Kerala State Seed Farm Aluva near Kochi has become the first seed farm in the country to achieve carbon neutral status.
Key points
- Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on December 10 declared the seed farm as the first carbon neutral farm in the country.
- The 103 year old seed farm located on the banks of the Periyar River in Thuruth Island on 13.5 acres was accorded carbon neutral status following a study by Climate Change and Environmental Science department of Kerala Agricultural University.
- Assessing the carbon emissions and carbon storage, the study found that the farm had 43 tonnes of carbon emissions and 213 tonnes of carbon storage. This made the farm carbon neutral and carbon negative.
- Carbon neutral indicates that emissions made during agricultural practices in a farm must be absorbed into the soil itself.
- Agricultural practices emit a lot of carbon dioxide. Agriculture and livestock account for 14 per cent of India’s gross national greenhouse gas emissions.
- The usage of power for agriculture activities will push up the emission to 22 per cent.
