Decarbonisation Strategies for Sustainable Agricultural Development in Kazakhstan

Abstract

In this study on the example of 2 agro-ecosystems located on opposite banks of the Irtysh River the content of organic carbon in soil and dynamics of its change for the period from 2001 to 2020 were studied. According to the results of the study, the estimated amount of organic carbon losses for the period from 2001 to 2020 from arable chernozem soils on both banks of the Irtysh River averaged 96×10³ kg C per year-¹ at Site 1 (right bank) and 87×10³ kg C per year-¹ at Site 2 (left bank). It was found that differential fertiliser application, use of organic topdressing and compost, mulching and introduction of 10-field crop rotation promoted soil organic carbon (SOC) conservation. Correlation between SOC value and soil resistance to drought, erosion and other unfavourable conditions was revealed. The possibility of effective forecasting and regulation of crop yields by using a combination of geographic information systems (GIS), SOC-modelling in the form of RothC and remote sensing data with the Trends.Earth tool has been substantiated. The proposed approach allows operational monitoring of SOC content and contributes to the successful implementation of a decarbonisation strategy for sustainable crop agriculture develo