Summary
Agricultural production has the potential to play an important role in mitigating climate change and it is necessary to optimize all of the agricultural practices that have high levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Among the plant production processes, mineral fertilization plays a big role in the formation of the carbon footprint (CF) of crops. This paper reviews the current literature around the various options for reducing GHG emissions from the application of fertilizers. It finds that organic farming has the potential for reducing GHG emissions and improving organic carbon sequestration, as this system eliminates synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and could lower global agricultural GHG emissions. The paper also argues that organic farming could result in higher soil organic carbon content compared to non-organic systems. When used together with other environmentally friendly farming practices, significant reductions of GHG emissions can be achieved.