After Dublin and Valencia, Padua will host the 3rd European Carbon Farming Summit from March 17 to 19, 2026. This is the main European event dedicated to carbon farming and the climate transition in the agricultural sector. It is organized by SAE Innova and Climate KIC, partners of the Project Credible consortium, and co-organized by EIT Food / EIT Food South (LILAS4SOILS coordinator) and Confagricoltura Veneto, with the support of Veneto Agricoltura.
The 2025 edition in Dublin marked a turning point: over 1,000 participants, including farmers, policymakers, researchers, and businesses, contributed to defining 165 recommendations from 41 sessions, offering a clear picture of European priorities as the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Regulation (CRCF) enters the implementation phase.
The message is clear: carbon farming is entering a new phase. The enthusiasm of pilot projects is now moving towards building credible, economically sustainable markets that are truly accessible to farmers.
Key Themes of the 2026 Summit
The Padua Summit will build on the lessons learned, addressing some of the most sensitive and strategic issues for the future of carbon farming in Europe:
• Finance and Investment: How to Make the Agricultural Credit Market Truly Attractive and Sustainable for Farms.
• Concrete Examples and Field Results: Real-World Case Studies of Implemented Projects.
• Rigorous yet Flexible MRVs: Simplify Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification, Especially for Small and Medium-Sized Farms.
• Carbon Property Rights: Who Can Claim Removals? Farmers, Credit Buyers, Insecting Schemes, National Inventories?
• Beyond Carbon: Enhancing Environmental and Social Co-Benefits, from Biodiversity to Soil Health to Rural Resilience.
Among the recommendations emerging from Dublin, considerable attention was paid to simplifying access for small farms, ensuring real economic value for farmers, recognizing regional differences, and ensuring consistency between European and national policies.
The key word? Credibility. Without clear rules, consistent incentives, and reliable data, carbon farming will not become a structural part of the European climate strategy.
Image Line at the Summit: "Giving Voice to Farmers"
In this context, Image Line - together with partners from the LIFE VitiCaSe project -, Teagasc and Farm Carbon Toolkit will promote the panel:
"Giving Voice to Farmers: From Practice to Proof in Carbon Farming"
A title that encompasses a shift in perspective: not just methodologies, certifications, and regulations, but the direct voice of farmers.
The panel will bring together 4–5 farmers from different countries and production systems to discuss:
• how carbon farming is interpreted in different territorial contexts;
• what practices they are adopting and with what concrete results;
• What benefits have they observed for soil, biodiversity, productivity, and business resilience?
• What operational barriers and difficulties are they encountering?
• What are the costs and complexity of certification processes?
• And above all: would these practices continue even without public or private incentives?
The goal is to bring the real-world experience of farms to the center of the European debate, contributing to a more concrete reflection on the economic, technical, and social sustainability of carbon farming.
Padua 2026: From Theory to Practice
The Padua Summit will be a key moment for understanding how to translate the European regulatory framework into real opportunities for farms. It will be an opportunity to discuss governance, financial instruments, market models, and technical innovations, but also—and above all—to listen to those who are already experiencing this change in the field.
Registration is now open on the official website: https://www.carbonfarmingsummit.eu/
