Organic Farming and Greenhouse Gas Emission

Agriculture is considered as a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission leading to global climate change. Organic farming practices mainly focused on improved soil health and ecosystem biodiversity, chemical-free crops, crop quality, and sustainable balance of production, minimize environmental burdens. It is a production system in harmony with natural biodiversity and sustainable balance with different biogeochemical cycles. However, very limited information is available on the impact of organic farming compared to conventional/nonorganic farming on soil-derived GHGs like nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions. Avoiding inorganic fertilizer in organic farming can reduce significant amount of GHG emissions and may lead to accumulation of soil organic matter. Organic farming not only reduces use of farm inputs, but also improves soil carbon sequestration. Since organic agriculture reduces the use of external inputs, it can significantly impact the global warming potential (GWP) of agroecosystems. In this chapter, we tried to focus on organic farming, regenerative farming, and natural faming and their role in agricultural GHG emission and global climate change.