Harnessing the power of microbes for sustainable development: Climate change mitigation and sustainable food security

Abstract

The effects of releasing carbon from the terrestrial pool into the atmosphere have significant long-term and short-term implications that affect many parts of our globe. Agricultural fields might help to address these concerns and provide cost-effective solutions, such as lowering carbon dioxide levels (CO₂) in the atmosphere while raising carbon levels in the soil. In order to increase agricultural land's potential to absorb and store carbon, the proper selection of suitable microbial inoculants with the capability to sequester carbon into soils is critical. Soil quality and characteristics would improve as a result, and atmospheric carbon would therefore be reduced. Soil microbes have the potential to influence the level of organic matter, which has an impact on the soil's ecological system and characteristics. Soil microbes play a role in carbon sequestration in soils by regulating multiple and distinct pathways for CO₂ inputs and losses, such as biochemical processes that could sequester CO₂, the capacity to sediment carbonates, the rigid nature of their components and vegetative tissues, or the composition of complex substances that preserve carbon in the soil. Further research is needed to investigate if particular microbial strains that can sequester carbon will help enhance soil quality and prevent climate change.