reNature and Climate Neutral Group join forces on rewarding regenerative carbon farming

reNature and Climate Neutral Group (CNG) are announcing their partnership to contribute to the transformation of agriculture into a climate solution. Both organisations were introduced by the Dutch Foundation DOEN, who is now also financially supporting both organizations. The partnership will make it easier for farmers to receive support on regenerative agriculture practices, and at the same time receive financial rewards for carbon farming in a trusted and transparent manner. Now, we’re ready to collaborate with agrifood businesses who now can receive support from us to make their supply chains more sustainable - with certified results. Applying agroforestry and other nature-based solutions generates a multitude of benefits for farmers and corporates alike.

There’s increasing recognition that nature and agriculture can cooperate instead of compete and can help to solve the climate crisis. Changing from conventional to regenerative agriculture has an important role to play. In the global quest to provide food, many economic and chemical principles have led to enormous deforestation, land exploitation and monocultures in order to maximize revenue per unit of land. At the end, this turns out to be counterproductive: top soil degradation, decreasing harvests, low quality of crops, loss of biodiversity, and an increase in greenhouse gas emissions are only some of the unforeseen effects.

Such ‘degenerative agriculture’ should become regenerative agriculture, and valuing carbon can be a key strategy to drive that transition.

The Model Farm at the Anauá Nursery in Brazil helps to accelerate Regenerative Agroforestry locally as well as being an important knowledge-hub contributing to the knowledge base globally. It creates multipliers of agricultural systems that regenerate the soil and restore forests, improving microclimate and water quality. At the same time, the Model Farm produces plenty of healthy food which increases financial independence.

Ground preparation at Anauá Model Farm: this degraded pasture will be turned into a regenerative cocoa agroforestry system (Source: Hudson / Anauá Nursery)

reNature and CNG are going to develop projects worldwide. Also in The Netherlands, a Model Farm will be piloted. This project will follow the principles of silvopasture in a combination of regenerative agroforestry and regenerative grazing.

How can agrifood businesses incorporate regenerative carbon farming into their supply chains and contribute to the needed climate action? Two examples are given: a coffee company and a dairy manufacturer.

Coffee plantations are under threat from climate change: because of increasing dry periods, harvests are under pressure. Shading with trees is a simple intervention that provides shade for the coffee bushes, increases biodiversity, and supports water management. At the same time, carbon is sequestered in the growing trees as well as in the enriched soil.

A dairy farmer can be supported by changing pasture management practices, using natural fertilisers, and by using feed supplements to limit ruminant’s burps. The effects are reduced methane emissions as well as capturing and storing carbon in the soil.

In the Pedra Preta project, coffee plants are shaded by bananas and mahogany (Souce: Eduardo Sousa)

Farmers are increasingly looking at regenerative agriculture and carbon farming as attractive business models. Corporates are increasingly taking accountability for the environmental footprint of their whole supply chain for their products and contribute meaningfully for our planet.

Climate Neutral Group (CNG) has been leading in climate neutral entrepreneurship since 2002 and helping businesses to reach Net Zero CO2 by 2050. Our dedicated climate experts use innovative tools to achieve credible and transparent results. CNG offers qualitatively responsible offsetting and insetting solutions. All steps taken can be independently tested against CNG’s Climate Neutral Certification program. Our Project Development and Certification experts are skilled in bringing reduced CO2 emissions via new technologies and circular agriculture systems to the market via carbon financing. Our experts in the Netherlands and South Africa translate carbon emission innovations into a methodology, which can be certified under VCS or Gold Standard.

Contact:

John Leppers, Director

john.leppers@climateneutralgroup.com

About reNature:

reNature Investments BV (reNature) is a Dutch for-profit organization. reNature develops and implements regenerative agriculture and agroforestry systems that generate both short and long-term income for the local farmers & community and have a positive impact on the environment.

renature.co 

Contact:

Marco de Boer

marco.deboer@renature.co

Header image by Ákos Szabó via Pexels