CEMA is committed to greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions and carbon sequestration in agriculture. This paper aims to highlight the contribution of smart agricultural machinery to carbon farming.
The position paper, emphasizes the importance of considering broader carbon reduction opportunities, encompassing land and livestock management, as well as circular economy principles. When it comes to the measurement of CO2 efficiency improvements, CEMA maintains that the co-benefits associated with carbon farming practices should also be factored into the equation. Ensuring reliable long-term business conditions for European farmers and technology sectors is crucial for achieving overall CO2 emissions reduction and advancing towards carbon sequestration. The potential for the combined EU agricultural and Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sectors to become climate neutral by 2035 can only be realized in a holistic technology-wise and cost-effective manner.
Agricultural machinery manufacturers are engaged with farmers to foster climate neutrality, and the industry has long been developing and offering a wide range of innovative machines and technologies enabling climate-smart agricultural production processes. With the public conversation warming up on the forthcoming framework for voluntary carbon removal certifications and on the set up of a clear EU roadmap on carbon farming, CEMA would like to contribute to the discussion.
In the paper, manufacturers offer a broad perspective of carbon sequestration in agriculture, and focus on the following questions:
- How can smart practices and technologies support carbon farming and measurement of carbon sinks?
- What methodological framework would be feasible for the quantification of carbon removals?
- What policy support measures are necessary for fostering and scaling-up the uptake of carbon farming and carbon removal certification?
CEMA offers an analysis of the points above, and complements it with recommendations to EU decision makers touching upon: scope definition of carbon removals, good practices, level playing field, technology uptake, technology calibration and reporting obligations.
The European Agricultural Machinery Association also believes that the digital transformation which brings better connectivity, data streams and advanced data analytics will be a key enabler for carbon farming.
You can read the position paper here.
