Emissions of carbon from fossil fuel combustion, along with a change in land use, has led to the depletion of the soil’s organic carbon pool. This creates soil quality problems in tropical and subtropical regions as well as in low input subsistence farming areas, the very ones that are projected to yield the most dramatic population increases in the near future. This text addresses these issues and provides possible solutions to the impending agricultural crisis. The author discusses the effects of climate change on soil quality, world food demands and supply during the 21st century, and policy and economic issues related to carbon trading and enhancing agricultural production.