Carbon farming needs holistic approach

• Concerns over the EU’s Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming framework – An October 2025 analysis by Carbon Market Watch warns that the EU’s Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) regulation could worsen small farmers’ finances and encourage land speculation if not reformed. The article argues that carbon markets alone will not empower farmers and calls for a holistic approach focusing on farmer livelihoods and rural developmentcarbonmarketwatch.org. It notes that draft methodologies cover agriculture, agroforestry and peatland restorationcarbonmarketwatch.org, but critics highlight weak sustainability criteria and a lack of social safeguardscarbonmarketwatch.org.👉 Source: Carbon Market Watch – “EU must not bet the farm on carbon credits”

• Expert insights on carbon‑farming certification – In an interview with Baltic News on 16 October 2025, Dr Chiara de Notaris of the Euro‑Mediterranean Center on Climate Change explains how the EU’s CRCF certification methodologies are being shaped. She notes that debates focus on setting baselines to prove real carbon removalsbalticnews.com and highlights co‑benefits that motivate farmers, such as improved drought resilience, enhanced biodiversity, better nutrient cycling and reduced pesticide usebalticnews.com. She also points out that participation in the CRCF will remain voluntary and that full certification should roll out by the end of 2026balticnews.com.👉 Source: Baltic News – “Carbon farming at a crossroads”

• Regenerative farming as a pathway to attract young farmers – A World Economic Forum article (14 October 2025) argues that combining upskilling programmes with tech‑enabled regenerative agriculture can make farming attractive to younger generations. It emphasises that regenerative practices restore ecosystems, improve farmer livelihoods and build resilience to climate shocksweforum.org. With the global average age of farmers rising and youth participation declining, the article calls for practical training, accessible finance and innovation to help new “agripreneurs” build viable regenerative businessesweforum.org. The piece also notes that large companies like Nestlé plan to source 20 % of key ingredients from regenerative farms by the end of 2025 and 50 % by 2030weforum.org.👉 Source: World Economic Forum – “We need more young farmers”

• Benchmarking study finds regenerative farms outperform conventional – A new report from the European Alliance for Regenerative Agriculture (EARA), covered by No‑Till Farmer on 16 October 2025, compares 78 regenerative farms across 14 EU countries with conventional systems. The study reports that regenerative farms deliver 20 % higher gross margins on average while using 61 % less synthetic nitrogen and 75 % less pesticide; yields were only 2 % lower despite the reduced inputsno-tillfarmer.com. This research aims to provide farmer‑led data on the productivity and ecological benefits of regenerative practicesno-tillfarmer.com.👉 Source: No‑Till Farmer – “Regenerative Farms Outperforming Conventional Approaches”

• European Mission Soil Week 2025 pre‑registrations open – The EU’s Mission Soil Platform announced that the third Mission Soil Week will take place 5–6 November 2025 at Aarhus University in Denmark. The event comes as the European Parliament and Council provisionally agree on the EU Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive. Sessions will focus on scaling soil‑health investments, sustainable land management and Denmark’s strategies for reducing agricultural environmental impactsmission-soil-platform.ec.europa.eu.👉 Source: Mission Soil Platform – “Leading the transition towards healthy soils”

These stories illustrate both the opportunities and challenges facing carbon farming and regenerative agriculture in Europe. They highlight debates over certification rules, new research showing economic benefits, the need to attract younger farmers through skills and innovation, and EU initiatives to improve soil health.

See the opportunities for carbon farming funding at the funding page www.agriventures.co