Christine Jones published an article in the Australian Farm Journal that may help to explain why the assumption is widespread among agricultural scientists that soil carbon cannot be increased quickly. The Roth C model, for example, ignores the role of mycorrhizal soluble carbon, focusing entirely on biomass input for humification:
For the really big problem(s) that we face such as biodiversity loss, scarcity of food and water, land degradation, and climate change, the available tools might be crudely lumped into these four columns. The three rows are a crude simplification of Holistic Management testing guidelines. The last row is similar to the social weak link guideline. For example, if we want to provide incentives or payments for ecosystem services, it must first become conventional wisdom for the organization to disburse the money. Both New York City and Wichita, Kansas have invested in enhanced water catchments rather than in expensive filtration plants to improve city water supplies, for example.
A fascinating and detailed paper by Henry Janzen of the Lethbridge research station in Alberta. Early researchers noted a loss of organic matter and nitrogen availability upon cultivation.