Sustainable agriculture in carbon arithmetics. Emilio González Sanchez

LIFE+ AGRICARBONSustainable Agriculture in Carbon Arithmetics

5 WCCA. Brisbane, AustraliaSeptember 29th 2011

González-Sánchez EJ, Gil-Ribes JA, Ordóñez-Fernández R, Agüera-Vega J, Márquez-García F, Carbonell-Bojollo R, Veroz-González O, Gómez-Ariza M; Pérez-García, JJ

Duration of the project:

48 months (ending 31/12/2013) Total budget: € 2,674,653 EU contribution: €1,237,262 (46%) Generic Theme:

Reduction GHG emissions. Coordinating beneficiary:

AEAC.SV (Spanish Association for Conservation Agriculture . Living Soils) – Non profit making association. www.agriculturadeconservacion.org

Associated beneficiaries:◦ University of Córdoba (Spain)◦ IFAPA (Spain)◦ European Conservation Agriculture Federation – ECAF

(Belgium).

www.ecaf.org

LIFE + AGRICARBON. Some basic data

Agriculture is the 3rd activity emitting GHG in Spain, MAINLY DUE TO THE SPREAD OF SOIL TILLAGE (around 90%) meaning: Losses of 50% Soil Carbon. When tilling there are high CO2 releases from soil to atmosphere, due to burning of Soil Carbon. C+O2 = CO2

High ENERGY consumptions due to excesive and intensive tillage.

Climate change and agriculture

Flame credits to Don Reicosky

EUROPE: 157 M ha are serioulsy affected by erosion (3 times as large as France)

SPAIN: More than 50% of agrarian surface is also affected.

Erosion: also a major environmental problem

Erosion and OM are linked!

Spain. Erosión map (left) and OM content map (right)

Adapted from JRC, European Commission.

Conservation agriculture, based in NO TILLAGE systems, with PERMANENT SOIL COVER with CROP ROTATIONS offers: Mitigation of the Climate Change. Crops adaptation to the Climate Change Control of erosion and desertification. Increased energy saving and efficiency. At least same yields for European farmers.

Conservation agriculture: a holistic approach

Precision agriculture is a good partner!

LIFE + AGRICARBON Sinergies

Precision Agriculture:• Helps better tractor driving (CTF), avoiding overlaps,

meaning less inputs needed in farms. • Optimise the use of agrichemicals.

MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE

Conservation Agriculture: • Use soil as carbon sink.• Reduces CO2 emissions due to the no tillage of the

soil.• Need much less fuel in farms.• Promotes a better water use by crops, specially

important in drought conditions.

Boost CA and PA by:◦ Organizing local events

and a Congress in 2013 in Brussels (Belgium)

◦ Creating an online platform where farmers may check their own emissions and costs

◦ Providing scientific info about CA+PA for policy makers to use (CAP 2020!)

LIFE + AGRICARBON aims to…

Adapt agriculture to the new climate conditionants found in global warming (for South Europe: less rain and higher temperatures).

Help to mitigate climate change emitting less CO2 and sinking it in the soil

FARM CROPSOIL

MANAGEMENT

AREA (ha)

RABANALES

BLOCK 1 SUNFLOWERConventional 4.0745

No Tillage 4.0746

BLOCK 2 WHEATConventional 5.0001

No Tillage 5.0002

BLOCK 3 CHICKPEAConventional 5.0002

No Tillage 5.0002

CARMONA

BLOCK 1 HABAConventional 6.1357

No Tillage 6.1399


No Tillage4.9995


No Tillage6.7553

LA PLUMA


No Tillage 5.0437


No Tillage 5.043

BLOCK 3 CHICKPEAConventional 5.0435

No Tillage 5.0435

90 hectares in Southern Spain in 3 farms

FarmDept

h (cm)

OM (%)

pH Cl2Ca

CECSand (%)

Silt (%)

Clay (%)

Texture

RABANALES

0-202.9±0

.67.2±0

.524±10 31±13 32±5 37±12 L-C

20-40

2.3±0.7

7.2±0.6

27±12 31±14 31±5 38±12 L-C

40-60

1.8±0.6

7.3±0.6

27±12 28±14 31±7 41±11 C

CARMONA

0-201.6±0

.47.7±0

.134±8 20±5 29±3 51±5 C

20-40

1.4±0.3

7.7±0.1

35±9 19±5 28±2 53±4 C

40-60

1.2±0.3

7.7±0.1

34±10 19±5 28±3 53±5 C

LA PLUMA

0-201.9±0

.47.8±0

.134±11 16±4 26±4 58±6 C

20-40

1.8±0.3

7.8±0.1

34±12 16±4 25±4 59±6 C

40-60

1.6±0.3

7.8±0.1

35±12 17±5 26±6 57±7 C

Soils

Measurements of CO2 flux

Monthly and after every operation.

Comparing TT to NT

Monitored work

In every tractor a data logger is

connected to fuel flow meters and PA equipment for

CTF

Sept. 09

Oct

. 09

Nov. 0

9

D ic. 0

9

Yan. 10

Feb. 10

Mar.

10

Apr. 10

May.

10

Jun. 1

0

Jul.

10

Aug. 10

0

100

200

300

400

50

150

250

350

Pre

cip

ita

ció

n (

mm

)

10

15

20

25

30

7.5

12.5

17.5

22.5

27.5

Te

mp

era

tura

(ºC

)

Sept. 09

Oct

. 09

Nov. 0

9

D ic. 0

9

Yan. 10

Feb. 10

Mar.

10

Apr. 10

May.

10

Jun. 1

0

Jul.

10

Aug. 10

L luvia C am po 1

Lluvia C am po 2

Lluvia C am po 3

Tem peratura C am po 1



Carmona La PlumaCA TT CA TT

Wheat 1.037 1.024 2.620 2.972Sunflower 1.332 1.292 1.312 1.140

Legume 2.058 1.446 492 1.282

Average yields (Seasons extremely wet, under historic averages)

Yield map Carmona farm

Fuel (L/ha) Overlap (%)

Moldboard 22.5 ± 4.1 16.2 ± 3.7

Chisel 14.4 ± 0.4 12.0 ± 8.1

Semi-chisel 6.7 ± 3.1 4.7 ± 1.3

Disc harrow 7.6 ± 1.4 26.2 ± 14.3

Cultivator 5.6 ± 0.8 11.7 ± 1.5

NT seeder 7.1 ± 1.3 4.7

TT seeder 5.9 ± 1.2 13.2

Sprayer 1.2 ± 0.4 14.6 ± 1.5

Fert. Broadcaster 1.7 ± 0.3 12.1 ± 1.4

Harvester 10.5 ± 0.7 -

Fuel consumption and overlaps measured

Energy production and use (MJ /ha),energy efficiency (EE) and energy

productivity (EP) in kg/kJ Energy spent (MJ)

Field Crop Soil M.Energy

produced (MJ)

Direct energy

Indirect Energy Energy spent (MJ)

EE EPMachin.

Seeds Fertil. Agric

.

Car.

WheatNT 21,313 1,199 301 3,45

416,31

7 302 21,573 0,99 80

TT 18,750 1,625 408 3,454

18,291 346 24,124 0,78 60

Sunflow.

NT 13,358 1,152 289 84 2,451 1,299 5,275 2,53 180

TT 12,913 1,983 498 84 2,748 493 5,806 2,22 160

Legume

NT 18,696 898 226 2,357 348 339 4,168 4,49 390

TT 15,960 1,562 392 2,726 431 388 5,499 2,90 250

Plu.

WheatNT 45,750 1,175 295 3,23

411,24

0 701 16,645 2,75 220

TT 43,875 2,824 709 3,234

12,880 681 20,328 2,16 170

Sunflow.

NT 10,230 1,013 254 84 0 298 1,649 6,20 450

TT 9,619 2,255 566 84 0 16 2,921 3,29 240

Legume

NT 5,016 1,070 269 1,704 0 3,70

5 6,748 0,74 70

TT 11,799 2,905 730 1,704 0 1,96

0 7,299 1,62 140

Rainfall recorded in the study period and temporal evolution of the CO2 emissions for each crop and soil management system.

Farms: La Pluma, Carmona and Rabanales respectively.

NT (No-tillage), TT (Traditional Tilllage)

Daily CO2 emissions and maximum difference

fsgfg

1. First results of the LIFE+ Agricarbon project confirm that CA+PA are allied to mitigate climate change.

2. As average Energy Productivity is improved by 36% and CA saved 78.3L/ha in the rotation.

3. First results in the gas flux measures have shown high reduction in CO2

emissions in all CA crops in comparison to traditional tillage.

4. Farmers adopt easily CA where high impact tecnology transfer actions are carried out.

CONCLUSIONS

Thank you!

Meet you anytime in www.agricarbon.eu

and in Brussels in 2013 in the International Conference on CA

[email protected]

Sustainable agriculture in carbon arithmetics. Emilio González Sanchez

Education

Transcript of Sustainable agriculture in carbon arithmetics. Emilio González Sanchez