Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction by Crop Management and Climate-Smart Agriculture

Anthropogenic greenhouse gases are the primary factors responsible for global warming and abrupt climate change observed in the twenty-first century. These gases originate from a number of economic sectors, encompassing a wide range of human activities. Agriculture is one such sector which contributes a major share of these gases. World population growth, higher food demand, modern agricultural transformations brought about by the Green Revolution, and shifts in dietary patterns have substantially increased greenhouse gas emissions from the global food production system with adverse impacts on the Earth’s climate. The change in climate, on the other hand, has threatened agricultural productivity and food security worldwide. To achieve the double objectives of mitigating climate change and sustaining food security simultaneously, modifications in conventional agricultural practices are needed. Climate-smart agriculture offers a way to mitigate agricultural greenhouse gases and improve resilience of farms to climate impacts while ensuring food security. Suitable alterations in crop cultivation practices are found to be effective in reducing emissions, maintaining soil quality, and enhancing agricultural yields. The present chapter discusses some crop management strategies adopted for mitigation of important agricultural greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide while improving crop production.