Europe and the United States have begun to move toward decarbonization in the agricultural sector. The European Union (EU) will newly add agriculture to the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and will enter into legislation on carbon storage agriculture (carbon farming) by the end of the year. The United States included climate change countermeasures for agriculture in the Appropriations and Revenue Act (Inflation Control Act) enacted in August. Agriculture is likely to become the largest source of emissions as emissions reductions progress in fields such as industry and transportation. Efforts to pursue the twin rabbits of “decarbonization” and “food security” are spreading.
Carbon farming: A method of agricultural production that stores carbon in the soil, such as farmland. It is attracting attention as a method for reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere.
■ Sustainable wine production
Napa Valley, California, USA, is known as one of the world's wine-producing regions. Having been making wine in the Oak Knoll area for over 50 years, Trefessen Vineyards is committed to sustainable wine production. The vineyards are intentionally left uncultivated, the use of fertilizers is kept to a minimum, cover crops are planted between the furrows, and solar power is used to power electric tractors.
CEO John Ruell said, "If we create a sustainable environment, our grapes will be healthier, we won't need as much water, and it will have a positive impact on our farmland. Its regenerative agriculture." is now being evaluated as carbon farming (which reduces greenhouse gas emissions)."
No-tillage and cover crops are being used in Napa Valley (Harvest scene at Trefessen Vineyard)
Wine production is vulnerable to climate change. Napa, which has become hotter and drier, has also suffered major wildfires in 2017 and 2020. “Carbon farming makes vineyards more resilient and mitigates the impacts of climate change,” emphasizes Anna Brittain, executive director of Napa Green, a local nonprofit that promotes sustainable production programs.
■ 16% of wineries migrated
A certification system was introduced last year, and wineries that account for about 16% of the cultivated area will soon shift to carbon farming. In Napa, where many small, family-owned wineries are located, selling carbon credits (reductions) from carbon storage is not very attractive. Interest in sustainable agricultural production is high in the United States, and according to a survey, about 90% of millennials (born between 1980 and 1995) pay more. "The advantage of being able to obtain added value that meets the needs of the market and consumers is extremely large," said Mr. Brittain.
In order to meet the demand for increased food production due to population growth, modern agriculture has used machines to dig up the soil and apply large amounts of fertilizer. It has been pointed out that this led to a large amount of carbon in the soil being released into the atmosphere. The idea of carbon farming is that if greenhouse gas emissions are moderately reduced through no-tillage cultivation and the use of less fertilizer, more carbon can be stored in the soil as organic matter.
■ To set national emission reduction targets for agricultural land use
The EU, which aims to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, will set emission reduction (absorption) targets for each member country from 2026 onwards for land use such as farmland and forests. Position carbon farming as the trump card.
■ 16% of wineries migrated
A certification system was introduced last year, and wineries that account for about 16% of the cultivated area will soon shift to carbon farming. In Napa, where many small, family-owned wineries are located, selling carbon credits (reductions) from carbon storage is not very attractive. Interest in sustainable agricultural production is high in the United States, and according to a survey, about 90% of millennials (born between 1980 and 1995) pay more. "The advantage of being able to obtain added value that meets the needs of the market and consumers is extremely large," said Mr. Brittain.
In order to meet the demand for increased food production due to population growth, modern agriculture has used machines to dig up the soil and apply large amounts of fertilizer. It has been pointed out that this led to a large amount of carbon in the soil being released into the atmosphere. The idea of carbon farming is that if greenhouse gas emissions are moderately reduced through no-tillage cultivation and the use of less fertilizer, more carbon can be stored in the soil as organic matter.
■ To set national emission reduction targets for agricultural land use
The EU, which aims to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, will set emission reduction (absorption) targets for each member country from 2026 onwards for land use such as farmland and forests. Position carbon farming as the trump card.
EU to legislate carbon storage agriculture (European Commission headquarters in Brussels) =Reuters
The European Commission will present draft legislation on this carbon removal certification system to the EU Council and the European Parliament later this year, in order to create an EU-level framework for measuring, monitoring and verifying the carbon that can be removed and stored in soil. “Certification of carbon removals is an essential stepping stone towards net zero emissions” (European Commission Climate Action Directorate-General)
The European Commission has stated that "direct incentives (motivation) need to be created" to promote carbon removal and storage. make it available for sale on the market. The new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which will be implemented from 2011, will also incorporate the promotion of carbon farming, and establish a system that allows member countries to subsidize decarbonization.
EU to legislate carbon storage agriculture (European Commission headquarters in Brussels) =Reuters
The European Commission will present draft legislation on this carbon removal certification system to the EU Council and the European Parliament later this year, in order to create an EU-level framework for measuring, monitoring and verifying the carbon that can be removed and stored in soil. “Certification of carbon removals is an essential stepping stone towards net zero emissions” (European Commission Climate Action Directorate-General)
The European Commission has stated that "direct incentives (motivation) need to be created" to promote carbon removal and storage. make it available for sale on the market. The new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which will be implemented from 2011, will also incorporate the promotion of carbon farming, and establish a system that allows member countries to subsidize decarbonization.
■ Initiative from France
The Biden administration of the United States is also planning to increase the budget for climate change countermeasures through new expenditure and revenue laws, and to expand subsidies to farmers working on cover crops.
In the United States, a voluntary market has emerged in which private companies independently certify farmland carbon removal and storage and trade the carbon credits. Kenji Fuma, CEO of Neural (Shinagawa, Tokyo), which provides ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) consulting services, said, "In the agricultural sector, we are seeing carbon negative (a state in which emissions fall below absorption) beyond carbon neutrality. U.S. and European companies see carbon storage agriculture not only as a result of reducing emissions, but also as a new business and market."
The focus on carbon storage agriculture was sparked by the "4 Per Mille (1/1000) Initiative" advocated by France at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) held in Paris in 2015. . It is based on calculations that increasing the amount of carbon stored in soils globally by 0.4% each year could offset the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Carbon farming stores carbon in the soil as organic matter and suppresses excessive decomposition of organic matter to reduce the release of CO2 and other substances into the atmosphere. . Regarding no-tillage cultivation, it is said that the growth is delayed and the yield is reduced in the early stage of introduction. In addition, the amount of carbon in soil is difficult to measure accurately because it varies with weather and temperature, and there are various standards for certification of carbon removal by private companies.
According to estimates by the Rodium Group of the United States, agriculture and land use account for 21% of global greenhouse gas emissions by sector, the second highest share after industry and power generation. Yukiko Nozaki, chief researcher at the Mitsui & Co. Global Strategic Studies Institute, points out, "Agriculture has a lot of room for reducing emissions. If the EU's carbon removal certification becomes the standard, carbon farming will gain global attention."
At COP26, held in Glasgow, England last year, the theme of land use, such as forests and agricultural land, was taken up like never before. The Summit Declaration on Forests and Land Use, signed by more than 140 countries, promises to "redesign, where necessary, agricultural policies and programs to encourage sustainable agriculture and promote food security."
