This project aims to develop an interdisciplinary assessment of the potential of carbon farming in Sweden as a climate measure, focusing on the farmers' perspectives.
How can agriculture contribute to climate solutions? The expansion of carbon farming in agricultural land is promoted as a key strategy to transform agriculture sustainably from a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to a carbon sink. In line with this, different initiatives have been taken in both the public and private sectors to promote carbon farming as a climate mitigation strategy. This project aims to develop an interdisciplinary assessment of the potential of carbon farming in Sweden as a climate measure, focusing on the farmers' perspectives.
Background
Carbon farming - agricultural practices to sequester carbon in the soil and reduce GHG emissions- is increasingly proposed as a solution to reduce the agricultural sector's contribution to climate change and to achieve set climate goals. There is as of yet no common definition or standard for what carbon farming is. The lack of a standard, combined with the surging interest in agriculture as a carbon sink means that the concept is now negotiated and turned into practice in different ways, and with different underlying interests, across the globe.
The study
Our overall aim with this research is to assess the potential of carbon farming as a climate mitigation strategy, focusing on farmers' perspectives on this practice and combining critical and solution-oriented analysis to contribute to a sustainable transformation of agriculture. This project intends to contribute knowledge about these issues based on an interdisciplinary approach. Data collection will involve interviews, focus groups, participant observation in the field, and a comprehensive survey among farmers, combined with policy analysis. We intend to:
- Identify the drivers and obstacles for farmers to engage in carbon farming and how such driving forces and obstacles may affect different groups of producers.
- Evaluate potential synergy effects, trade-offs and conflicts linked to carbon farming as a climate mitigation strategy concerning other social and environmental goals.
- Recognise current needs and deficiencies, as well as possible measures, support and policy instruments that can promote increased carbon farming in Swedish agricultural land through interactions with key stakeholders in the agricultural and environmental sectors and other forms of collaboration with them.
Publications in the project
Alejandra Figueredo (2024). A review of research on farmers' perspectives and attitudes towards carbon farming as a climate change mitigation strategy, Urban and Rural report, 2024:5. Uppsala: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 46 pages.
