Drained organic soils have high rates of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a problem that can only be mitigated by re-wetting. In agricultural regions, the suitability of re-wetting as a mitigation option depends on the extent and use of organic soils, economic conditions, and the availability of other land to ensure continued agricultural production. Here we analyse the conditions for GHG savings from farmed organic soils for Switzerland, a densely populated country where scarce agricultural land is protected by regional quota systems and where there is a minimum self-sufficiency target for food production. We present a new estimate of the extent of organic soils (32,702 ha). Agriculture dominates the use (61 %) and GHG emissions (89 %) of these soils, and their GHG emissions amount to 25 % of the national 2050 emission reduction goal for agriculture. At national level, only 1.2 % of agriculture (by area) takes place on organic soils, suggesting that losses in agricultural production associated with re-wetting of these soils may be manageable. In some regions, however, organic soils are very important for agriculture, and alternative means to reduce GHG emissions need to be sought forthese regions. We explore future paths for such regions, considering economic viability and the availability of land.
