Two farms in Latvia have taken advantage of receiving payment for capturing calculated atmospheric carbon credits in the soil – the Jaunkalējiņi farm in Grundzāle parish and SIA Dižavoti from Rugāji parish. This was achieved through their participation in the eAgronom carbon programme, which involves switching to more environmentally friendly agricultural practices, improving soil condition and increasing the amount of carbon within it.
"Agriculture is a significant emitter in a global context, but it also has great potential for carbon sequestration," notes Nauris Liberts, head of eAgronom in Latvia. He predicts that carbon farming is inevitable in the near future, as the European Union has set a target – to reduce GHG emissions by 35% by 2030, and to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
As N. Liberts explains, the eAgronom carbon programme provides farmers with the opportunity not only to contribute to a shared goal – reducing environmental impact and increasing soil organic matter content – but also to earn additional income. "Participation in the programme provides an opportunity to sell carbon credits generated by implementing carbon farming. Given the demand for them, we offer an advance payment to farmers who wish to receive payment for calculated credits as soon as they join the programme," notes Nauris Liberts.
"By participating in the eAgronom carbon programme and implementing carbon-sequestering farming methods such as leaving more biomass on the field, sowing cover crops, less intensive soil tillage, more precise fertilisation and reducing fuel consumption, a farmer reduces their environmental impact, thereby generating carbon credits. These are then certified through eAgronom and sold to corporate buyers – companies that want to reduce their ecological footprint. They can also be stored for the future, when they are expected to have even greater value," N. Liberts says about the programme's conditions.
The owner of Jaunkalējiņi, Kārlis Ruks, one of the first programme participants and funding recipients, explains that he has been using the latest field-tilling technologies for four years. "The carbon programme is focused on sustainable management and long-term soil improvement. It is also a way to combat climate change by introducing environmentally friendly farming practices. Essentially, this system means accumulating and selling the well-known CO2 'quotas'. Only in this case, through the intermediary of the programme operator, carbon credits are generated, which are then sold on to other companies around the world that want to reduce their environmental impact," explains Kārlis Ruks regarding his participation in the programme.
eAgronom is the first company in Latvia to start implementing a carbon programme. It allows Latvian farmers to obtain certified carbon credits and provides an opportunity to improve soil quality on their farms, while simultaneously providing an additional source of income. More than 200 farms across Europe are already participating in the eAgronom carbon programme, and each one of them is significant in the global context for reducing emissions on the path to climate neutrality.