Carbon as the central economic factor in sustainable and profitable grassland management

Abstract

To limit the temperature increase to below 2°C by 2100, the Paris Agreement relies on adaptation measures in agriculture and carbon sequestration, including the preservation of permanent grasslands, which store 25%–34% of the world’s terrestrial C stock. The experiments were carried out in permanent seminatural grassland at a mesohygrophytic and mesooligotrophic site in the Czech Republic. During our study, data from a 28 year experiment (1992–2019) combining different management techniques were analysed. Management consisted of varying numbers of cuts (two or three cuts) and fertilisation rates (0, 90, 45, 180 N and PK). The data were tested using the economic evaluation of roots and the production of hay, considering the cost of inputs and value of outputs involving C-price. The analyses suggest that hay production as a private good is not profitable regardless of management technique. It was confirmed for both private and public goods that fertilisation affects profitability more than the number of hay cuts. It was found that moderate fertilisation outperforms the no fertilisation option economically but also the high fertilisation option. The profitability of grassland on public and private goods is achieved when the C allowance price reaches at least the range of EUR 20–30 per tonne. The knowledge gained from the experiment can be used to all other grasslands that have comparable traits and grow in similar regions. The dominant plant species in the assessed grassland are spread over the temperate zone. The grass found in the evaluated stand are used for the establishment of cultural grasslands.