Carbon Farming: Bridging Technology Development with Policy Goals
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1. Introduction
The price of carbon has a strong link with financing, and especially when projects present carbon negativity, CO2 credits can and need to be sold to improve the financial outlook and profitability of these projects. This paper aimed to navigate the complex domain of carbon farming, not as a comprehensive review, but as a pivotal exploration in the context of technology development policy. While it references a broad spectrum of research papers, its core strength lies not in reiterating existing knowledge, but in critically analyzing and synthesizing the current state of technology, particularly those at technology readiness levels (TRL) 6–8. By intertwining the policy and legal frameworks of the European Union on carbon farming with cutting-edge technological advancements, the aim of the paper was to chart a pragmatic and forward-thinking path for technology development. This approach was meticulously designed to not only respond to market demands but also to align with the ambitious targets of the European Green Deal. Consequently, this paper serves as a crucial bridge between ongoing research, technology development, and commercialization, underscoring the potential of integrating current research insights to foster the creation of innovative products. This endeavor aims not just at theoretical advancement, but at catalyzing practical, sustainable solutions in carbon farming that are in step with evolving environmental policy goals.
2. Carbon Capture and Storage
In general, carbon credits can be issued by any project that can reduce, avoid, destroy, or capture emissions. This is directly related to CO2 capture and storage, which can take place as follows:
3. Carbon Farming
The Farm to Fork Strategy is an integral part of the EU comprehensive plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. It sets radical goals to transform the EU food system, with a significant emphasis on sustainable practices and reducing the environmental and carbon footprint of food production and consumption. Under this strategy, the EU aims to reduce the use of chemical pesticides by 50%, decrease nutrient losses by at least 50% while ensuring no deterioration in soil fertility, and reduce the use of fertilizers by at least 20% by 2030. These ambitious targets are designed to facilitate a systemic change in agricultural practices, aligning them with environmental sustainability. Moreover, the strategy envisions a significant increase in organic farming, covering 25% of agricultural land by 2030, thus fostering biodiversity and reducing the agricultural sector’s carbon footprint.
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The promotion of carbon farming practices under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and other EU programmes
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Activities promoting the standardization of monitoring, reporting, and verification methodologies.
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Adopt no-till cropping practices: Soil disturbance by any means and especially tillage leads to breaking up of soil aggregates, organic matter, and biochemical structures. It increases the risk of soil erosion and GHG release. These can be avoided with no-till practices, whereby improving SOC sequestration and soil structure. It is important to underline that no-till practices alone do not account for SOC sequestration, but they are important for systematic carbon farming approaches that also incorporate other practices [18].
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Apply biochar: Biochar is derived from pyrolysis or gasification of organic material and its application is basically direct carbon application with most of the carbon content being absorbed in the short term of the carbon cycle. It enhances soil fertility and stability, SOC sequestration, and water retention. It is a low-cost choice and it is environmentally friendly [19].
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Apply mulch to bare soil: Bare soil, as heavily tilled soil too, is prone to wind and water erosion reducing topsoil SOC content. Practices like mulching in the form of cover crops, crop residues, composting, etc., prevent erosion and enhance SOC sequestration by establishing biochemical structures and increasing microbial activity, soil structure, and nutrient cycling. They also help with soil water retention and lowering the mean soil temperature [20].
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Establish areas of native vegetation: Establishing areas of native vegetation as a form of carbon farming primarily contributes to carbon sequestration, where the inherent compatibility of native vegetation with local conditions leads to robust growth and enhanced carbon absorption during photosynthesis. This not only sequesters carbon in plant tissues but also improves soil health through robust root systems that retain soil structure and prevent erosion, creating a conducive environment for nutrient cycling and further soil carbon sequestration. The promotion of biodiversity is another significant benefit, as native vegetation provides habitats for local fauna, contributing to a more resilient ecosystem and a healthier soil microbiome. Additionally, native vegetation plays a role in local water cycle regulation, affecting the soil’s ability to store carbon through its water retention capacity. Moreover, the reduced input requirements for native vegetation, such as the reduced requirements for water, fertilizers, and pesticides, contribute to lower greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production and application of these inputs, making it a more sustainable choice [21].
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Inter-crop with perennial pastures: Avoiding monocultures and establishing biodiversity with crop rotations of polycultures accompanied by native vegetation reducing areas of bare soil to the minimum, leads to cultivation of a field scale ecosystem. Moving in this direction means reaping the benefits of regenerative agriculture with microbial biomass and root networks increasing soil health, fertility crop yield, and SOC sequestration, while also avoiding erosion [22].
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Plant perennial pastures: Cropping perennial pastures entails cultivating perennial grasses with deep root systems that enhance soil-carbon sequestration, improve soil structure, and prevent erosion. These grasses capture atmospheric carbon dioxide, significantly reducing carbon release back into the atmosphere. Additionally, perennial pastures foster soil microbial activities essential for nutrient cycling, aiding further in carbon sequestration. They also promote local biodiversity, providing habitats for various organisms, which in turn supports a more resilient ecosystem conducive for long-term carbon sequestration. Moreover, being resilient to environmental stressors, perennial pastures require reduced inputs like water, fertilizers, and pesticides, thus reducing associated greenhouse gas emissions [23].
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Plant tree belts: Except from the aforementioned benefits, tree belts also offer wind protection for the crops, they lower the mean soil temperature by providing shade, they improve the biodiversity of the fields, and provide a habitat for various organisms [24].
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Plant trees for harvest: Planting trees for harvest, such as oil mallee, engages in carbon sequestration during growth, while improving soil health through enhanced structure and erosion prevention. This practice supports local biodiversity, contributing to a more resilient ecosystem. The harvested products like oil serve as renewable resources, potentially reducing reliance on fossil-based products. Additionally, the lower input requirements compared to conventional crops, reduce associated greenhouse gas emissions. Through a managed harvesting and replanting cycle, this practice can provide sustainable income and resources alongside environmental benefits [25].
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Retain stubble after crop harvest: Stubble retention reduces soil erosion, helps with water retention and infiltration while enhancing nutrient and carbon input. Its impact is even greater when combined with other practices and in general it enhances plant diversity leading to more carbon being sequestered. The results depend on the quality of the carbon input but in any case, stubble retention improves soil health [26].
4. Measuring Soil Carbon Sequestration
Carbon stock in soil encompasses both organic and inorganic carbon. The latter, soil inorganic carbon (SIC), exists as carbonate minerals within the soil. Soil organic carbon (SOC), on the other hand, is found in the following two forms: as fresh plant matter, which is readily available SOC, and in the form of humus or charcoal, known as inert SOC. Current research studies predominantly concentrate on the sequestration of SOC. Soil carbon acts as a significant carbon sink, capable of capturing and storing carbon which would otherwise contribute to atmospheric CO2 levels. SOC typically retains carbon for several decades, a duration influenced by decomposition rates, whereas SIC has the capacity to sequester carbon for over 70,000 years. Methods commonly employed for SOC sequestration primarily involve land management strategies, including planting perennial crops, retaining plant residues and compost, minimizing tillage, and adopting varied agricultural practices specific to different regions.
4.1. Traditional Methods
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Sampling design—stratification of the farm
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Sample collection
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Sample preparation and analytical methods
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Quantification of SOC stocks
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Scaling SOC stocks to landscape and whole farms.
4.2. Emerging Methods
4.2.1. Spectroscopy
4.2.2. Eddy Covariance and Carbon Flux
4.2.3. Remote Sensing
4.2.4. Electrical Conductivity
4.2.5. Soil Organic Carbon Modelling
5. From Research to Market
For these credits to correspond to real net reductions in GHGs and in order to be tradable, protocols have been developed. These protocols are in fact frameworks that define how to measure, monitor, report, and verify soil carbon sequestration (SOC MRV). Most of those focus on the benefits of GHG impacts of the project and each protocol has provisioned different included practices among cropping, tillage, grazing, input, and other variables that affect the state of the project. They refer to farming projects that implement conventional methods where they want to switch to regenerative agriculture practices. These protocols are designed to evaluate the impact of adopted practices in terms of the following:
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Additionality: The protocol evaluates whether the adopted practices in a project lead to emission reductions in addition to what would have happened by following conventional or other practices before project registration.
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Leakage: The protocol evaluates if project activities result in emission increase beyond project boundaries. For instance, if those activities for enhanced SOC sequestration lead to lower productivity, forcing agricultural land expansion in order to compensate, this will result in increased emissions in the net balance. Monitoring for potential losses is prescribed in all of the protocols.
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Reversal: There is a risk in the case of the release of SOC sequestered in previous observations, due to enforced actions or practices on the project. In order to mitigate this risk, a percentage of 5 or 10% of the credits goes to a buffer pool in most of the protocols.
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Permanence: Protocols require that generated carbon credits will remain in the soil in the long-term. Measures to mitigate the risk of reversals are in place. The permanence period can be 10, 20, 25, 30 years, equal to the credit generation period or dual options with 100 years period or 25 years with a 20% credit deduction, depending on the protocol.
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Measurement approach: One of the most popular approaches is sampling but models or remote sensing techniques are eligible in a few cases while hybrid approaches are also frequent.
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Model: In case of modeling approaches, DNDC, RothC, GGIT, FullCAM, or any other peer-reviewed model can be used.
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Baseline: With project registration a steady baseline can be set (static), a moving baseline depending on the results/predictions (dynamic), or both established by sampling.
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Stratification: In a few protocols there is required a minimum of 1–3 strata while in others it is at least recommended.
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Min samples: Three samples per strata or a number of required samples per 1000 ha.
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Sampling frequency: One sampling with project registration and least every 5 years after that.
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Allowable uncertainty: 10–20% in most cases.
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Protocol differences and things to be changed especially in the capture of spatio-temporal variability. The prohibitive cost of sampling is an obstacle for capturing temporal variability and the requirements regarding the number of samples are simply also not enough to ensure accuracy in spatial variability of SOC. Sampling is crucial in order to establish a baseline and stratification, depending not on a standard number but on geographic and soil conditions, is important. Other means such as spectroscopy, remote sensing or hybrid methods must be explored.
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Credit equivalency issues that occur from inter-protocol requirements such as sampling depth and equivalent soil mass. All soil sampling protocols require taking samples at 30 cm, with recommendations reaching 1 or 2 m depth. Sampling depth is essential to understand the effect of the enforced practices on the SOC distribution as well as monitoring the changes in bulk density. Equivalent soil mass is taking into account the changes in bulk density that lead to different soil mass mainly in the topsoil and ultimately having more realistic measurements. A more unified approach among protocols regarding sampling will bring better credit equivalency. This step needs to be made in order to give the opportunity to farmers to trade their carbon credits, presenting them with another economic incentive to continue carbon farming practices and reduce permanence risk.
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Project scale issues that go hand in hand with uncertainty. In terms of sampling, smaller scale plots that meet the protocol requirements have denser samples than larger plots providing more certain measurements—which still may be not enough. On the other hand, with regard to modelling—that can be a valuable tool—uncertainty grows inversely related to field scale. Scale categories may not be possible to be set but generating credits depending on the uncertainty of the results is feasible. Finding the appropriate project scale will lead to more cost-efficient MRVs that will generate carbon credits with less risk in terms of additionality and reversal. Establishing a regional SOC sequestration overview in parallel with a project-scale overview will reduce risk of leakage.
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Benchmarking ability is the key in introducing new methods for measuring SOC sequestration and quantifying the uncertainty of the findings. A plethora of geographic conditions, soil structure, spectroscopy, and other data certainly exist in private or open-access libraries. The development of a joint open-access library of high standards will help shift the focus onto areas with a lack of data and eventually pave the way for better model calibration, a more accurate baseline, and higher determination.
6. Conclusions and Way Forward
Carbon farming is on the rise. Respective tools and tradable carbon credit certificates are nascent and need to scale up in order to meet the set goals. Research is showing that approaches encompassing different methods and technologies will be the way forward. Innovators need to combine different approaches and technologies in the most cost-effective way possible to support the uptake of these solutions especially by small and medium farmers. The technologies and approaches that can be combined can be summarized as given below:
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Satellite and drone multispectral photography.
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Eddy Covariance.
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Electro-conductivity either from ground sensors or non-contact sensors.
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Spectrometers, both portable and low-cost ground sensors since recently, spectral sensor breakouts became available for both visible and NIR with each having a cost of ~EUR 25.
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Farming and meteorological data analysis through farm management information systems (FMIS).
Future possible research paths stemming from the results of this research include the following:
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Carbon farming policy impact and adaptation studies.
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Long-term sustainability and economic analysis of carbon farming.
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Integration of AI, remote sensing, and IoT in achieving lower cost, accurate carbon stock estimations at farm level.
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Investigation of carbon credit market dynamics and evaluation of possible farmer incentives.
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Investigation of the interaction of carbon farming with ecosystem services and biodiversity.
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Scalability and barriers to adoption of carbon farming technologies.
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Determination of the impact of carbon farming on the technical progress of agriculture.
The ultimate outcome will be easy access for farmers to issue tradable carbon credit certificates, increasing their income while providing an invaluable service to removing and storing atmospheric CO2.
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