By Jennifer M. Latzke
Climate variability and climate change can affect agricultural land use, according to William Hohenstein, director of the Global Change Program Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He spoke during the National Sorghum Producers General Session Feb. 11. Sorghum growers are interested in the environmental side benefits of growing their crop, especially with the threat of Global Warming looming.
"Crops and grazing lands exist in an atmosphere that is increasing in concentration of carbon dioxide," Hohenstein said.
Agriculture is both a source of greenhouse gas emmisions and many instances a "sink" for carbon. Looking at a map of the Earth, we can see that carbon is stored in the northern hemisphere during the spring and summer, and then released during the winter. "The Earth 'breathes' in this manner, but there's a concern that carbon dioxide levels are increasing in the atmosphere dramatically, primarily because of emmissions from fossil fuels," Hohenstein said.
Forestry and agricultural management could potentially offset 10 to 20 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, he added. But, the question is who should pay for carbon sequestration.
There's also more information needed about the permanence of sequestration efforts, or leakage where sequestration benefits may move elsewhere.
A challenge lies in making voluntary greenhouse gas guidelines easy to understand and follow. USDA is working on the rules that could shape how contributions to a carbon credit market credit farmers.
The National Sorghum Producers and the National Grains Council will continue to meet in San Antonio until Feb. 13. Be sure to visit www.hpj.com.
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