What are the most promising options for result-based carbon farming schemes and what mechanisms can we apply to scale up these schemes in Europe? More than 75 stakeholders explored these questions at a Roundtable on 9 October 2019 in Brussels. A video recording of the event is available.

Carbon farming refers to the farm-level management of carbon pools and flows with the purpose of mitigating the climate crisis. Result-based carbon farming schemes require that a direct and explicit link is established between the results delivered (e.g. GHG emissions avoided or CO2 sequestered) and the payments made to the land manager. These schemes offer opportunities to better incentivise farmers to undertake climate-friendly actions.

Following the scene-setting by DG Clima and the study team, the Roundtable featured ten presentations from European initiatives already working to implement and scale up result-based schemes, including the French Label Bas Carbone, UK Woodland Carbon Code, German MoorFutures, Austrian WWF/Spar collaboration, Finish Carbon Action Platform, and many more. The discussion focussed on lessons learned and challenges, including Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV), reward mechanisms, and solutions to ensure the integrity of result-based farming schemes.

Ecologic Institute lead the organisation of the Roundtable, as part of a study for DG Clima that aims to deliver guidance for setting up and implementing result-based carbon farming schemes in Europe. Dr. Ana Frelih-Larsen presented the results of Ecologic Institute’s work on options for the design of result-based carbon farming schemes in Europe.

Drawing on the outcomes of the Roundtable, the study team will conduct case studies and elaborate a guidance for implementing result-based schemes. The study team is comprised of COWI, Ecologic Institute and IEEP. The guidance will be published by the end of 2020.

A video recording of the Roundtable [2] is available to view online.