The efficiency of sequestering carbon in agricultural soils

Agricultural tillage practices are important human-induced activities that can alter carbon emissions from agricultural soils and have the potential t o contribute significantly to reductions in greenhouse gas emission (Lal et al., The Potential of U.S. Cropland, 1998). This research investigates the expected costs of sequestering carbon in agricultural soils under differen t subsidy and market-based policies. Using detailed National Resources Inve ntory data, we estimate the probability that farmers adopt conservation til lage practices based on a variety of exogenous characteristics and profit f rom conventional practices. These estimates are used with physical models o f carbon sequestration to estimate the subsidy costs of achieving increased carbon sequestration with alternative subsidy schemes.