Agriculture-related green house gas emissions and mitigation measures

Basic and related land use changes generate roughly a quarter of global GHG emissions. Agriculture, both crop- and live-stock production, which currently account for 10-12%, has to be made more efficient so as to grow at least 60% more food between 2010 and 2050 to meet the increased population globally. The goal of increased food production has to be achieved while curbing GHG emissions. Limiting the temperature rise below 2 degrees C will require the global agriculture and land use sector to reduce GHG by two-third between this periods. Therefore, the over-reaching target is to reduce the GHG emissions associated with food production while increasing food production. Improved management practices, may help increase food production but this should be associated with relatively lower emission intensity of GHGs and greater sequestration and conservation of carbon in soil. In USA, for example, agriculture has become more efficient, increasing crop and animal production by more than 30% from 1997 to 2017, while increase in GHG emissions is only by 7%. Increased global atmospheric temperature, elevated CO2 and water stress immensely impact the other important ecosystems as well like grass lands and peat lands which are otherwise store house of C in their undisturbed pristine state. Management practices determine whether they will act as sink or source of GHG emissions The C3 and C4 grass species which commonly grow together are affected differently by climate change, thereby affecting their balance in savannas and grasslands. Such a structural composition and plant diversity change in species strongly influence biomass production, animal productivity, and carbon sequestration in n these ecosystems. Intensively managed drained peat lads are a big source of GHG emissions; however, GHG emissions can be substantially curtailed while still a productive source of lively-hood by their restoration through rewetting to appropriate depth.