Items
Subject is exactly
Farmers
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Soil carbon sequestration as a climate strategy: what do farmers think?
Countries and companies with net-zero emissions targets are considering carbon removal strategies to compensate for remaining greenhouse gas emissions. Soil carbon sequestration is one such carbon removal strategy, and policy and corporate interest is growing in figuring out how to motivate farmers to sequester more carbon. But how do farmers in various cultural and geographic contexts view soil carbon sequestration as a climate mitigation or carbon removal strategy? This article systematically reviews the empirical social science literature on farmer adoption of soil carbon sequestration practices and participation in carbon markets or programs. The article finds thirty-seven studies over the past decade that involve empirical research with soil carbon sequestering practices in a climate context, with just over a quarter of those focusing on the Global South. A central finding is co-benefits are a strong motivator for adoption, especially given minimal carbon policies and low carbon prices. Other themes in the literature include educational and cultural barriers to adoption, the difference between developing and developed world contexts, and policy preferences among farmers for soil carbon sequestration incentives. However, we argue that given the rising profile of technical potentials and carbon credits, this peer-reviewed literature on the social aspects of scaling soil carbon sequestration is quite limited. We discuss why the social science literature is so small, and what this research gap means for efforts to achieve higher levels of soil carbon sequestration. We conclude with a ten-point social science research agenda for social science on soil carbon—and some cautions about centering carbon too strongly in research and policy. -
Understanding farmers' commitments to carbon projects
This study focuses on identifying the factors that influence farmers' commitment to carbon projects. Based on studying the components of organizational commitment, project commitment and environmental commitment, we developed a regression model that consists of five independent variables, i.e., project-related incomes, persistence in the project, perception of government support, perception of the project and knowledge about carbon sequestration. The model was tested using survey data from 127 smallholder farmers taking part in a carbon project in Suichang, China. The results indicate that farmers' commitment to carbon projects depends on project-related incomes, persistence in the project, and perception of the project. Governmental support and environmental belief do not necessarily affect farmers' commitment.