Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/1044116
26 WINES&VINES November 2018 Viewpoint I mproving soil health is a powerful climate solution. By remov- ing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in our soils, we nourish the soil for healthy food production and increase water-holding capacity to be drought-tolerant and ensure food security. That is the same whether you are in California, France or anywhere in the world. As signatories to the Global Soil Health Challenge, we commit to apply these approaches and encourage other governments to join us in a soil health revolution to fight climate change. California joined France and the Netherlands in signing on to the challenge during California's Global Climate Action Summit and the California Department of Ford and Agriculture's (CDFA) affiliated event, Scaling Up Climate Smart Agriculture, both held in September. The challenge calls on governments across the world — both national and subnational — to include programs that re- store soil health under their national plans to meet their targets under the Paris Agreement. Underscoring the fact that we need to continue to strengthen all efforts to reduce all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, there is growing global recognition that carbon sequestration in natural and working lands is necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement of 2016. It is well-known that changes in agricultural practices can increase the amount of carbon in the soil, improving its fertility and resilience to drought and flood, while increasing food production and farm income. France called attention to this opportunity at the Paris climate conference in 2015 with its "4 per 1,000" initiative, and California led the way in the U.S. with a Healthy Soils Initiative. Yet the benefit of rebuilding soil carbon remains little understood by policymakers around the world, and the uptake and replication of these efforts could be greatly improved. The timeliness and urgency of this challenge could not be more clear: The oceans and atmosphere have become overloaded with carbon dioxide, but the terrestrial ecosystem could absorb much more carbon and benefit from it. In the race to constrain the level of carbon in the atmosphere and hold the rise in global temperatures to well below 2o C (under 2 MOU), carbon absorption ("negative emissions") will be required at an unprecedented scale. Agricultural soils could annually take up hun- dreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide more than they do today, reducing the level and impact of atmospheric carbon and buying additional time to make the transition to low-carbon solutions throughout the global economy. As governments consider whether – and how – they might strengthen their Nationally Determined Con- tributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change at the 2020 Conference of the Par- ties, restoring soil health presents an untapped opportunity. The Soil Health Challenge seeks to raise the visibility of that opportu- nity and encourage public officials to pursue it. We seek to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change and the Paris Agreement target of holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Even if the world reaches an emissions trajectory of 80% to 95% below 1990 levels by 2050, we will still need to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Public and private stakeholders – including nations, provinces, states, cities, nongovernmental organizations and corporations – have led the world in setting ambitious climate targets and taking actions to reduce emissions and protect against climate impacts. Climate change responses and solutions can create economic op- portunities and benefits through sustainable development. At the Global Climate Action Summit in September, California joined a pledge to work together to: 1. Call on and support nations and subnations to include am- bitious programs of action on soil health in their Nationally Determined Contributions submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change for the 2020 Conference of the Parties and in subnational climate initia- tives as part of broader climate action plans. 2. Enact incentives and programs to promote healthy soils, soil carbon sequestration and enhancement of biodiversity in agricultural areas through a range of actions. 3. Promote widespread adoption of sustainable farming systems, including agro-ecological and carbon-farming practices for agriculture appropriate to diverse geogra- phies and landscapes, based on emerging soil science — including planting cover crops, adopting low- or no-till farming practices, rotational grazing, generation and use of safe compost and/or biochar, crop rotations, nutrient management, silvopasture, agroforestry and other practices — to improve the health and productivity of soils, including their organic car- bon content, water retention rate, biological ac- tivity and biological diversity. 4. Encourage multilateral, bilateral, public, pri- vate, philanthropic etc., to support projects in the field, promotion of good practices, and elaboration and implementation of policies at all levels. 5. Report back on our progress at the 2019 Cli- mate Summit at the United Nations in New York. Karen Ross was appointed secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture in 2011 by Gov. Jerry Brown. Prior to her current post, Ross was chief of staff for U.S. Agriculture Sec- retary Tom Vilsack. n KAREN ROSS, SECRETARY OF THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD & AGRICULTURE Join the Soil Health Revolution