The European Commission awards the project “LIFE+Agricarbon” for its contribution to Climate Change mitigation and adaptation
The initiative Sustainable Agriculture in Carbon Arithmetics (LIFE+Agricarbon) has been awarded as one of the best projects of the year by the European Commission. The Commission has chosen this project, from almost 400 European projects, for its valuable contribution to the fight against the effects of climate change. One figure reveals the importance of LIFE+Agricarbon: it has been shown that, thanks to the implementation of Conservation Agriculture, the CO2emissions of more than one million European citizens have been compensated.
The project, coordinated by the Spanish Conservation Agriculture Association Living Soils (AEACSV) and in which the Andalusian Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IFAPA), the European Conservation Agriculture Federation (ECAF) and the University of Córdoba, through the Agronomic and Forestry Engineering School (ETSIAM), have participated, has had a budget close to 2.7 million euros out of which 1.2 have been financed by the European Union.
This project has developed and demonstrated sustainable agricultural systems, based on Conservation Agriculture, in combination with precision agriculture techniques. Conservation Agriculture is based on growing crops while disturbing soils as little as possible, maintaining a permanent cover that prevents erosion, and practicing crop rotations that promote biodiversity. Besides that, precision agriculture promotes a more efficient use of energy thanks to the use of tractor guidance aids and variable input application techniques.
As a result of the use of Conservation Agriculture, CO2 has been sequestrated from the atmosphere, increasing soil carbon storage by up to 60%, compared to conventional agriculture. The project has also shown that these environmentally friendly techniques are no less productive than conventional ones and that the implementation of Conservation Agriculture results in cost savings for farmers, estimated at € 60 per hectare on average.
This award comes on top of the XVII Andalusia Environment Award, as the best project on climate change, and of the presentation of LIFE+Agricarbon as a success case in the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
More information: www.agricarbon.eu