Agreena: Soil carbon schemes to enhance profits of 2023 harvest

Moving into 2023, farmers in the UK can unlock new opportunities for increased profitability and resiliency with soil carbon schemes, says Agreena. In addition to a dry harvest year, the geopolitical challenges of 2022 hit UK farmers in agricultural inputs, according to the company. Soil carbon schemes, such as AgreenaCarbon, are ramping up to provide UK farmers support in retaining their profitability in the face of these economic challenges with a second revenue potential.

Additional revenue stream with soil carbon schemes

“Soil carbon schemes can play a key role in helping farmers overcome financial uncertainty by impacting the bottom line through an additional revenue stream from the sale of carbon certificates, at the same time as improving the environmental sustainability and resilience of their farming businesses,” said Simon Haldrup, CEO and co-founder of soil carbon certification company, Agreena.

Agreena’s third-party verified and tradeable CO2 certificate ownership sits directly with the farmer, who can choose to keep them, sell them to institutional or private organisations, bundle the certificates with their crops, or work with Agreena to achieve the best price.

Soil carbon certificates are selling for £20-£40 each

The number of certificates a farmer can earn is based on the adoption of regenerative farming practices, which reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) and remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in the soil. Farmers participating in the AgreenaCarbon programme receive up to three certificates per hectare, depending on the practices adopted, such as sowing cover crops or no-till farming. Depending on current market conditions, the certificates are selling for £20-£40 each.

Agreena says overall harvest 2022 in the UK was good, despite the heatwave which served to highlight the unpredictability that climate change delivers, with many farmers completing harvest in record time.

Carbon farming delivers a return both in terms of a revenue stream and long-term improvements in business resilience

“Harvest 2023 may well be a different story. Much will depend on input costs and the weather,” says Thomas Gent, a regenerative farmer from South Lincolnshire and the market lead for the UK at Agreena. “What is certain is that farmers will be looking for ways to remain profitable and achieve return on investment from their crops. Carbon farming delivers that return both in terms of a revenue stream and long-term improvements in business resilience.”

AgreenaCarbon for 2023 harvest year open now

AgreenaCarbon for the 2023 harvest year is open now. Farmers can log into the platform for free to quickly determine their baseline and estimated calculation of the value available from carbon certificates. The company has enhanced its programme offering to include more cultivation techniques this time around, “And there is more flexibility for each farmer’s business needs, supporting the pace of adoption of new practices,” concludes Gent.