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The Role of Agriculture in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

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  • Horowitz, John K.
  • Gottlieb, Jessica

Abstract

Agriculture could play a prominent role in U.S. efforts to address climate change if farms and ranches undertake activities that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or take greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. These activities may include shifting to conservation tillage, reducing the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied to crops, changing livestock and manure management practices, and planting trees or grass. The Federal Government is considering offering carbon offsets and incentive payments to encourage rural landowners to pursue these climate-friendly activities as part of a broader effort to combat climate change. The extent to which farmers adopt such activities would depend on their costs, potential revenues, and other economic incentives created by climate policy. Existing Federal conservation programs provide preliminary estimates of the costs of agricultural carbon sequestration.

Suggested Citation

  • Horowitz, John K. & Gottlieb, Jessica, 2010. "The Role of Agriculture in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions," Economic Brief 138910, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:uerseb:138910
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.138910
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pushpam Kumar & Uwe A. Schneider, 2008. "Greenhouse gas emission mitigation through agriculture," Working Papers FNU-155, Research unit Sustainability and Global Change, Hamburg University, revised Feb 2008.
    2. Schneider, Uwe A. & Kumar, Pushpam, 2008. "Greenhouse Gas Mitigation through Agriculture," Choices: The Magazine of Food, Farm, and Resource Issues, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 23(01), pages 1-5.
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    Cited by:

    1. Weng, Weizhe & Cobourn, Kelly M. & Kemanian, Armen R. & Boyle, Kevin J. & Shi, Yuning & Stachelek, Joseph & White, Charles, 2020. "Quantifying Co-Benefits of Water Quality Policies: An Integrated Assessment Model of Nitrogen Management," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304667, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Fakhri J. Hasanov & Elchin Suleymanov & Heyran Aliyeva & Hezi Eynalov & Sa'd Shannak, 2022. "What Drives the Agricultural Growth in Azerbaijan? Insights from Autometrics with Super Saturation," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 70(3), pages 147-174.
    3. Garnache, Cloé & Mérel, Pierre R. & Lee, Juhwan & Six, Johan, 2017. "The social costs of second-best policies: Evidence from agricultural GHG mitigation," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 39-73.
    4. Jones, Carol Adaire & Nickerson, Cynthia J. & Heisey, Paul W., 2012. "New Uses of Old Tools: An Assessment of Current and Potential Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Mitigation with Sector-based Policies," 2012 Annual Meeting, August 12-14, 2012, Seattle, Washington 124735, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Chisenga Emmanuel Mukosha & Jan Moudrý & Magdaléna Lacko-Bartošová & Lucia Lacko-Bartošová & Festus Onyebuchi Eze & Reinhard W. Neugschwandtner & Elnaz Amirahmadi & Jiří Lehejček & Jaroslav Bernas, 2023. "The Effect of Cropping Systems on Environmental Impact Associated with Winter Wheat Production—An LCA “Cradle to Farm Gate” Approach," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-15, October.
    6. Borchers, Allison & Truex-Powell, Elizabeth & Wallander, Steven & Nickerson, Cynthia, "undated". "Multi-Cropping Practices: Recent Trends in Double-Cropping," Economic Information Bulletin 262122, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

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