The climate and food security crises are growing. Both problems are also closely related to growing – and agricultural activities in general. The good news is that farming can be a big part of the solution to both.

Agricultural activities account for around one-third of greenhouse gas emissions globally. These include carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O), methane (CH₄) and other gases that trap heat from the sun in our atmosphere and are leading to rising temperatures worldwide.

Global food security is also at risk, largely due to the effects of climate change and a growing population. Hotter seasons make it more difficult to grow crops in many parts of the world, and more and more harvests are impacted by an increase in extreme weather events. Conventional agricultural practices are meanwhile degrading the health, resilience and long-term productivity of the world’s farmlands.  

Promoting healthy soil is vital to meeting both of these global challenges. And the key to creating healthier soils is regenerative farming. This more sustainable approach to agriculture causes far fewer emissions than conventional farming and leaves soil better able to capture carbon from the atmosphere. Healthy soils are also more resilient to the effects of climate change, and more productive and sustainable for farming in the long run. 

Agreena is working to unlock soil’s potential and build a sustainable agriculture system for the future. Together we can address climate change, improve global food security, and benefit companies, farmers and the planet.

Overview

Regenerative farming involves using agricultural practices that restore and support healthier soils. 

The AgreenaCarbon programme encourages specific regenerative practices, each with its own benefits and risks. In most cases, however, risks can be minimised and should be outweighed in the long term by the benefits. 

Accredited methodology

The AgreenaCarbon project is audited by Earthood to ensure it aligns with the Verified Carbon Standard’s VM0042 Methodology for Improved Agricultural Land Management, v2.0. It is currently in the process of registration under the Verified Carbon Standard (Project 4022). 

Read AgreenaCarbon’s project listing on the Verra Registry.

The AgreenaCarbon project has also been audited by Den Norske Veritas (DNV) to quantify emission reductions and removals under the ISO 14064:2:2019 standard. 

Read about the ISO standard on the website of the International Organisation for Standardisation.

Farmers policy

Minimum requirements

To join the AgreenaCarbon programme farmers must: 

• run a rotational crop system (perennials and grasslands are not eligible)

• only include eligible crops in the rotation

• have a yearly yield (in order to generate credits)

• not burn stalks, leaves or other residues

Eligible crops

Farmers can only enrol fields in the AgreenaCarbon programme if they’re growing one or more of the following crops. As our programme methodology develops we will expand our programme to include more crop types.

• Alfalfa

• Barley

• Bean (black, dry, fava, mung)

• Beetroot

• Buckwheat

• Canola

• Carrot

• Clover

• Cotton

• Flax/Linseed

• Fodder beet

• Grass-clover mix

• Grass for silage

• Grazing field (non-perm)

• Hemp

• Lentil

• Lupine

• Maize

• Millet

• Miscanthus*

• Mustard

• Oats

• Onion

• Other grains

• Other legumes

• Other forage

• Peas

• Perennial seed grass

• Pharcelia

• Plain grass

• Potatoes*

• Quinoa

• Rapeseed

• Rye

• Sainfoin

• Sorghum

• Soybean

• Spinach

• Spring barley

• Spring wheat

• Sugar beets

• Sunflower

• Triticale

• Vetch

• Wheat, durum

• Willow*

• Winter barley

• Winter wheat

* If you’ve cultivated willow or miscanthus for more than 5 years before entering the programme then these offer no earning potential. Potatoes have limited earning potential because of the harvesting method, which releases more carbon than when harvesting other crop types. 

Terms and conditions

A farmer joins the AgreenaCarbon programme with a farm baseline agreement of 10 years for a group of fields. The contracts are flexible and farmer-oriented, while maintaining environmental integrity. AgreenaCarbon verifies the farmer’s reduced emissions from a farmer’s field activities and carbon sequestered in their field and creates verified, tradable CO2eq-credits. The farmer is the owner of the credits and can either sell them, keep them or have Agreena sell the credits for them.

Read the standard terms and conditions for farmers for more on your rights and responsibilities on the AgreenaCarbon programme.