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1. Farmers reduce their emissions and store carbon in their soil by implementing regenerative agriculture, which includes the following agronomic practices:
It is worth noting that each farm context is unique, meaning that each regenerative agriculture journey will be different. Farmers entering our programme are offered in-house, tailored guidance on the best practices to adopt for an optimal transition based on their individual profile.
2. Through our farmers’ platform, we collect operational data and monitor farmers’ practice changes each year. Carbon is used as a concrete indicator of regenerative agriculture implementation, as it is an excellent proxy for soil health. Indeed, the level of carbon in the soil reveals the level of soil organic matter, which is what supports soil’s many ecosystem functions and makes it ‘alive’.
3. We certify farmers’ carbon improvements resulting from their practice changes. The certified carbon improvements (Soil Capital certificates) are subsequently sold on the voluntary carbon market to food & fibre companies wishing to do insetting, or other climate-conscious companies wishing to contribute to regenerate the agriculture sector. This enables companies to support farmers in their transition, and farmers to receive payments according to their delivered ecosystem services.
Soil Capital certificates are certified carbon improvements. They represent, value and monetize the carbon emissions which have been successfully reduced or removed from the atmosphere through sustainable farming practices otherwise known as regenerative agriculture.
Each carbon certificate is worth one tonne of CO2 equivalent emissions reduced or removed (through carbon sequestration in the fields). For us, however, certification goes much beyond carbon.
We see the certificate mechanism first and foremost as a vector for positive change in the food system:
Not to be confused for carbon credits used for offsetting, Soil Capital certificates are:
What sets apart projects using carbon as a leading indicator of regenerative agriculture implementation is the quality of their Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV)1 methodology. MRV is what warrants the environmental impact of a specific mitigation activity (e.g. emission reductions through regenerative agriculture), so that it can be awarded a monetary value (e.g. carbon certificates). Soil Capital has developed a platform which can collect and analyse operational data at scale through a reliable, efficient and farmer-friendly process. Soil Capital’s MRV methodology is certified against ISO (the International Organization for Standardisation) standard 2 and audited each year by an independent third party. This is in line with the European Commission’s upcoming regulation on carbon removal certification3. This MRV tool enables companies to monitor farming practices and reward farmers according to these practices.
Our team of agronomists and data science experts work with industry-leading MRV technologies and procedures to ensure that our certificates are of the highest possible quality. Here’s how:
Our certification programme brings together multiple monitoring techniques to provide the most robust quantification of our farmers’ GHG results. We combine modelling, using DNDC (DeNitrification-DeComposition) and the Cool Farm Tool (CFT), remote sensing technology together with direct soil analysis input collected from the fields. All of our monitoring tools have been developed in line with the latest IPCC recommendations 4.
When farmers enter our program, we gather information on their farms’ profile to make a carbon baseline analysis. In the following years, yearly carbon assessments are made to track changes in the farms’ carbon performance.
We’ve designed a farm management software through which our farmers can seamlessly provide us with their operational and management practice data. This information is collected on a yearly basis and combined with public data sources for scientific soundness (e.g. soil characteristic data).
Central to us is the in-depth quality control integrated into our reporting process. Each farmer case is processed by our expert agronomists, notably through a direct meeting, to check the coherence of the data provided.
We can then provide our corporate partners with details and agronomic insights on the farmers within their supply shed. It is worth noting here that we never share direct, identifiable data, only group datasets.
Our monitoring and reporting of farms’ GHG results is verified every year by an external independent auditor, TÜV Rheinland.
TÜV Rheinland verifies the integrity, soundness and correct processing of our data systems in compliance with ISO standards.
This auditing process also involves a yearly random sampling of farmers for a deep-dive on the integrity of their farm records, which is complemented by farmer interviews and on-site visits.
Yes. We have decided to adhere to standards from ISO, which enables us to work internationally using our protocol.
Furthermore, our programme already delivers against the scope of SBTi FLAG (the Forestry, Land Use and Agriculture Guidance)5 and is committed to alignment with the GHG Protocol Land Sector and Removals Guidance6 once it is finalised - namely the two world frameworks governing corporate sustainability. This means that our certificates deliver reportable supply chain emissions removals which are accountable towards achieving SBTi FLAG targets.
By using third-party verification and listing our certificates on a public registry7, our certification programme already satisfies the requirements of the EU’s proposed regulation on carbon removal certification8.
Soil Capital is a founding member of the Climate Agriculture Alliance9, regrouping members of the European carbon farming industry. The Alliance itself is a member of the Expert Group on carbon removals10, assisting the European Commission's regulatory work on voluntary certification, and provides technical advice on good practices for carbon certification in agriculture.
Furthermore, Soil Capital is actively involved in MRV4SOC, a research project which feeds into the Commission’s work on carbon removals. MRV4SOC aims at ensuring robust MRV methodologies to quantify soil organic carbon stocks, to boost the implementation of sustainable carbon farming solutions. Our unique involvement in applied research keeps us at the forefront of technical improvements and ensures compliance with EU policy guidelines.
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Learn more about how your company can invest in the regenerative transition.
Join the farmers who improve soil health and get rewarded for it.
Learn more about how your company can invest in the regenerative transition.
