The Ag-tech firm, Agreena, is encouraging all farmers to get involved in the carbon market, with the help of Agreena’s internationally accredited soil carbon certification programs.
Using the AgreenaCarbon platform, farmers can record their green house gas and carbon emission reductions, to secure verified carbon certificates; which are owned solely by the farmers – meaning you choose what you do with your carbon values.
One carbon certificate equates to one tonne of carbon and/or green house gas emissions (GHG) removed from the atmosphere. Therefore, farmers who adopt regenerative agricultural practices could be making a profit from their reduced on-farm emissions: Agreena has estimated that earnings could be between £15-30 per certificate, or £35-60 per ha.
How it works for the farmers
On the AgreenaCarbon platform, farmers can sign up to enter their field data and see the earning potential of their land. Farmers then enter the data validation and contracting stage of the process; field actuals are then reported for final data submission, before external verification is completed and farmers receive their certificates.
Once you have received your verified carbon certificates, you can choose what you do with them, to meet the needs of your business. Some options for farmers include selling the certificates to your own buyers; holding on to them to offset your farm emissions; selling them alongside your crops; or even selling through Agreena, who will help you to find the best price.
Agreena’s Buyer Screening Policy
For those farmers wishing to sell their carbon values through Agreena, you can rest assured that the buyers have been fully vetted. As part of the Buyer Screening Policy, Agreena request that each company has:
- A communicated emissions reduction target
- A plan for how to reduce their emissions going forward
- An already proven emission reduction statement
- A public stated net-zero target year
- A calculation of their own emissions (ideally to scope 1, 2 and 3)
Originally from Denmark, Agreena now has a well established UK team, though it works with farmers from all across the European continent.
The company acknowledges the economic and educational barriers facing farms, in the transition to regenerative agriculture, which is why they are helping bridge that gap – by showing farmers how they can financially benefit and control their transition via the voluntary carbon market (VCM).
Voluntary carbon market
The VCM is defined by Agreena as the ‘private sector’s response to climate change’, which has been developed by enthusiasts using common principles for GHG reductions or removals and supports investment into innovations required to lower the cost of emerging climate technologies.
Through the VCM, finance is more readily available to projects which may otherwise struggle to gain traction.
For farmers looking to make the most of their farm’s carbon values, the closing deadline for 2022’s AgreenaCarbon carbon harvest is June 30. For more information, please visit agreena.com.
