FOR U.S. FARMERS, A NEW WAY TO HUSBAND RESOURCES (INT'L EDITION)

Int'l Readers Report

July 19, 1999 Issue

Agriculture in the U.S. has the opportunity to catapult itself into the next century as an acknowledged steward of the soil and environment ("More bitter harvests ahead," American News, June 28).  A prime example is the huge potential for agriculture to lead the domestic effort in addressing greenhouse-gas issues and the fight to curb global change.  Through better management practices that facilitate plant growth, the nation's crop and rangelands are a carbon dioxide bounty in the form of carbon sinks.  The financial incentive to farmers would be provided by revneue generated from the sale of tons of carbon sequestered in their plants and root systems, above and below the surface.

The sequestered carbon is quantified in the form of carbon credits that are bought and sold through an emissions-trading system structured much like the successful sulfur dioxide program to combat acid rain.  Agriculture gains from producing a new commodity (sequesteed carbon), and the nation benefits from the sequestration.

An additional benefit is the enhanced perception and understandiong among the American public of the importance of agriculture.