Carbon farming: what are the global trends and what is the contribution of digital innovations?
This was discussed on February 13 during the Conference to present the results of the Smart AgriFood Observatory Research with three guests:
- Irene Criscuoli, Researcher, CREA
- Gianluca Cavicchioli, Director, Unione Provinciale Agricoltori di Siena, invited by Image Line
- Leonardo Bellaccini, Oenologist and Production Director, San Felice, invited by Image Line
The panel provided a glimpse into the future of regenerative agriculture supported by agritech.
What data on Carbon Farming were collected by the Observatory, of which Image Line - leader of LIFE VitiCaSe - has been a partner for over 7 years?
From the analysis of 435 international carbon farming projects in the agri-food sector, it emerges that 39% are concentrated in North America, 33% in Asia and 18% in Europe, while the remaining 10% in Central and South America, Africa and Oceania. Considering the number of credits issued, China maintains the lead (43%), followed by the United States (40%). In a market still being defined, a significant role is played by digital startups, which propose solutions to support above all the monitoring and verification operations of carbon stored in the soil, but also the exchange of carbon credits. Among the most proposed solutions, there are those of data analysis and big data (45%), mapping systems based on images and satellite data (40%) and solutions based on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (25%). Startups with a digital offering active on the topic of carbon farming are 5% of the total global startups with a digital offering in the agri-food sector and collect 5% of the total financing.
Comments from the protagonists
UPA Siena has collaborated with Image Line since the genesis of the project, even before officially presenting it. Image Line was chosen as the leader of LIFE VitiCaSe because it immediately shared the values of the partnership: attention to sustainable agronomic practices, maximum dissemination and knowledge of the project, collaboration between agricultural companies and all the actors in the carbon farming supply chain.
San Felice has long been attentive to the adoption of technologies for precision agriculture that make field activity more sustainable. It has been using the Quaderno di Campagna digital platform created by Image Line for years. As part of LIFE VitiCaSe, Image Line is integrating the Quaderno di Campagna with a tool specifically designed to verify and monitor the impact on the soil of the carbon farming practices that we are adopting in the field, so as to make data collection and validation easier.
Cavicchioli and Bellaccini were interviewed by Tommaso Cinquemani, journalist of AgroNotizie (affiliated entity of Image Line in LIFE VitiCaSe), together with the director of the Smart Agrifood Observatory, Chiara Corbo.