UK farmers are being invited to enter Agreena's soil carbon programme for harvest year 2024. AgreenaCarbon, Europe's largest soil carbon platform, helps farmers finance their transition to regenerative practices and is now opening its fourth year.

More than one million hectares have been registered with the programme and AgreenaCarbon has already paid farmers more than EU6 million, with UK farmers earning EU36 per carbon certificate from their regenerative farming practices.

"Through regenerative practices — such as no-till, min-till, and the growing of cover crops — farmers can play a key role in the delivery of climate mitigation services and have an extremely powerful seat at the climate change table. Farmers need to be financially rewarded for providing these vital services and AgreenaCarbon does just that," said Niels Vittrup, Commercial Director at leading agtech company Agreena.

Farmers in the programme agree to undertake a range of measures, such as optimal use of cover crops and reduced soil disturbance. Agreena's internationally accredited and third-party validated programme quantifies the farm's greenhouse gas reductions and carbon removals and issues the verified CO₂e certificates. Farmers can keep the certificates, trade them on the voluntary carbon market (VCM), or let Agreena sell them on their behalf. An early payout option is also available for farmers, with funding provided by Agreena before certificates are issued.

"Farmers in the UK are facing unprecedented challenges, including economic and political uncertainty, changing weather patterns, and the reduction and eventual disappearance of the Basic Payment Scheme. AgreenaCarbon provides a vital additional income for farmers, ensuring their businesses are both profitable and environmentally sustainable," said Agreena's UK Market Lead, Thomas Gent. "We now have hundreds of AgreenaCarbon farmers in the UK who have earned EU36 per carbon certificate from the 2022 harvest, and many more are about to benefit from the 2023 harvest."

Agreena's carbon certificates follow an IPCC-aligned rigorous scientific methodology and the world's leading certification standards for ensuring carbon is removed. The company's leading remote sensing MRV technology allows it to continuously monitor, verify and report on-farm practices and outcomes.

The integrity of Agreena's approach to carbon farming was a significant factor in encouraging Nottinghamshire farmer, John Miller, to join the programme:

"One of the main reasons I joined the Agreena soil carbon programme in 2021 was that it was the only company that I thought was credible and whose carbon certificates would actually provide me with an additional revenue at the end of harvest," said Miller. "This is key as the voluntary carbon market continues to grow and evolve and I have complete confidence that Agreena will maintain its leadership position in this marketplace," added Miller.