Regenerative agriculture (also "carbon farming") is an umbrella term for various land use and agricultural techniques that aim to regenerate degraded soils while providing food, raw materials, feed, commodities, energy, and active ingredients. The Carbon Farmers team aims to promote regenerative agriculture's unparalleled potential to store carbon in the soil and restore ecosystems, all while improving the livelihood of farmers.
Soils are one of the largest carbon sinks available to humankind. Carbon captured in soils does not just support the mitigation of climate change, but improves soil fertility, reduces externalised costs and ensures long-term food security. However, the carbon sequestered in agricultural soils is not permanently stable, as microorganisms rapidly convert the carbon in the soil and release it back into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide. The crucial substance that permanently binds carbon in the soil is humus. The humus content in the soil thus determines the amount of carbon that a soil can store. Through the type of management, especially regenerative agriculture, farmers can influence the formation of humus to permanently maintain the carbon level and increase the sequestration.
Climate Farmers is a team spread across Europe, working closely with farmers on developing solutions that work for them. Furthermore, the team builds monitoring tools for industry and financial tools necessary for the successful capture and marketing of carbon sequestered in soil.
In the ClimAccelerator programme and working together with Munich Re and ERGO, Climate Farmers aims to develop the business case for regenerative practices.
For more information, please go to www.climatefarmers.org
