"There's a new agricultural commodity that farmers, food giants and grassroots groups are all rallying behind — carbon.

Proponents say that if the United States' 20th-century success as a global agricultural power was measured by how much food came from American soil, the 21st century offers a new paradigm: measuring how much carbon dioxide American farmers can retain in the soil while still producing food.

The two objectives are not mutually exclusive, according to farmers, scholars and ag-focused nonprofits.

They are bound together in emerging farming approaches called "carbon farming," "climate-smart farming" and "regenerative agriculture," all of which place soil, water and climate health at the center of the agricultural enterprise."

Daniel Cusick reports for Greenwire July 1, 2019, as part of E&E's Recipe for Change series. [2]

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Recipe for Change Series Portal (E&E) [3]