Head over to the Carbon Reduction Visualizer to explore data on Georgia’s greenhouse gas emissions. You can see how emissions fall if we scale solutions to ambitious, but achievable, levels.
Food & Agriculture
Here’s the deal
The way we grow our food, what we eat, and what happens to excess and waste are all essential parts of our carbon footprint. To cut carbon substantially, we need to grow food in ways that benefit the land, sequester carbon, foster plant-forward diets, reduce food waste, and increase composting.
3
Mt
Composting
Comp...
When food waste and other organic materials decompose in landfills, methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is released. When we compost these materials instead, the organic matter is broken down by microbes into nutrient-rich, carbon-sequestering fertilizer.
Climate Smart
Agriculture
Clim...
Conservation agriculture relies on practices like crop rotation, cover cropping, and reduced tillage to benefit the land and sequester carbon in the plants and soil.
Plant-Based
Diet
Plan...
A diet rich in plant-based foods reduces emissions associated with meat production. This solution assumes people maintain a 2,500 calorie per day nutritional regimen; meet daily protein requirements; and purchase locally produced food when available.
Reduced Food
Waste
Redu...
Food waste happens all along the journey from the farm to your plate, and continues when we purchase more food than we consume. It is estimated that over 2 million tons of food is wasted in Georgia every year.
Composting
When food waste and other organic materials decompose in landfills, methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is released. When we compost these materials instead, the organic matter is broken down by microbes into nutrient-rich, carbon-sequestering fertilizer.
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Conservation Agriculture
Conservation agriculture relies on practices like crop rotation, cover cropping, and reduced tillage to benefit the land and sequester carbon in the plants and soil.
Learn More
Plant-Forward Diet
A diet rich in plant-based foods reduces emissions associated with meat production. This solution assumes people maintain a 2,500 calorie per day nutritional regimen; meet daily protein requirements; and purchase locally produced food when available.
Learn More
Reduced Food Waste
Food waste happens all along the journey from the farm to your plate, and continues when we purchase more food than we consume. It is estimated that over 2 million tons of food is wasted in Georgia every year.
Learn More
Here’s where we are
According to Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division, about 800,000 tons of food residuals are sent to Georgia’s landfills each year. About 48% of the food residuals come from the greater Atlanta area. Reducing the food waste that ends up in Georgia’s landfills, through composting and other means, is an important part of Georgia’s carbon reduction opportunity.
Here’s where we are
Stories & Studies
Public-Private Partnerships Help Composting Take Root in Avondale Estates
Could curbside composting work in your community? The City of Avondale Estates set out to answer that question through a pilot program that provided free compost pick-up for local households. The results were encouraging: more than 500 households enrolled,
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How Georgia Businesses Can Tackle Scope 3 Emissions and Strengthen Their Supply Chains
For many Georgia businesses, sustainability starts inside their own operations. But as more companies dig into their data, a clear pattern is emerging: the majority of emissions often sit outside their direct control, embedded in supply chains, materials, and
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Twelve Steps for Government to Advance Local Composting
Across Georgia, local governments are looking for practical climate solutions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen communities, and make smart use of limited budgets. One opportunity checks all of those boxes: composting. Food and yard waste make
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Frequently Asked Questions
How can I learn more to compost in Georgia?
Drawdown Georgia has a climate solutions toolkit written by local experts to help all Georgians learn how to compost at home or at work.
Why is composting good for the environment?
When food scraps, yard waste, and other organic matter decomposes in a landfill, it releases methane gas, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. When this waste is composted instead, it reduces associated greenhouse gas emissions and keeps waste out of municipal landfills. The resulting compost can help enrich soil and serve as a natural fertilizer.
Do many farmers practice climate smart agriculture in Georgia?
Yes, many Georgia farmers already use reduced tillage practices and cover crops. Those who use reduced tillage practices often alternate them with conventional tillage. Georgia has about 3.8 million acres of croplands, of which about 47% are under conservation tillage practices. If another 40% of the land were converted into conservation tillage, the CO2 sequestration potential could be about 1.1 Mt CO2e per year.
How much food waste is produced in Georgia?
Each year, 12 percent of the garbage produced in the state consists of food scraps and other wasted food, weighing in at over 800,000 tons. Nearly half of this food waste comes out of the greater Atlanta area.
How does my Georgia county compare to my neighbors on greenhouse gas emissions from the Agriculture sector?
The County-Level Greenhouse Gas Emissions Tracker provides monthly greenhouse gas emission estimates for Georgia’s 159 counties. Emissions are categorized by sector to give us a picture of where emissions are now and how they change as we advance on our goal of drawing down Georgia’s carbon emissions.
To find your county’s emissions from agriculture, visit the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Tracker and select your county on the map.