Overview of Greenhouse Gas Dynamics in Agriculture.

Agriculture has had, over millennia, a central role in the sustenance of continuously growing human populations. This monumental achievement, however, has had a significant impact on the functioning and quality of terrestrial ecosystems. In particular, agricultural activities have profoundly altered the flow of heat, water, and elements through the various components of the biosphere. Through the loss of soil carbon, agriculture has contributed significantly to the increase of CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere. We also surmise that loss of soil carbon has abated in many regions of the world due to improved soil management but there remain many others with severe problems of soil degradation. Soil carbon sequestration, if deployed globally, can help not only to mitigate but also adapt to climate change. However, emissions of N₂O and CH₄ from agricultural activities poses and will continue to pose, unless unchecked, a significant problem for the effective mitigation of climate change. This presentation will provide an overview of the main issues concerning the dynamics and control of greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture.