LILAS4SOILS

About

Agricultural soils in the southern European Union face severe threats from climate change, with the Mediterranean region warming 20% faster than the global average. This poses a risk of significantly reduced crop yields by up to 50% by 2050 if climate impacts are not mitigated. While agriculture contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, it also holds great potential for climate adaptation and mitigation through Carbon Farming practices.

LILAS4SOILS seeks to protect and restore agricultural soils by engaging a wide range of agriculture stakeholders to co-create and implement Carbon Farming Practices (CFPs). Over a period of five years, the project will support the development of five Living Labs (LLs) in six countries and involve 24 expert partners and over 50 farmers. By fostering collaboration among farmers, researchers, and local authorities, LILAS4SOILS aims to accelerate the transition to healthy soils. Active engagement of farmers and agri-food companies will ensure the uptake and large-scale impacts in the long term. Also, a Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) mechanism will be put in place to increase the number of farmers involved in the project, and to identify innovative Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) technologies that have the potential to overcome cost-efficiency limitations of conventional measurement methods.LILAS4SOILS will test CFPs in 85-100 demo-sites across a range of farming systems and different pedoclimatic zones that are being strongly affected by climate change effects. CFPs are focused on 1) peatland management, 2) agroforestry, 3) maintaining and enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC), 4) livestock and manure management, and 5) nutrient, pesticides and fertilizers management. The carbon sequestration potential, dynamics and effect on soil composition of each CFP will be assessed using innovative MRV methodologies that contribute to the standardisation of methods and provide a clear and reliable certification framework for carbon farming and the future carbon credits market.