The European Commission published on Tuesday 27 April the final report of a two-year study on carbon farming in the EU, while accompanying the study with a technical guidance handbook aimed at helping private actors and public authorities launch a growing number of initiatives in this field.
While agriculture is currently responsible for about 10% of the EU’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon farming refers to a method of farming that helps to sequester more CO2 in soils, while regenerating degraded agricultural soils.
Based on a review of existing international and EU payment schemes that reward carbon sequestration and reduced or avoided emissions in the agricultural sector, the Commission’s analysis focused on five key thematic areas: - restoration and rewetting of peatlands; - agroforestry; - maintenance and enhancement of soil organic carbon (SOC) on mineral soils; - grasslands; - and carbon audits of livestock farms.
Concluding that carbon farming “can potentially make a significant contribution to climate change mitigation in the EU”, the paper points out that some implementation issues still need to be resolved before carbon farming reaches its full potential.
According to the Commission, it will be necessary in particular to promote new technological and methodological developments to progressively reduce the uncertainties and costs of monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of emissions, both through public research programmes and private investment.
To help move the issue forward, the institution will hold a workshop on 25 May to help Member States design carbon farming programmes in their Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) strategic plans.
See the study: https://bit.ly/32Ww7HC
See the technical guidance handbook: https://bit.ly/2Qzhnfi (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)