Accounting of ecosystem services from climate-smart and efficient agricultural practices

Abstract

Agriculture produces more than food, feed and fibre. Climate-smart and resource-efficient practices can simultaneously improve farm productivity and profitability while conserving soil, regulating water, recycling nutrients, storing carbon and supporting biodiversity. These benefits, however, remain largely invisible in conventional farm accounts. Ecosystem services accounting provides a scientific pathway to measure changes in ecosystem condition and service flows before selectively estimating their economic significance. Indian evidence from climate-smart rice–wheat systems and long-term nutrient management experiments demonstrates measurable gains in resourceuse efficiency, soil carbon and environmental performance. The Himalayan context adds a critical dimension on fragile slopes, soil conservation, spring and watershed regulation, agroforestry, traditional crop diversity and multifunctional landscape management that are as important as crop yield. India already has a foundation in ecosystem accounting; the next step is to connect it with agronomic evidence and region-specific farm monitoring.