OLIve tree for Verified Emission Reduction generation

Introduction

Land-use related CO2 emissions are responsible for around 14% of annual anthropogenic CO2. The agricultural contribution to climate change is due to the emission of mainly three gases: CO2, CH4, and N2O. In particular, according to Mbow et al. (in press), agricultural activity generates around half of all anthropogenic methane emissions and around three-quarters of anthropogenic N2O.

Climate Mitigation Potential

One of the EU's key challenges in the action against climate change is to exploit the climate mitigation potential of the Agroforestry sector, quoted from 8 to 235 million tCO2eq/yr. To achieve this goal, the development of a business model to remunerate farmers for the results of climate-friendly land management practices represents a fundamental element.

Project Overview

LIFE OLIVER will develop a financial incentive system based on exchange in the voluntary carbon credit market of emission credits deriving from the adoption of a carbon farming approach in land management, with specific reference to the olive oil production sector.

Objectives

In particular, the project aims at tackling the following barriers:

1. Regulatory barriers
2. Social barriers
3. Economic barriers

These barriers currently jeopardize the process by developing and certifying an international standard that allows olive oil producers to access the carbon credit market.

Awareness and Market Access

The project will increase and foster the awareness of farms with respect to the Verified Emission Reduction market, leading olive farms to sell their carbon certificates obtained by the adoption of a carbon farming approach.

Expansion of the Approach

Finally, LIFE OLIVER, in accordance with the results obtained during the methodology and protocol testing in the pilot areas (Italy, Greece, Spain), will support the adoption of the carbon farming approach in all European tree crops. This will involve adapting the international standard developed for olive cultivation to other agricultural sectors.