The Role of Soils for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation
Why Soils Matter
Arable soils are the foundation of farming across the EU, crucial for fertility, productivity, profitability, and long-term sustainability. Soils are now central to climate debates due to their role in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and supporting resilient agriculture. Scientists are developing methods to quantify soil organic carbon (SOC) for climate mitigation, while policymakers explore carbon credit schemes. Farmers are increasingly interested in carbon farming as a potential income source.
Effects of Climate Change on Soils
Climate change poses challenges to soil health, including:
- Increased erosion and nutrient leaching from heavy rainfall and extreme weather
- Frequent waterlogging or droughts, impacting plant productivity
- Greater pest pressure and altered microbial activity due to temperature changes
- Faster decomposition of soil organic matter under warmer conditions
- Negative impacts on soil structure and stability
Investing in soil health is essential to preserve ecosystems and maintain productivity.
How to Build Healthy and Fertile Soils
Building healthy soil takes time. Long-term studies, like Switzerland’s DOK trial, show that biodynamic and organic practices can sequester more SOC than conventional systems. Farmers can apply two strategies to stabilize or increase carbon in soils: (a) increase carbon inputs (e.g., cover crops, compost) and/or (b) reduce carbon losses (e.g., reduced tillage, rewetting peatlands).
Soil and Climate Goals
While SOC is often seen as a solution to the climate crisis, challenges remain—measuring, verifying, ensuring additionality, permanence, and addressing leakage and sequestration potential. SOC is not a simple fix, but carbon farming can increase farmer engagement and foster sustainable practices.
Balancing climate goals with other sustainability aspects supports the longterm health and fertility of soils.
Climate Farm Demo
Ongoing | 2022-2029
- Main funding source
- Horizon Europe (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Serbia
Links
- EEA Europe (2015): Soil and climate change. Infographic.
- The state of soils in Europe – Fully evidenced, spatially organised assessment of the pressures driving soil degradation
- Soil and climate. Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Frick.
- The DOK trial: a 45 years comparative study of organic and conventional cropping systems. Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Frick.
- Agricultural limitations to soil carbon sequestration: Plant growth, microbial activity, and carbon stabilization, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
- Carbon farming: Are soil carbon certificates a suitable tool for climate change mitigation?