SpringerLink
Log in

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission Mitigation Options: An Approach Towards Climate Smart Agriculture

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Innovative Approaches for Sustainable Development

Abstract

Agricultural practices are vital to ensure food and overall sustenance of life. Agricultural operations also emit greenhouse gases (GHGs) like methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). GHGs emission from Indian agriculture sector during a period of 1970–2010, has risen by 75%. This is majorly attributed to input intensive agricultural practices which over emphasizes the use of fertilizers and other inputs. However, GHGs emission mitigation in agriculture sector can be achieved by the use of low carbon technologies which will sequester carbon in soil and also will reduce the emission of GHGs like CH4 and N2O. Mitigation techniques range from better land use management techniques, altering water and nutrient management practices, cultivation of varieties having lower emission potential, improved organic matter management, enhancing use efficiency of fertilizers and use of other agro-chemicals. The present chapter aims to discuss different GHG mitigation options in agriculture. The chapter elaborates on GHGs emission from agriculture, ways to mitigate GHGs emission in agriculture sector, and also discusses different case studies to reduce GHGs emission. There are several mitigation options which can be used for achieving a win-win situation towards climate smart agriculture with higher productivity and reduced GHGs emission; making agriculture more resilient to climate change.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
EUR 29.95
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
EUR 117.69
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
EUR 160.49
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free ship** worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
EUR 160.49
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free ship** worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

ACZ:

Agro-climatic zone

AM:

2-amino-4-chloro–6-methyl-pyrimidine

BMP:

Best management practices

CH4:

Methane

CO2:

Carbon dioxide

CSA:

Climate smart agriculture

DCD:

Dicyandiamide

DSR:

Direct seeded rice

FYM:

Farm yard manure

GDP:

Gross domestic product

Gg:

Giga gram (109 gram)

GHG:

Greenhouse gas

GWP:

Global warming potential

IPCC:

Intergovernmental panel on climate change

LCA:

Low carbon agriculture

LCC:

Leaf colour chart

mV:

milivolt

N2O:

Nitrous oxide

SOC:

Soil organic carbon

SRI:

System of rice intensification

SSNM:

Site specific nutrient management

Tg:

Tera gram (1012 gram)

References

  • Adhikary, P. (2015). Leaf colour chart, a tool for nitrogen management. Rashtriya Krishi, 10(1), 110–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Albrecht, A., & Kandji, S. T. (2003). Carbon sequestration in tropical agroforestry systems. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 99, 15–27.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bhandral, R., Saggar, S., Bolan, N. S., & Hedley, M. J. (2007). Transformation of nitrogen and nitrous oxide emission from grassland soils as affected by compaction. Soil and Tillage Research, 94(2), 482–492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhattacharyya, R., Ved, P., Kundu, S., Pandey, S. C., Srivastva, A. K., & Gupta, H. S. (2009). Effect of fertilisation on carbon sequestration in soybean–wheat rotation under two contrasting soils and management practices in the Indian Himalayas. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 47, 592–601.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanco, H., & Lal, R. (2008). Principles of soil conservation and management. Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chakrabarti, B., Bandyopadhyay, S. K., Pathak, H., Pratap, D., Mittal, R., & Harit, R. C. (2019). Changes in soil carbon stock in Mewat and Dhar under cereal and legume based crop** systems. Indian Journal of Agricultural Research. https://doi.org/10.18805/IJARe.A-5137

  • Chan, A. S. K., & Parkin, T. B. (2001). Effect of land use on methane flux from soil. Journal of Environmental Quality, 30, 786e797.

    Google Scholar 

  • Charnoz, O. and Swain, A.K. (2013). Low-carbon development in Indian agriculture: A missed opportunity?. Ideas for India.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chris, C. (2018). Develo** climate-smart Ag farm groups meet to examine role of agriculture in building climate resiliency.

    Google Scholar 

  • EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency). (2012). Summary Report: Global Anthropogenic Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions: 1990–2030. www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-08/documents/summary_global_non-CO2_projections_dec2012.pdf

  • FAO. (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). (2009a). Food security and agricultural mitigation in develo** countries: Options for capturing synergies. FAO.

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO. (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). (2009b). Harvesting agriculture’s multiple benefits: Mitigation, adaptation, development and food security. Rome.

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO. (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). (2010). “Climate-smart” agriculture: Policies, practices and financing for food security, adaptation and mitigation. Rome.

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO. (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). (2013). Climate-Smart Agriculture Sourcebook. Rome.

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO. (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). (2016). FAOSTAT Agricultural Data. Accessed September 1, 2016. http://faostat.fao.org/

  • Garnett, T. (2010). Where are the best opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the food system (including food chain)? Food Policy.

    Google Scholar 

  • ICAR. (2015). VISION 2020—Indian Council of Agricultural Research. ICAR.

    Google Scholar 

  • INCCA. (2010). India: Greenhouse gas emissions. 2007. Indian network for climate change assessment, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.

    Google Scholar 

  • IPCC. (2006). IPCC guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC. http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/index.html [20.02.2011].

  • IPCC, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2014). Climate change 2014: Synthesis report. In R. K. Pachauri & L. A. Meyer (Eds.), Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

    Google Scholar 

  • Islam, M., Nath, L. K., Patel, D. P., Das, A., Munda, G. C., Samajdar, T., & Ngachan, S. V. (2014). Productivity and socio-economic impact of system of rice intensification and integrated crop management over conventional methods of rice establishment in eastern Himalayas, India. Paddy and Water Environment, 12, 193–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kehlbachaer, A., Tiffin, R., Briggs, A., Berners-Lee, M., & Scarborough, P. (2016). The distribution and nutritional impacts and mitigation potential of emission-based food taxes in the UK. Climate Change, 137, 121–141. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-016-1673-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, & Parikh. (2001). Socio-economic impacts of climate change on Indian agriculture. International Review of Environmental Strategies, 2, 277–293.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, U., Jain, M. C., Kumar, S., Pathak, H., & Majumdar, D. (2000a). Role of nitrification inhibitors on nitrous oxide emissions in a fertilized alluvial clay loam under different moisture regimes. Current Science, 79, 224–228.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, U., Jain, M. C., Pathak, H., Kumar, S., & Majumdar, D. (2000b). Nitrous oxide emissions from different fertilizers and its mitigation by nitrifi cation inhibitors in irrigated rice. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 32, 474–478.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lal, R. (2004). Soil carbon sequestration in India. Climatic Change, 65, 277–296.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Majumdar, D., Pathak, H., Kumar, S., & Jain, M. C. (2002). Nitrous oxide emission from a sandyloam Inceptisol under irrigated wheat in India as influenced by different nitrification inhibitors. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 91, 283–293.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Majumder, B., Mandal, B., & Bandyopadhyay, P. (2008). Soil organic carbon pools and productivityin relation to nutrient management in a 20-year-old rice–berseem agroecosystem. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 44, 451–461.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malla, G., Bhatia, A., Pathak, H., Prasad, S., Jain, N., Singh, J., & Kumar, V. (2005). Mitigating nitrous oxide and methane emissions from soil under rice-wheat system with nitrification inhibitors. Chemosphere, 58, 141–147.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McLain, J. E. T., & Martens, D. A. (2006). Moisture controls on trace gas fluxes in semiarid riparian soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 70, 367–377.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Neue, H. U. (1997). Fluxes of methane from rice fields and potential mitigation. Soil Use and Management, 13, 258–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norse, D. (2012). Low carbon agriculture: Objectives and policy pathways. Environment and Development, 1, 25–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pathak, H., & Nedwell, D. B. (2001). Strategies to reduce nitrous oxide emission from soil withfertiliser selection and nitrifi cation inhibitor. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 129(1/4), 217–228.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pathak, H., Jain, N., Bhatia, A., Patel, J., & Aggarwal, P. K. (2010). Carbon footprints of Indian food items. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 1–2, 66–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pathak, H., Chakrabarti, B., & Aggarwal, P. K. (2012). Promotion of low carbon technologies in Indian agriculture: Opportunities and constraints. In H. Pathak & P. K. Aggarwal (Eds.), Low carbon technologies for agriculture: A study on rice and wheat systems in the indo-gangetic plains (pp. 66–78).

    Google Scholar 

  • Pathak, H., Bhatia, A., & Jain, N. (2014). Greenhouse gas emission from Indian agriculture: Trends, mitigation and policy needs (p. p39). Indian Agricultural Research Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pathak, H., Chakrabarti, B., Mina, U., Pramanik, P., & Sharma, D. K. (2017). Ecosystem services of wheat (Triticum aestivum) production with conventional and conservation agricultural practices in the Indo-Gangetic Plains. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 87(8), 987–991.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rastogi, N. P. (2011). Winds of change: India’s emerging climate strategy. The International Spectator, 46(2), 127–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reay, S. D., Davidson, E. A., Smith, K. A., Smith, P., Melillo, J. M., Dentine, F., & Crutzen, P. J. (2012). Global agriculture and nitrous oxide emissions. Nature Climate Change, 2, 410–416.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reicosky, D. C., Hatfield, J. L., & Sass, R. L. (2000). Agricultural contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. In R. Reddy & H. Hodges (Eds.), Climate change and global crop productivity (pp. 37–55). CABI Publishing.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, P., Martino, D., Cai, Z., Gwary, D., Janzen, H., Kumar, P., et al. (2007). In B. Metz, O. R. Davidson, P. R. Bosch, R. Dave, & L. A. Meyer (Eds.), Agriculture in climate change 2007: Mitigation, contribution of working group III to the fourth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uphoff, N. (2006). The system of rice intensification (SRI) as a methodology for reducing water requirements in irrigated rice production (pp. 1–23). International Dialogue on Rice and Water: Exploring Options for Food Security and Sustainable Environments, IRRI.

    Google Scholar 

  • US-EPA. (2006). Global mitigation of NonCO2 greenhouse gases (EPA report 430-R-06-005). United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Atmospheric Programs (6207J). Available from: http://www.epa.gov/nonco2/econ-inv/international.html

    Google Scholar 

  • US-EPA. (2010). U.S. Greenhouse gas inventory report 2010, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA, http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html

  • Van der Gon, H. A. D., Van Bodegom, P. M., Wassmann, R., Lantin, R. S., & Metra-Corton, T. M. (2001). Sulfate-containing amendments to reduce methane emissions from rice fields: Mechanisms, effectiveness and costs. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 6, 71–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vanotti, M. B., Szogi, A. A., & Vives, C. A. (2008). Greenhouse gas emission reduction and environmental quality improvement from implementation of aerobic waste treatment systems in swine farms. Waste Management, 28(4), 759–766.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Z. P., De Laune, R. D., Masscheleyn, P. H., & Patrick, W. H., Jr. (1993). Soil redox and pH effects on methane production in a flooded rice field. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 57, 382–385.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Sonam Wangyel, Woo-Kyun Lee et al. (2017). Low carbon development pathways in Indian agriculture. Climate Change, Social Changes, Technological Development. Inostroza, Luis / Fürst, Christine.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wassmann, R., Neue, H. U., Lantin, R. S., Makarim, K., Chareonsilp, N., Buendia, L. V., & Rennenberg, H. (2000). Characterization of methane emissions from rice fields in Asia. II. Differences among irrigated, rainfed, and deepwater rice. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 58, 13–22.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yevich, R., & Logan, J. A. (2003). An assessment of biofuels use and burning of agricultural waste in the develo** world. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 17. https://doi.org/10.1029/2002GB001952

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Environment Science and Climate Resilient Agriculture (CESCRA), ICAR – Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-IARI), Pusa, New Delhi, India

    Namita Das Saha, B. Chakrabarti, A. Bhatia, N. Jain & Archana Sharma

  2. Water Technology Centre (WTC), ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-IARI), Pusa, New Delhi, India

    D. S. Gurjar

Authors
  1. Namita Das Saha
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. B. Chakrabarti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. Bhatia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. N. Jain
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Archana Sharma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. D. S. Gurjar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Namita Das Saha .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology (SKUAST-K), Wadura, Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir, India

    Syed Sheraz Mahdi

  2. Department of Plant Pathology, Gochar Mahavidyalaya (PG College), Rampur Maniharan, Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Rajbir Singh

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Saha, N.D., Chakrabarti, B., Bhatia, A., Jain, N., Sharma, A., Gurjar, D.S. (2022). Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission Mitigation Options: An Approach Towards Climate Smart Agriculture. In: Mahdi, S.S., Singh, R. (eds) Innovative Approaches for Sustainable Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-90549-1_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation