Regenerative agriculture is gaining interest and recognition by farmers, governments and the agrifood sector as a response to improve the overall sustainability of food production. It is referred to also from climate objective standpoint, i.a., within the EU CRCF framework. Cultivation practises that build resilience and soil health often align with soil carbon sequestration, thus supporting integrated policies and incentive schemes. For the CAP, result-based payments are increasingly being advocated by administration and farmers alike to increase effectiveness of policy (often motivation for the former group) and flexibility at farm level (motivation for the latter group).
But so far we lack management indicators and that would be sufficiently attributable, effective and supported by viable monitoring systems. Considering as indicators for result-based payments, soil carbon does not optimally capture the farm management benefits nor does it alone fully align with farm level sustainability objectives. Therefore, on the basis of five-year experimental study and aligned MRV development (Carbon Action collaboration), as well as parallel work by the European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (EARA), BSAG proposes to test Gross (or Net) Primary Productivity as an indicator for carbon sequestration with multiple benefits. GPP is calculated from satellite-derived NDVI and PAR data. It is important to note that the GPP is not intended as a direct proxy indicator for soil carbon stock increase, but if the right MRV is applied and due farm data is available, soil carbon stock can be calculated as a higher tier metric if needed.
The GPP as a target is expected to lead to increase of green vegetation in time (as days over a year/cropping cycle) and space (as arable hectares) through, e.g. addition/increase of undersown crops, cover crops, winter crops, legumes, green manuring or grazing, including switching to rotational grazing. In addition to increasing carbon sequestration in the soil through increased photosynthesis, these practises are associated with improved soil structure, reduced soil erosion, increased water infiltration and soil's water holding capacity, increased biodiversity below and above ground and increased farm systems resistance to diseases and pests. Thereby, this measure is aligned with pesticide and fertilizer reduction targets. The pilot would also help establish complementarity across the CAP and the CRCF. In this approach, additional carbon sequestration to qualify for CRCF certification would be accounted separately with additional farm level data on yields and carbon inputs.