🌎 What Is Carbon Sequestration?

Carbon Sequestration 7/1/2025 3:50:08 PM
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At its core, carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) in a stable form. In regenerative agriculture, the most powerful carbon sink isn’t a machine—it’s living, healthy soil.

 

🌱 How Regenerative Practices Capture Carbon

Regenerative farming encourages techniques that naturally draw CO₂ from the air and lock it into soil organic matter:

  • Cover Cropping: Plants like legumes or grasses are grown between harvests to maintain living roots year-round. Through photosynthesis, they pull in CO₂ and pump carbon-rich sugars into the soil, feeding microbial communities.

  • Composting & Mulching: These organic inputs add stable carbon to the soil while supporting fungal and bacterial life that helps store it long-term.

  • No-Till or Reduced Tillage: Disturbing soil releases carbon. By limiting tillage, carbon remains trapped in aggregates and humus instead of being oxidized.

  • Perennial Crops & Agroforestry: Deep-rooted, long-living plants store carbon in both root biomass and surrounding soil over many seasons.

  • Holistic Grazing: Managed livestock mimic natural herd movement, fertilizing and stimulating grasslands that, in turn, sequester more carbon.

 

🧪 The Science-y Bit

Soils act like a vault for carbon:

  • Carbon is absorbed through plant roots → converted into humus (a long-lasting form of organic carbon).

  • Microorganisms stabilize this carbon in aggregates and pore spaces.

  • The result? Decades—or even centuries—of secure carbon storage.

Some studies estimate that globally scaling regenerative practices could sequester up to several gigatons of CO₂ per year, offsetting a substantial portion of human emissions.

 

💡 Why It Matters

Carbon sequestration:

  • Helps cool the planet—one field at a time.

  • Enhances soil fertility, which boosts yields and resilience.

  • Reduces reliance on synthetic inputs, improving ecosystem health.