Kansas State University’s agronomy department has received a $1 million, one-year grant from the Robertson Foundation for outreach and research efforts into reducing global warming.

The grant will be used to fund the ongoing efforts of the Consortium for Agricultural Soils Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases, a group of researchers and educators in the areas of soil carbon and greenhouse gas mitigation in agriculture.

According to K-State agronomy professor Chuck Rice, agriculture can become a key player in helping to mitigate global warming and climate change. Rice said through proper management, such as no-till, organic carbon levels in soils could be increased, a process called “soil carbon sequestration” that helps reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

Agriculture also can help through practices that use less fossil fuel and by producing bioenergy crops to replace fossil fuels, Rice said.