Agriculture’s role in fight against global warming

PAYING farmers for agricultural practices that reduce carbon in the atmosphere could be one of the consequences of the global warming caused by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Farmers can reduce carbon emissions by reducing or conserving tillage, fertilising with livestock manure, reducing livestock numbers, and cutting their fuel and power use.

They could be compensated for these actions by governments, or companies which are over-polluting could purchase carbon credits off them. The price of carbon credits rose to record levels last week, and carbon trading could be lucrative for some farmers, if permitted. But there could eventually be added costs for farmers with high emissions.