Carbon-Smart Farming Breakthroughs for Drylands
Given climate change and growing populations, sustainable soil management is more critical than ever to increasing food production while lowering agricultural emissions. ICARDA's innovative approaches to soil, water, and agronomy are reshaping dryland farming, offering the potential for intensified but net-zero food production.
By 2050, the global population is set to approach 10 billion people. Yet, many countries are falling short in modernizing their food systems to improve efficiency with the finite resources available, such as land, soil, and water, while overlooking practices that could reduce the agricultural annual contribution of 12% to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. ICARDA looks beyond food production by offering climate-smart agri-innovations that emphasize stable yield, better water management, and soil health while improving carbon sequestration to deliver sustainable and ecological farming in vulnerable hot and dry regions.
Smarter Irrigation, Smarter Soil
Traditional drip irrigation may save water, but the energy it demands often carries a carbon cost, resulting in a raised environmental footprint, especially when powered by fossil fuels. In collaboration with Morocco's Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), ICARDA has developed ultra-low-energy (ULE) drippers that operate at 85% lower activation pressure. When integrated with renewable energy sources and deployed in hydroponic systems, as tested in Morocco, these systems reduced energy needs by 40-70%, capital cost by 20-40%, and GHG emissions by 64%. Also, within ICARDA's Arabian Peninsula Regional Program, ULE drippers were integrated into hydroponic tomato production within net houses. This integration resulted in an impressive 60% reduction in energy consumption. Such innovations show that with the right tools, soil moisture and productivity can be enhanced without compromising the environment.
Tracking Carbon, Boosting Resilience
Reliable measurements and monitoring of carbon and evapotranspiration are essential for natural resources planning, management, and development of climate change adaptation and mitigation scenarios. ICARDA's technology measures carbon dynamics across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region through a regional flux network spanning Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Tunisia, and Morocco. ICARDA and FAO monitor evapotranspiration and soil carbon levels, collecting data at 30-minute intervals by a network of flux towers. The data and science are then made freely available as an international public good through an online dashboard maintained by ICARDA. Soon, the network will also include Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen. Such measurements are the key to optimizing water application and increasing carbon sequestration in the region, which ultimately helps to develop resilient agriculture.
Regenerative Practices: Letting Soil Breathe
In response to Morocco's drought challenges, ICARDA supports the country's ambitious plan to implement conservation agriculture (CA) across one million hectares by 2030. As drought continues to impact agricultural productivity, CA, a regenerative agriculture practice, offers a solution that balances sustainability with profitability. CA focuses on practices like no-till farming, crop rotation, and soil cover that help restore soil health and increase resilience to climate stressors.
Trials at the Merchouch research station in Morocco demonstrate that the adoption of conservation agriculture provides higher crop yields, improved soil moisture retention, enhanced nutrient availability, and increased carbon sequestration—all while reducing costs. Long-term studies over 11 years reveal that no-till farming consistently outperforms conventional tillage, increasing organic matter by >7% across various soil types. The results are striking—soil organic carbon levels have steadily risen under no-till practices, locking in as much as 15% more carbon than conventional methods across multiple production environments.
Precision Farming for a Cleaner Future
Smart fertilizer management is a practical way to reduce GHG emissions, particularly from nitrogen-based fertilizers, which release nitrous oxide—a powerful GHG. This method also cuts down on waste and input costs. ICARDA, working with national partners, has modernized fertilizer use by providing specific recommendations tailored to each plot of land. This approach is based on three key principles: using the 4R stewardship (the right rate, at the right time, with the right source and method), decision-support tools that use simulation models and calculators, and digital technologies like GreenSeeker, which measures plant health using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI).
This smarter approach to fertilizer use has eliminated both overuse and underuse, reduced nutrient losses, boosted crop yields, captured more carbon in the soil, and improved energy efficiency—all while lowering agriculture's carbon footprint. In trials comparing traditional methods with NDVI-guided nitrogen application on wheat fields in Merchouch, Morocco, and Amlaha, India, the results were impressive. GHG emissions dropped by 20-27%, GHG intensity by 15-20%, and nitrogen fertilizer use decreased by 15-25 kilograms per hectare. In India, tailored fertilizer recommendations reduced CO₂ emissions by 44% and cut GHG intensity by 31% compared to conventional practices.
ICARDA has also rolled out handheld GreenSeeker devices across Egypt, India, Morocco, Lebanon, Sudan, and Uzbekistan, equipping farmers with accessible technology to fine-tune nitrogen applications. GreenSeeker measures the chlorophyll content in leaves by assessing their ‘greenness’, where low values indicate nitrogen deficiency. Farmers can be guided on the optimal GreenSeeker values for each crop at different growth stages, helping them identify if a crop is nitrogen-stressed. This hands-on tool allows growers to optimize fertilizer applications in real time, ensuring healthier crops with less environmental damage.
Growing Carbon: Crop Diversification
In much of the MENA region, rainfed farming takes precedence, with cereal monocropping and long fallow periods the norm. But this popular model comes at a cost: depleted soil, inefficient resource use, and high GHG emissions. ICARDA is challenging the status quo with crop diversification strategies: intercropping, relay cropping, and mixed cropping.
Field experiments in Morocco offer compelling evidence. Integrating legumes like lentils, chickpeas, and faba beans into cereal systems reduces nitrogen fertilizer needs by 25% through biological nitrogen fixation—legumes naturally extract nitrogen from the atmosphere, benefiting both the legume crop and the cereal crop planted afterward. This approach not only lowers GHG emissions but also boosts biodiversity, enhances soil health, and increases carbon sequestration, all of which contribute to stronger rural livelihoods.
In one standout trial at Merchouch, planting onions between standing lentils—just a month before harvest—achieved the lowest GHG emission intensity (GHGI) of 0.1 kg CO₂ per kilogram of yield. This mix also delivered the highest returns in profitability and fertilizer use efficiency. Similar successes with lentil-quinoa and lentil-chickpea relay cropping in Morocco and India highlight how strategic crop pairing can elevate productivity, profitability, and overall sustainability of the production system.
Towards a Net-Zero Agricultural Future
ICARDA's innovations serve as a blueprint for sustainable and net-zero farming. Integrating smart irrigation, regenerative practices, precision fertilization, and crop diversification could reduce agricultural GHG emissions by more than 50%. Yet challenges remain—scaling these sustainable solutions to reach more farmers will require substantial investments in research, infrastructure, and capacity building. For regenerative practices like conservation agriculture to be effective on a larger scale, efforts must go beyond initial trials and demonstrations and target the adoption of technology by farmers. This includes enhancing local agricultural infrastructure, such as access to suitable machinery for no-till farming, capacity strengthening of local service providers, and efficient soil-, crop-, and water-management practices. Equally important is the need for ongoing research to adapt these methods to different soil types, climates, and cropping systems. By building more robust support systems and investing in both technological innovation and farmer training, we can create the conditions necessary for widespread adoption and lasting impact.
On December 5, the world will mark World Soil Day 2024 with the theme "Caring for Soils: Measure, Monitor, Manage." We celebrate not just the soil underfoot but also the farmers and innovators driving change. By caring for soils, we nurture ecosystems and build pathways to a net-zero future. Every innovation counts, and each one brings us closer to a world where agriculture becomes part of the climate solution.
____________________________________
Co-authors:
Vinay Nangia, Research Team Leader - Soils, Waters and Agronomy, ICARDA
Mina Devkota, Agronomist, ICARDA
Rachid Moussadek, Systems Cropping Agronomist – INRA-Joint Researcher, ICARDA
Krishna Devkota, Senior Scientist - Dryland Farming, ICARDA
Arash Nejatian, Soil, Water and Agronomy Activities Coordinator Officer, ICARDA
Ajit Govind, Senior Climate Scientist, ICARDA
Anas Mansouri, Research Assistant - Soil and Water Management, ICARDA
