soil carbon markets undermine concerns of small and marginal farmers watch this

The author contends that soil carbon markets are financially and technically unviable due to low carbon prices, measurement challenges, and the high cost of implementation. The text argues that pushing for emission reductions in agriculture burdens small farmers in India, Africa, and Latin America, potentially leading to the takeover of agricultural operations by non-farmers. It advocates for agro-ecological approaches and financial support for adaptation over market-based mitigation burdens.

• Soil carbon sequestration projects in several African countries, including Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, and Ethiopia, have performed poorly, providing minimal financial returns to farmers (approximately US$ 4 per hectare per year) and failing to deliver promised emission reductions or food security improvements.
• The establishment of an effective soil carbon market is considered financially unviable, with the FAO estimating a required investment of 17 billion Euro by 2030, while current carbon prices remain extremely low due to the impermanence of soil carbon.
• Technical challenges hinder soil carbon markets because sequestration is a highly localized process based on soil texture and nature, making measurement, reduction, and verification difficult; furthermore, scientific methodology is described as premature as soils may absorb less carbon over time.
• In India, where small farmers make up 83% of the farming community and hold an average of 1.41 hectares, the pressure to reduce soil emissions threatens farmer sovereignty and may lead to agricultural operations being seized by non-farmers focused on emission reductions.
• The author suggests that agro-ecological methods, such as family farming and integrated farming, are the only sustainable way to maintain food production and soil quality while reducing emissions, contrasting this with industrial agriculture.

APA

Jha, A. K. (2013). soil carbon markets undermine concerns of small and marginal farmers watch this. Carbon Market Watch. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2013/07/25/soil-carbon-markets-undermine-concerns-of-small-and-marginal-farmers-watch-this-6/

Chicago

Jha, Ajay Kumar. soil carbon markets undermine concerns of small and marginal farmers watch this. Carbon Market Watch, 2013. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2013/07/25/soil-carbon-markets-undermine-concerns-of-small-and-marginal-farmers-watch-this-6/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Jha |first1=Ajay Kumar |title=soil carbon markets undermine concerns of small and marginal farmers watch this |publisher=Carbon Market Watch |date=25 July 2013 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2013/07/25/soil-carbon-markets-undermine-concerns-of-small-and-marginal-farmers-watch-this-6/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{jha2013soil, author = {Jha, Ajay Kumar}, title = {{soil carbon markets undermine concerns of small and marginal farmers watch this}}, publisher = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2013}, month = jul, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2013/07/25/soil-carbon-markets-undermine-concerns-of-small-and-marginal-farmers-watch-this-6/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }