Carbon credit certification and its role in the agriculture of the future

The proposed new voluntary European carbon credit certification framework, which is expected to be approved this spring, will create a voluntary carbon credit market in the European Union through which farmers will be able to obtain certificates for practices that contribute to carbon sequestration and soil-related emission reductions and that are sustainable.

The agreement reached establishes a robust and quality certification framework, based on four criteria:

• quantification
• additionality
• permanence
• sustainability

The regulation includes temporary sequestration units in carbon agriculture and emission reduction units in carbon agriculture, among others. In this regard, reducing soil emissions through the more efficient use of fertilizers will play a relevant role.