Moving from source to sink in arable farming

Which cost-effective farm management practices and tools could foster and ensure long-lasting carbon storage in arable farming, contributing to climate change mitigation?

The final report of this Focus Group has now been published. 

Read all the information at a glance in the Carbon storage in arable farming factsheet.

Tasks:

• Take stock of the current practices and tools which could foster long-lasting carbon storage in soils and improve soil quality in the different geographical and climatic conditions of the EU. Identify challenges and opportunities.
• Collect good practices and success stories from different European areas, especially focusing on farmers' and advisers' experiences.
• Compare different management practices taking into account the feasibility and cost-effectiveness at farm level.
• Identify success factors (such as knowledge requirements, partnerships) and technical/economic/social barriers, or fail factors, concerning the adoption of practices fostering carbon storage in arable farming.
• Discuss how these practices may be transferred to other conditions (location, type of production).
• Suggest innovative solutions and provide ideas for EIP-AGRI Operational Groups and other innovative projects.
• Take stock of the state of play of research. Identify needs from practice and possible gaps in knowledge concerning carbon storage capacity in arable farming which may be solved by further research.