From the ground up – why responsible farming will unlock some of the challenges of our climate

The world is still vibrating from COP26 in Glasgow, where we saw governments and businesses committing to join farmers and local communities in securing new agreements to protect nature and accelerate the shift to sustainable agriculture and land use practices.
 
ADAMA was represented in Glasgow by Dr Eran Segal, Head of the Global Environment and Sustainability, and it was clear to him that both ADAMA and ADAMA’s customers are all playing their part in tackling Climate Change.
 
More and more farmers acknowledge the benefits of responsible farming practices that are conserving CO2 within the soil, such as zero or minimum tillage or enriching the soil with organic matter.  
 
Eran said: “Beside the adoption of renewable energies within its manufacturing sites, ADAMA’s unique mixture solutions allow farmers to apply two or more actives at the same time, reducing diesel consumption of their tractors.”

Many farmers realize their role in the process of keeping carbon in the soil – known as carbon sequestration. They also understand that by managing the land properly and protecting soil health they will increase productivity, guaranteeing good harvests and the quality of their produce too.
 
95% of global food production relies on soil (it is home to a quarter of all terrestrial species) and it plays a crucial role in storing CO2 and water, which helps mitigate climate change and prevent flooding – so it’s no wonder it needs some attention.

Celebrating soil and raising awareness of issues is not a new movement - in December 2013, the UN General Assembly designated 5 December 2014 as the first official World Soil Day. Fast forward seven years and World Soil Day 2021 continues to promote the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by encouraging societies to improve soil health.

These steps at a ground level, coupled with the work by companies like ADAMA, can and already are making a difference - and as discussed at COP26, agriculture is an important part of the puzzle when it comes to reducing the amount of GHG’s in our atmosphere.