Promoting carbon farming through the CAP

Carbon farming has the potential to deliver significant and numerous benefits. On agricultural land, practices such as peatland rewetting and restoration, agroforestry and the reintroduction of hedges, agroecology or regenerative farming, and the extensive management of grasslands hold much promise for carbon sequestration. However, the specific design of the measures and incentives is critical to achieve these benefits.

A Carbon Removals Certification Framework (CRC-F) would establish a common governance system and methodologies for carbon farming schemes. This may help boost carbon farming, but how the certified “carbon removals” will be funded and used is paramount. This report explores the issues related to funding through the sale of carbon credits (or offsets) on voluntary carbon markets and the potential of funding under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).