Agriculture plays an important role towards carbon neutrality. It has the potential to both reduce its greenhouse gas emissions through more efficient and effective management of land, crops and livestock, and to enhance the removals of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by increasing the carbon sequestered in soils, trees and other vegetation. The Paris Agreement heralded a commitment to more ambitious climate mitigation efforts globally. Balancing the role of the agriculture sector in meeting these demands alongside increasing climate action is crucial. We need a longer-term strategic approach that defines the role agriculture that must play as part of global low-carbon transition. 

Delivering change within the agriculture sector is not without its challenges as the change depends on the decisions of millions of individual farmers who face an already broad and increasing range of demands on the land that they manage. In global terms, agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The IPCC's Special Report on Climate Change and Land (2019) estimates that agriculture is directly responsible for up to 8.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions with a further 14.5% coming from land use change (mainly deforestation in the developing world to clear land for food production). The two biggest sources of greenhouse gases from agriculture are the release of nitrous oxide from agricultural soils and methane from livestock and manures. 

In order to bring about reductions in emissions and increase sequestration, there should be a focus on a green scheme that translates into more equitable payments to farmers, oriented towards the environment, climate change and the country. Also, there is potential for achieving emissions reductions in the livestock sector, through improvements in feed digestibility and the livestock effluent management systems. Main decarbonisation drivers in the agriculture, forests and other land uses sector include: 

- biological, conservation and precision farming 

- biodiverse pastures and reduction of burned area

- improved digestibility of animal feed and livestock effluent management

- reduced use of synthetic fertilizers and their replacement with organic compost

- improved forest productivity

Reference: https://www.iddri.org/en/project/net-zero-agriculture-2050 

https://ec.europa.eu/eip/agriculture/en/event/eip-agri-workshop-%E2%80%98towards-carbon-neutral 

https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/RNC2050_EN_PT%20Long%20Term%20Strategy.pdf 

http://www.fao.org/3/i3671e/i3671e.pdf 

https://ahdb.org.uk/carbon