Dryland farming has led to historically large emissions of CO2 from stored soil carbon and high rates of soil erosion and waterborne sediment. With the development and adoption of reduced tillage systems over the past 20 years, significant strides have been made in reducing soil erosion and water quality degradation. However, the potential for dryland farms to sequester carbon by returning soil organic matter levels to near native condition has not been reached. These systems also rely on inputs of nitrogen fertilizer made from fossil fuel. Several strategies are being explored to improve specific aspects of the environmental performance of these systems, but few attempts have been made to analyze and optimize dryland systems for greenhouse gas mitigation, soil and water conservation, energy efficiency, and economic performance.

Website: http://cff.wsu.edu/Project/dryland.html