Agreena's Soil Carbon Project Gets Verra Certified
Soil is second to oceans when it comes to carbon sequestration, and regenerative farming practices play a larger role in tackling climate change.
Agreena plans to issue Verra-certified carbon credits by 2025.
Agreena, a global fintech company in regenerative agriculture, has successfully registered its soil carbon project under Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) after years of continuous and rigorous efforts to achieve it.
The AgreenaCarbon Project is Europe's largest soil carbon programme. It spans millions of hectares of farmland and promotes regenerative farming practices, such as improving soil health, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and storing carbon in the soil.
Agreena CEO, Simon Haldrup, said: "This is a pivotal moment for the regenerative agriculture movement and steering much-needed carbon finance to farmers. Agreena is now positioned to meet the significant demand for high integrity, nature-based, European credits in the Voluntary Carbon Market.
"In doing so, we will be supporting companies to meet their net zero targets and nature-climate ambitions, where there is mounting pressure on them with sustainability disclosures. Regenerative agriculture is a vital nature-climate solution to improve soil health, biodiversity and climate resilience across Europe."
What is Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard?
It is a well-known and widely recognised standard for carbon credit certification. Agreena had to undergo several meticulous processes to achieve this standard, and it plans to issue Verra-certified carbon credits by 2025 and already started receiving pre-orders. Other businesses can use the credits to reduce their carbon footprint and environmental impact by working towards meaningful climate actions.
READ MORE: Chestnut Raises $160M to Scale Carbon Removal Initiatives
Conventional and Regenerative Farming Methods
Traditional farming methods are not sustainable as they degrade soil, negatively impact biodiversity, and release a significant amount of carbon dioxide into the air. Conversely, regenerative farming practices are considered more sustainable; they rebuild soil health, sequester carbon, and enrich biodiversity. The latter offers environmental benefits and could make farming more resilient to climate change and economically viable in the long run.
The United Nations’ IPCC says soil plays a constructive role in storing carbon, following the oceans. Soil carbon sequestration fights climate change and can potentially remove up to five gigatonnes of CO2 annually by 2050. This is only possible if farmers switch to more sustainable practices.
Farmers will also benefit financially through Agreena’s project. They will receive funding to purchase new machinery and be covered for temporary losses in crop yields. Through this validation, Agreena builds confidence among carbon credit buyers that their money will be spent on meaningful climate actions, as well as help farmers in their transition to regenerative agriculture practices swimmingly.
“Serving as the first-mover in the market to undergo this process of utilising the rigorous top-tier scientific methodology, Verra's validation of the AgreenaCarbon Project can give credit buyers confidence that they are investing in quality soil carbon credits,” said Haldrup. “This is one of the most nascent, yet promising, carbon removal methods to deliver positive outcomes for climate, nature, and people.”
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Source: Agreena
