A roadmap for carbon farming in Europe

Carbon farming (CF) has gained attention as a promising tool for meeting EU-targets like mitigating climate change with the enhanced sequestration of carbon in agriculturally managed soils (Green Deal, Paris Agreement). To facilitate the inclusion of research in the design and implementation of effective CF scheme policies, a comprehensive inventory was conducted in the EU-funded EJP Soil project Road4Schemes. This inventory assessed the strengths and weaknesses of 162 existing and planned schemes for carbon farming and additional Ecosystem Services payments, including respective tools for monitoring, reporting and verification.  In addition, surveys to assess stakeholders’ perspectives, compensation mechanisms, verification systems, and proposed measures were performed.

Key findings highlighted the predominance of activity-based schemes, the variability in scale, and the importance of addressing governance challenges. Based on these insights, a context-specific roadmap tailored to local and regional conditions was developed, integrating decision matrices and guidelines for a result-based scheme design, as the initial aim of the project. The roadmap provides decision-makers with a structured approach to implement CF-schemes that are adaptive, efficient, and aligned with local needs.