Assessment of carbon sequestration potential of conservation agriculture in tropical agro-ecosystems

Abstract

Conservation agriculture (CA) has been promoted across tropical Africa for two decades, yet field-level carbon sequestration evidence from East African highlands remains thin. This research quantified soil organic carbon (SOC) changes under five management systems over five years (2018-2023) at the University of Nairobi’s Kabete Field Station. SOC in the 0-30 cm layer increased by 48.6% under full CA (no-till + cover crop + rotation) compared with a 9.9% decline under conventional tillage. Cumulative sequestration reached 5.15 Mg C/ha over five years. These findings indicate integrated CA packages can meaningfully rebuild soil carbon in degraded tropical croplands.