An Investable Proposal to Transform the Steppe

Soil is the biggest brake on global heating. It holds more carbon than the atmosphere and all standing vegetation put together. But farmers have been burning off soil organic matter for 12 thousand years; the last thirty-five years of satellite measurements of carbon-capture capacity reveal a dramatic decline across the steppes; the best soil in the world is the worst example of land degradation. Long-term field experiments show that, since 1970, soil carbon has been run down by 165–192 tC/ha; taking the least of these figures, mineralization of soil carbon has emitted 25 ppm of atmospheric CO2 over this period. To turn this situation around: stop ploughing; don’t fallow; plant windbreaks; adopt a diverse cropping system; and integrate crops and livestock—alternatively, convert the biomass to biogas. In Ukraine, this plan, with one year in three under perennial legumes and grasses, would transform the annual loss of 3.4–4 tC/ha to annual carbon capture of 0.5–1.5 tC/ha/yr, save half the cost of diesel fuel and increase production. At the same time, the legumes will produce all the nitrogen the crops can use—with enormous savings in the energy presently used to manufacture nitrogen fertilizer. Integration of crops with livestock would transform the rural economy and the green biomass, converted to biogas, could replace the country’s coal-fired power stations.