First, let’s briefly provide an overview of some of the co-benefits of carbon farming before looking into the co-benefits of particular carbon farming activities.
Carbon farming helps tackle climate change by reducing or avoiding greenhouse gas emissions and storing more carbon in soil and vegetation.
As explained in Topic 1, carbon farming activities also deliver a variety of co-benefits for farmers and land managers, the environment, people and communities.
Depending on the activity, carbon farming can:
- improve soil health, stability and fertility by reducing erosion, minimising soil disturbance, improving soil structure, making better use of water, and improving nutrient retention and cycling
- introduce efficient farming practices that support emissions reductions and diversify income streams through developing low-emission products that meet value chain demands
- improve food quality and community health, creating secure jobs, protecting settlements and infrastructure and improving the liveability of spaces
- protect biodiversity and ecosystems by improving and increasing diverse habitats and through traditional ecological practices that maintain a balance between human activities and the natural environment
- improve animal productivity, health and welfare by increasing feed quality and managing herds better.
- improve nitrogen use efficiency
- improve water use efficiency by reducing evaporation and run-off and increasing infiltration of water into the soil
- support rehabilitation of wetlands and other waterways.