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Cited by 369Soil Carbon and Nitrogen DynamicsSoil erosion and sediment transportClimate Change Policy and Economics

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 102 of the 102 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Matching policy and science: Rationale for the ‘4 per 1000 - soils for food security and climate’ initiative

Open access
Soussana, Jean-François, Lutfalla, Suzanne, Ehrhardt, Fiona, Rosenstock, Todd, Lamanna, Christine, Havlík, Petr, Richards, Meryl, Wollenberg, Eva (Lini), Chotte, Jean-Luc, Torquebiau, Emmanuel, Ciais, Philippe, Smith, Pete, Lal, Rattan·2019·Soil and Tillage Research
DOI 10.1016/j.still.2017.12.002
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Abstract

At the 21st session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, COP21), a voluntary action plan, the ‘4 per 1000 Initiative: Soils for Food Security and Climate’ was proposed under the Agenda for Action. The Initiative underlines the role of soil organic matter (SOM) in addressing the three-fold challenge of food and nutritional security, adaptation to climate change and mitigation of human-induced greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions. It sets an ambitious aspirational target of a 4 per 1000 (i.e. 0.4%) rate of annual increase in global soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, with a focus on agricultural lands where farmers would ensure the carbon stewardship of soils, like they manage day-to-day multipurpose production systems in a changing environment. In this paper, the opportunities and challenges for the 4 per 1000 initiative are discussed. We show that the 4 per 1000 target, calculated relative to global top soil SOC stocks, is consistent with literature estimates of the technical potential for SOC sequestration, though the achievable potential is likely to be substantially lower given socio-economic constraints. We calculate that land-based negative emissions from additional SOC sequestration could significantly contribute to reducing the anthropogenic CO2 equivalent emission gap identified from Nationally Determined Contributions pledged by countries to stabilize global warming levels below 2 °C or even 1.5 °C under the Paris agreement on climate. The 4 per 1000 target could be implemented by taking into account differentiated SOC stock baselines, reversing the current trend of huge soil CO2 losses, e.g. from agriculture encroaching peatland soils. We further discuss the potential benefits of SOC stewardship for both degraded and healthy soils along contrasting spatial scales (field, farm, landscape and country) and temporal (year to century) horizons. Last, we present some of the implications relative to non-CO2 GHGs emissions, water and nutrients use as well as co-benefits for crop yields and climate change adaptation. We underline the considerable challenges associated with the non-permanence of SOC stocks and show how the rates of adoption and the duration of improved soil management practices could alter the global impacts of practices under the 4 per 1000 initiative. We conclude that the 4 per 1000 initiative has potential to support multiple sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. It can be regarded as no-regret since increasing SOC in agricultural soils will contribute to food security benefits that will enhance resilience to climate change. However, social, economic and environmental safeguards will be needed to ensure an equitable and sustainable implementation of the 4 per 1000 target.

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  1. Balesdent, 1999, Usage des terres et stockage de carbone dans les sols du territoire français. Une estimation des flux nets annuels pour la période 1900–1999, C. R. Acad. Agric. Fr., 85, 6

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Metadata

Authors
Soussana, J.-F., Lutfalla, S., Ehrhardt, F., Rosenstock, T., Lamanna, C., Havlík, P., Richards, M., Wollenberg, E. (., Chotte, J.-L., Torquebiau, E., Ciais, P., Smith, P., & Lal, R.
Affiliations
  • Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (FR)
  • CGIAR (FR)
  • University of Vermont (US)
  • Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
  • Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (FR)
  • Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR)
  • University of Aberdeen (GB)
  • The Ohio State University (US)
Corresponding author
Soussana, Jean-François
ORCID
Venue
Soil and Tillage Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-05
Volume
188
Pages
3-15
ISSN
0167-1987 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.still.2017.12.002
OpenAlex
W2780560132
Semantic Scholar
10dfcb8019722becb74f668af1d25e8136fa29e3
Cited by
369
References
101
Citations by year
2026: 24 · 2025: 40 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 68 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 68 · 2020: 47 · 2019: 27
FWCI
25.46
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Soil and Tillage Research (acceptedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Agritrop (Cirad) (submittedVersion)
  • CGSPace A Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) (submittedVersion)
  • IIASA PURE (International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • French Ministry for Research and Higher Education
  • 4 per 1000 international research program (2016-2017)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil erosion and sediment transport
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Climate Change Policy and Economics
Keywords
4 per 1000 initiative, soil organic carbon sequestration, soil organic matter, food security, climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, carbon dioxide removal, emissions gap, Nationally Determined Contributions, Paris Agreement, peat soils, soil management, non-CO2 greenhouse gases, crop yield

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