There’s growing skepticism over carbon sequestration programs that pay farmers to adopt new practices, according to a new Farm Futures survey.
In the March survey of just over 1,000 farmers, 41% ‘completely or somewhat’ supported public or private programs that would compensate their farm for engaging in climate-friendly practices. Three out of ten said they ‘somewhat’ supported the idea, but 29% had not much, or no support, for the concept.
What’s at stake
Agriculture contributes about 10% to greenhouse gas but is an industry with the unique capacity to sequester carbon, thus lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Companies unable to reduce their own carbon footprint are beginning to ‘buy’ credits through carbon marketplaces such as Indigo Carbon or Nori; these brokers help farmers adapt new practices and measure changes in order to qualify for ‘carbon credits.’ They also take a piece of the income for their efforts, and farmers get paid the rest. According to Ecosystem marketplace, a carbon offset is defined as an instrument representing the reduction, avoidance, or sequestration of one metric tonne of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gas equivalent.