Future of Carbon Farming: EU CRCF Leading the Regenerative Revolution
The European Union's Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) is an important step towards climate neutrality by 2050. This effort seeks to accelerate the implementation of high-quality carbon removal options throughout the European Union, including Carbon Farming. The CRCF was approved by the European Parliament in April 2024, and this is the first EU regulatory framework for certifying carbon removal.
The CRCF represents more than a legal milestone. It demonstrates a commitment to our planet's climate future. The CRCF inspires Earth Observation (EO) service providers to innovate, providing food and agribusiness management with low-cost and robust soil carbon MRV (Monitoring, Reporting and Verification) services for a more seamless regenerative farming transition.
The article investigates the prospects of Carbon Farming in the EU in terms of innovation, funding strategy, key values of carbon farming, and next steps. This offers a generous glimpse into the future of EU carbon farming, allowing businesses to adjust their climate strategy to be relevant in the future.
Embracing innovation
For EO service providers, the CRCF drives frugal innovation and development. The framework creates a regulated market for carbon farming, backed by the EU support infrastructure, which includes data, research, funding, and policy coordination. This creates a perfect environment for EO businesses to design and deploy dependable, scalable MRV services.
As more farming operations adopt regenerative practices and food and agribusinesses seek for carbon neutrality, there is a significant market opportunity for EO services, resulting in improvements that make these services more affordable over time.
The EU is funding research to discover the best mix of in-situ monitoring, modelling, and remote sensing for Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) measurement. The EU is now more focused on accuracy while also aiming to create plenty of room for innovation. Looking ahead to 2030 and beyond, emerging technologies like Remote Sensing solutions for SOC evaluation may gain traction as they evolve.
Financing regenerative faming transition
The adoption of regenerative farming involves de-risking the practice changes of the farmers, which is costly at the farm level. Currently, the transformation is supported by voluntary carbon markets, which do not appear to be effective because there is no real pressure or incentive for farms and businesses to make the transition. However, funding the transition to a carbon-neutral economy through the CRCF might include more effective measures, such as:
Public budget: Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to finance carbon farming activities from 2025 and onwards, with implementation negotiations already underway.
Private budget: Companies involved in food value chain can invest in carbon credits to accomplish sustainability objectives and incentivize farmers to adopt regenerative farming practices.
Public-private: Combining public and private finance improves the impact of carbon farming efforts, resulting in a speedier and smoother transition.
A defined financial strategy for soil carbon sequestration simplifies the transition, and hybrid public-private funding, along with a climate neutrality 2030 policy, seems to be the best way ahead.
Switching to an outcome-based system
One of the most noticeable basic principles of carbon farming is the certification of soil carbon based on the adoption of regenerative farming practices, with the expectation that the practice will provide carbon neutrality. This is not feasible since there is no one size fits all. Currently, CAP is based on a similar practice monitoring approach and has advocated changing it.
The CRCF represents a significant shift from practice- to outcome-based payment schemes. This suggests that, under the CAP, farmers will be paid for based on the real environmental benefits they provide, rather than merely following prescribed practice. This transformation requires extensive data and recommendation services, increasing the demand for EO solutions and impact monitoring throughout the food value chain.
The EU's CRCF is ready to transform the carbon removal landscape by creating a solid framework for certifying and trading soil carbon credits. EO service providers have a unique opportunity to facilitate this transformation by providing critical MRV services. As the EU transitions to a result-based payment structure, the role of EO firms becomes critical in guaranteeing the success of carbon farming initiatives. This also enables food and agribusiness managers to identify partners and work together to thrive in the face of climate change and shifting regulations.