Economic, biological and policy constraints on the adoption of carbon farming in temperate regions

In this paper the issues surrounding the potential role for agriculture in temperate climates in the mitigation of greenhouse gases are examined, with a particular focus on the constraints and limitations on the adoption of practices contributing to carbon sequestration. Other land uses have come under close scrutiny for their potential to act as carbon sinks and it is likely that soil sequestration may become a legitimate part of the 'Land-use, land-use change and forestry' mechanism. However, for this to occur, further developments in our understanding of the biological processes involved in soil-carbon sequestration are required.