Intensive agriculture and the soil carbon pool

Abstract

World agriculture economy is at a crossroads. While food production and agronomic output must be almost doubled between 2010 and 2050, the challenge of increasing food production is more daunting than ever before because per capita arable land area is decreasing; water resources are depleting and getting polluted; global climate is changing, leading to an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme events; and risks of soil degradation are increasing. Agricultural intensication, that is, increasing production from the existing arable and pasturelands already dedicated to agroecosystems, is the only option for advancing food production because there are no large areas of additional lands that can be brought under cultivation.