Agrii has teamed up with carbon farming innovators Agreena to offer a bespoke service focused on helping its customers make full use of individual farm resources and maximise opportunities from the carbon economy.
The new partnership will help producers understand carbon farming better while allowing them to build a revenue stream from their own implementation of low carbon practices, says Agrii sustainability and environmental services manager Amy Watkins.
“Continuously evolving, we have been looking at how we can really make the carbon economy work for our customers for some time now and have carried out in-depth analysis of what people want to achieve from this exciting new area and the options open to them.
“Fundamentally, we did not just want to provide a service already offered by others but instead form a strategic partnership with a like-minded business that would allow us to develop a unique solution based on customer needs.
“After talking to various organisations, we decided Agreena best matched our requirements, not just because of their specialist knowledge in the area and what they can bring to customers but also because they best aligned with our vision for the future of agriculture and where carbon fits in with this.
“Furthermore, we feel both organisations can combine skills and insights in the future to deliver a specific solution to Agrii customers that really homes in on what they need.”
Generating farm income
Essentially, the new Agrii/Agreena carbon offer is designed to help farmers understand the potential value of their carbon, earn carbon credits from implementing low-carbon systems, and ultimately generate an income from these credits, Amy explains.
“The idea is to offer a simple to understand system underpinned by a strong scientific background which offers competitive financial benefits to farmers in an exceptionally flexible package with several options as to how they can get started.”
The major benefit of the Agreena programme is there is no commitment required to get a simple estimation of your farm’s carbon value. Farmers can then decide their level of commitment after receiving an estimation. Looking at ‘what if’ scenarios using Agreena’s tools can also help with planning a farm’s crop rotation.
“So, for example, the scheme will reward practices such as minimising soil disturbance, putting cover crops in, improving the efficient use of fertilisers and optimising the management of soil residues.
“If you decide to go further than a simple estimation, carbon credits are issued to growers who adopt one or more of these regenerative practices. You decide what to do with the credits you earn: keep them to offset your farm’s own emissions, sell them to your own buyers, trade them alongside your crop, or have Agreena help you find the best price. In a time where there are new opportunities constantly arising in agriculture, we see having the flexibility and choice over what you do with your credits as vital.”
For maximum flexibility, the programme is stackable with the sustainable farming incentive, and also offers both insetting and offsetting options, she explains.
“Insetting is where companies invest in projects that are related to their products such as a miller rewarding for carbon friendly practices to grow their ingredients, while offsetting is when such investments are not related to the product as is the case if an airline were to buy them.
“The benefit of offering both options means that producers have an increased opportunity to sell the credits, as the number of buyers and demand increases. Agreena partners with companies outside of the agricultural supply chain to deliver nature-based solutions, and companies inside the agricultural supply chain, such as Mars Incorporated.
“Some farmers see insetting as the lower risk option. If a farmer wants to sell credits to the processor/food company with their crop, then the platform will allow the farmer to keep their credits to sell themselves. Agrii is also working closely with the supply chain to offer grain insetting contracts within the supply chain.”
Achieving results for individuals
Thomas Gent, Agreena UK Market Lead, says the company shares Agrii’s farmer-centric focus and sees the partnership delivering benefits above and beyond simple carbon trading.
“Headquartered in Copenhagen with an office in London, Agreena works with thousands of farmers to actively transition 4.5 million hectares of cropland across 20 European markets. That makes us Europe’s largest soil carbon programme,” he explains.
“We work with third-party validation and verification bodies to ensure we align to the strictest market standards and leverage advanced measurement and reporting capabilities to measure real impact from the ground up.
“We believe our farmers are the influencers, pioneers and enablers of a modern agriculture and our aim is to help farmers transition from conventional ways to more sustainable methods of production in whatever way is right for them in the long-run.
“This modern agriculture is a growing movement and there is significant need for the industry to work alongside farmers and support these market enablers.
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Agrii and see their knowledge-based and research-driven approach to improving the science of agricultural production complementing our equally forward-thinking aspirations.”
Want to find out more?
In the weeks and months ahead, we’ll be telling you a lot more about this exciting development, including the staging of several events, developing case studies, and releasing podcasts.
To get your free estimation today, please register here.
