How Is 3.1 Tracking?
Our Farm Soils key result targets improved topsoil health as measured by its carbon content. By accelerating the adoption of regenerative agriculture, farmers can boost their carbon storage percentage.
Proven regenerative practices include cover cropping and minimized tilling. Applied broadly, these practices could absorb 2 gigatons of CO2 each year from the atmosphere.
The goal is to raise the carbon content of topsoils to 3 percent or higher. In the U.S., the national average for is 1.4 percent, we have a ways to go—especially in the South, where cropland soil is most depleted.
While existing soil data is dated, the USDA recently announced a program for more consistent monitoring of soils for carbon content.
Data for KR 3.1 is sourced from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, collected in 2013 and published in 2017. Unfortunately, this data is not recent and is not provided at a granular level. It also lacks global coverage. Due to poor data sources, this KR is marked off course. If you know of better data, tell us at act@speedandscale.com.