2. Glwadys Aymone Gbetibouo University of Pretoria on behalf of Barrack Okoba, Carla Roncoli, Claudia Ringler, and Mario Herrero Copenhagen, COP 15 December 11, 2009
A growing body of research suggests that there are in fact cost-effective options for agricultural mitigation . These include changing crop mixes to include more perennials and crops with deeper root systems that remain in the soil after the crop dies. Cultivation systems that leave crop residues and reduce deep tillage increase soil carbon and also crop productivity. We can shift land use from annual crops to perennial crops, pasture and agroforestry. A key issue is MRV - Measurable, Reportable, and Verifiable mitigation outcomes. There are promising technologies – micro satellites with 6 m resolution, inexpensive soil carbon tests – that we need to make available by the time a post-Kyoto agreement comes into effect.