This brief is based on the key messagesof a conference held on January 23, 2009 at the World Bankto review the state of the art on 'agriculture andclimate change, investing now for a productive and resilientfuture.' It is not the formal position of any oneacademic institute or organization, but sets out the keyissues on: a) carbon as an integral part of sustainableland, water and biodiversity management in developingcountry agricultural landscapes and in any post-2012framework and market mechanisms. Agricultural emissionsreductions are already eligible under the Kyoto mechanismsfor annex one (industrialized) countries; b) agriculturalsoil carbon measurement, modeling, and monitoringcapabilities; c) challenges and opportunities in estimatingsoil carbon stocks and changes; d) a robust and integratedmeasurement and monitoring system; and e) further actionsteps to ensure objective consideration of agricultural soilcarbon in post-2012 climate change solutions.