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Don’t leave your carbon credits in the field this year
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AgreenaCarbon is Europe’s leading soil carbon programme. It supports more than 1,000 farmers’ regenerative transition over two million hectares of farmland in 19 countries, ensuring integrity outcomes for farmers, food production and climate.
Thomas Gent is on a mission to ensure farmers get rewarded for transitioning to regenerative practices.
Farmers need to start collecting and validating their carbon data, regardless of what they choose to do with it. One option for farmers is to use the data to earn and sell carbon credits.
Thomas Gent © Agreena
“Don’t miss out on another harvest of carbon credits. Soon farmers will have lost the opportunity to earn credits for the regenerative practices implemented this harvest year. That’s like planting your wheat and not bothering to harvest it!”.
Thomas is a 4th generation farmer and UK Market Lead at Agreena, Europe’s leading soil carbon programme. He answered all of our questions on carbon programmes and carbon credits.
To start, could you tell us a bit about Agreena and its mission?
Agreena unlocks the power of soil and natural capital to finance the transition to regenerative agriculture.
We work closely with farmers across 19 European markets and growing. Our solution for farmers, AgreenaCarbon, is Europe’s leading soil carbon programme.
Backed by a satellite-driven, digital measurement, reporting and verification (dMRV) approach, we help farmers, companies, and governments on their journey to net zero.
What exactly do farmers gain by joining the AgreenaCarbon programme?
It’s understandable to be sceptical, but the benefits are very real. Farmers in our programme can earn significant income from their carbon credits.
Over the past two years, we’ve paid out more than €15 million to farmers across Europe. Top-performing UK farmers can earn £100 per hectare.
What does it cost for a farmer to join the AgreenaCarbon programme?
There is no cost to join or use the AgreenaCarbon programme. The more fields you upload and the more regenerative practices you implement, the more you can earn.
Agreena takes an issuance fee from the credits before they are issued to the farmer, which is a 15% cut of the credits which are generated.
This means that farmers never have to pay out of pocket for participating in the programme.
Why are companies willing to pay for carbon credits? What makes them valuable?
Great question. The AgreenaCarbon programme rewards your shift to more climate-friendly practices by validating greenhouse gas reductions and carbon removals from your fields and creating verified, tradable credits based on those validations.
Companies purchase these credits to compensate for their hard-to-abate emissions, helping them meet their sustainability commitments.
These credits are traded on the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), where prices are determined by supply and demand dynamics, the quality of the credits, and market sentiment.
Our high-integrity credits, validated by third parties, offer assurance to buyers that they are supporting genuine and verifiable climate impact.
How are these carbon credits validated, and why should farmers trust their value?
All credits are third-party validated by DNV – the world leaders in assurance advisory – and are ISO accredited and aligned with Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard.
This ensures that the credits are of the highest integrity and legitimacy and can be trusted by farmers and buyers alike.
Once farmers have earned their carbon credits, what can they do with them?
Unlike other programmes, AgreenaCarbon allows farmers to choose what to do with their credits after each harvest.
Farmers can sell the credit themselves or bundle with their crops, keep the credits to contribute to their own climate goals, hold on to the credits for future use, or ask Agreena to help find the right buyer(s) to maximise their price.
This flexibility allows farmers to make the best decision for their specific situation.
With the harvest season approaching, what should farmers do if they want to join the programme?
Farmers should sign up as soon as possible to maximise their earnings. The deadline to sign up for the 2024 harvest season is June 30. They can learn more about their potential earnings and get started on the Agreenacarbon eligibility calculator.
This all sounds very promising. Any final words for farmers considering joining AgreenaCarbon?
Don’t miss out on another year. Harvest is coming, and we want to help you make the most of it. Join AgreenaCarbon and turn your sustainable practices into a profitable venture.