental wins. Carbon farming will provide farmers with new income sources while also improving soil health. Farmers can reduce their carbon footprint by using fertilizers with lower emissions and applying them more efficiently. It focuses on topsoil regeneration, increasing biodiversity, improving the water cycle, enhancing ecosystem services, supporting biosequestration, increasing resilience to climate change, and strengthening the health and vitality of farm soil.

Farmers are increasingly being encouraged to improve their environmental impact in order to protect natural resources and reduce the effects of climate change. Sustainable agriculture practices, such as cover cropping, crop rotation, and integrated pest management, can help farmers reduce their reliance on chemical inputs while also improving soil health and water quality. Additionally, farmers can use conservation tillage practices to reduce soil erosion and conserve water.

Cover cropping is a practice that involves planting a variety of crops between cash crops in order to add organic matter to the soil and improve its structure. This helps retain moisture in the soil and reduces runoff, which can lead to water pollution. Crop rotation is another sustainable agricultural practice that involves rotating different crops throughout the year in order to maintain soil fertility and prevent pests from becoming resistant to pesticides. Integrated pest management (IPM) is an approach that uses a combination of biological control methods such as beneficial insects, cultural practices such as crop rotation, and chemical controls when necessary in order to minimize pesticide use while still controlling pests.

Conservation tillage is another important practice for reducing soil erosion and conserving water. This involves using minimum or no-till farming techniques that leave crop residue on the surface of the field instead of plowing it into the ground. This helps protect topsoil from wind and water erosion while also allowing more moisture to be retained in the soil. Additionally, farmers can install buffer strips along streams or rivers on their property in order to keep livestock out of these areas and prevent runoff from entering them.

In addition to sustainable agricultural practices, farmers are also being encouraged to adopt renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power for their operations. Renewable energy sources not only reduce emissions but also help farmers save money by reducing their dependence on fossil fuels for electricity or fuel for machinery. Farmers are also being encouraged to participate in carbon sequestration programs that pay them for storing carbon dioxide in soils through no-till farming practices or planting trees on their land.

Overall, there are many ways that farmers can improve their environmental impact while still producing food for a growing population. By adopting sustainable agricultural practices such as cover cropping, crop rotation, integrated pest management, conservation tillage, renewable energy sources, and carbon sequestration programs they can help protect natural resources while still providing food for people around the world.

Sources:

• https://www.worldwildlife.org/industries/sustainable-agriculture
• https://www.oecd.org/agriculture/topics/agriculture-and-the-environment/
• https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/provide-food-and-water-sustainably/food-and-water

Dear Lance Pizzariello thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Agriculture contributes to a number larger of environmental issues that cause environmental degradation including: climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, dead zones, genetic engineering, irrigation problems, pollutants, soil degradation, and waste. The negative impacts are serious, and can include pollution and degradation of soil, water, and air, agriculture can also positively impact the environment, for instance by trapping greenhouse gases within crops and soils, or mitigating flood risks through the adoption of certain farming practices. Farmers are being paid to sequester carbon to mitigate climate change, to improve watershed management and to conserve biodiversity. A Farmer manages farms, ranches, greenhouses, nurseries, and other agricultural production organizations. Farmers are involved in planting, cultivating, performing post-harvest duties, overseeing livestock, and supervising farm labor depending on the type of farm. Agriculture enabled people to produce surplus food. They could use this extra food when crops failed or trade it for other goods. Food surpluses allowed people to work at other tasks unrelated to farming. Farmers are the driving force of the economy. That's why; a major sum of our population is directly or indirectly involved in it. Furthermore, every citizen of the country is dependent on the agriculture products produced by them. Farmers have to improve soil and water quality, manage pests, avoid using harmful chemicals, manage waste, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and protect biodiversity. Farmers are being paid to sequester carbon to mitigate climate change, to improve watershed management and to conserve biodiversity.

To improve environmental damage and protect natural resources. farmers are encouraged to adopt renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power which can mitigate emissions and help farmers reduce their dependence on chemical inputs while contributing to soil health and the quality of the water, but also help farmers save money by reducing their reliance on fossil fuels

Land and water resources form the basis of all farming systems, and their preservation is crucial to sustained and improved food production. Women farmers take a leading role in conserving soil fertility. Agriculture contributes to a number larger of environmental issues that cause environmental degradation including: climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, dead zones, genetic engineering, irrigation problems, pollutants, soil degradation, and waste. Farmers are being paid to sequester carbon to mitigate climate change, to improve watershed management and to conserve biodiversity. While negative impacts are serious, and can include pollution and degradation of soil, water, and air, agriculture can also positively impact the environment, for instance by trapping greenhouse gases within crops and soils, or mitigating flood risks through the adoption of certain farming practices. Operationalising land use planning and sustainable land management practices and multi-stakeholder dialogue is the key. Strengthening capacities, especially at block and district levels, for development of natural resource plans, implementation and ownership of the interventions are necessary. Environmental factors that influence the extent of crop agriculture are terrain, climate, soil properties, and soil water. It is the combination of these four factors that allow specific crops to be grown in certain areas. Rotating crops and planting cover crops helps to keep soil healthy. Using fewer chemicals and integrating biological pest control and natural fertilizers can help, as well. Precision agriculture, which uses technology to optimize resource use, can help farmers use less fertilizer, pesticides, water and other inputs. Farmers have to improve soil and water quality, manage pests, avoid using harmful chemicals, manage waste, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and protect biodiversity. Farmers are being paid to sequester carbon to mitigate climate change, to improve watershed management and to conserve biodiversity.

Farmers are taking a huge role in environmental conservation by practicing agroforestry. Through the awareness brought by both the government and NGO's, farmers are given tree seedlings for them to plant.

Livestock farmers are also encouraged to keep small herds of cattle to avoid overgrazing which in return leads to environmental degradation.

Other methods that farmers practice are conserving the water bodies, reafforrestation,proper methods of farming such as rotational cropping, use of terraces among others

I agree with Dr Zohra Dradra and Dr Martha Wanjiku that physical factors affecting agriculture in India mainly include the climate, soil, terrain, and topographical location. Climate is the most important determinant of agricultural production because every crop needs a different climatic condition. Agriculture affects climate through emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. These emissions come directly from use of fossil fuels, tillage practices, fertilized agricultural soils and livestock manure in large proportion. Operationalising land use planning and sustainable land management practices and multi-stakeholder dialogue is the key. Strengthening capacities, especially at block and district levels, for development of natural resource plans, implementation and ownership of the interventions are necessary. The sun, air, water and soil are just some that we rely on. For thousands of years, farmers have fed the world while protecting these resources and operating sustainable family businesses. Agriculture contributes to a number larger of environmental issues that cause environmental degradation including: climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, dead zones, genetic engineering, irrigation problems, pollutants, soil degradation, and waste. While negative impacts are serious, and can include pollution and degradation of soil, water, and air, agriculture can also positively impact the environment, for instance by trapping greenhouse gases within crops and soils, or mitigating flood risks through the adoption of certain farming practices. Land and water resources form the basis of all farming systems, and their preservation is crucial to sustained and improved food production. Women farmers take a leading role in conserving soil fertility. Farmers have to improve soil and water quality, manage pests, avoid using harmful chemicals, manage waste, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and protect biodiversity. Farmers are being paid to sequester carbon to mitigate climate change, to improve watershed management and to conserve biodiversity. The single most important way to cut emissions from it is to use less fertilizers, while increasing the efficiency of their use. There are many strategies that can be used to help soften the effects, and the further production of greenhouse gas emissions - this is also referred to as climate-smart agriculture.

We need to take care when asking this question as in many cases agriculture is already sustainable. One of the weaknesses in how IPCC national inventory accounting is done is that emissions in agriculture are not shown net of sequestration. For example, in most cases emissions due to livestock (enteric and manure-related) are offset by the sequestration in the crops/grasses eaten on-farm. Secondly, sequestration by the perennial biomass (trees, shrubs, grasses) on farm that is undisturbed by farm activities (e.g. in unworkable areas withing the farm boundary) is not factored in. Yet when a whole-farm carbon footprint analysis is done, in many cases this uncounted sequestration sufficient to offset all farm-activity emissions. Lack of incentives for sequestration services underlies the reason why this existing sequestration is missed in national inventory reporting.

Dr Paul Renaud thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Besides what Paul Renaud remarked on the climate gas emissions, the EU Common Agricultural Policy involves other sustainability factors, too:

- incentives to farmers for preserving the rural biodiversity, and

- sanctions against aquifer pollution.

- But, curiously, no specific measure exists to protect the cultivated soil itself. (From pulverisation, erosion, deflation, humus depletion etc. ...)

Farmers must have their indigenous knowledge recognized and be completely engaged in land resource management and development initiatives.

I agree with Gabor Z Szelenyi and Ermias Debie that agriculture affects climate through emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. These emissions come directly from use of fossil fuels, tillage practices, fertilized agricultural soils and livestock manure in large proportion. Agriculture is the leading source of pollution in many countries. Pesticides, fertilizers and other toxic farm chemicals can poison fresh water, marine ecosystems, air and soil. They also can remain in the environment for generations. Agriculture contributes to a number larger of environmental issues that cause environmental degradation including: climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, dead zones, genetic engineering, irrigation problems, pollutants, soil degradation, and waste. Farmers are being paid to sequester carbon to mitigate climate change, to improve watershed management (and thus water quality and flow) and to conserve biodiversity. Farm and ranch lands provide food and cover for wildlife, help control flooding, protect wetlands and watersheds, and maintain air quality. They can absorb and filter waste- water and provide groundwater recharge. New energy crops even have the potential to replace fossil fuels. Farmers have to improve soil and water quality, manage pests, avoid using harmful chemicals, manage waste, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and protect biodiversity. Farmers are being paid to sequester carbon to mitigate climate change, to improve watershed management and to conserve biodiversity. By adopting conservation practices, farmers can build rich, fertile soils that will grow robust crops while protecting water sources, storing carbon, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating fields that are more resilient to extreme weather events. It's a win-win for farmers and nature.