Carbon Farming: An Expository, Inter-Disciplinary Survey
arxiv.org
July 18, 2026, 7:17 a.m.
Carbon farming represents a comprehensive agricultural approach designed to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide in soils while reducing cultivation-related emissions, simultaneously addressing climate change, soil degradation, and farmer livelihoods. An interdisciplinary survey integrates perspectives from agronomy, soil science, climate science, economics, and policy to provide unified guidance for practitioners and policymakers. The analysis establishes foundations in soil organic carbon dynamics, compares carbon farming with sustainable and regenerative agriculture paradigms, and examines best practices alongside their co-benefits and trade-offs. The study reviews measurement, reporting, and verification frameworks, digital technologies, carbon credit mechanisms, and voluntary and compliance markets. Through representative case studies, the survey synthesizes implementation models, successes, and challenges. In India, widespread adoption could offset fifty percent of transport-sector emissions, yet fewer than one percent of farmers currently participate in carbon credit programs, highlighting significant adoption barriers requiring scientific and policy innovations.