A pilot network of organic farming actors contributing to the uptake of climate farming and its co-benefits for a carbon neutral and climate resilient Europe
Abstract
The overall aim of OrganicClimateNET is to establish a pilot network of 250 organic farms to adapt, test, improve and implement climate and carbon farming practices. Key to this are the peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchanges between farmers organised in 24 hubs in 12 EU countries and facilitated by trained advisors.
Concrete outputs are:
Individual carbon farming strategies of the pilot farms as role models for the entire organic sector;
120+ climate and carbon knowledge materials, improved, translated and adapted to organic farming feeding into a decision support toolbox and freely accessible via the highly frequented Organic Farm Knowledge Platform;
Evaluation of carbon farming business models (including MRV and rewarding schemes);
Upscaling to EU level in a quantitative assessment of the emission reduction and sequestration potential of the EU organic sector based on the data set from the 250 pilot farms;
Engagement with other EU Projects and organic AKIS actors outside the network; and a network sustainability plan to sustain the network and knowledge exchange activities in the long term. Project results feed steadily in policy briefs and policy dialogue workshops to support effective climate policy design.
The 4-year project gathers 17 partners (extension, farming associations, research) from 16 countries allowing exchange between countries with a mature organic sector and countries where organic farming is less developed.
