AFT Releases Agriculture Carbon Markets Guidebook

American Farmland Trust published Top 10 Things You Wanted to Know About Ag Carbon Markets, a guidebook for farmers, agricultural advisors, and conservation professionals seeking in-depth information on agricultural carbon markets and climate-smart practices.  

The guide defines agricultural carbon markets, or an environmental market developed to meet growing demand from corporations with the supply of carbon credits from the agricultural sector. Farmers are paid for reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and soil carbon sequestration on their land, and corporations use the credit to offset emissions. Farmers can use climate-smart practices, including no-till, cover crops, and nutrient management to provide economic and environmental benefits to their farms, such as reduced input costs, increased yield stability, and greater soil health.  

“This guidebook aims to help farmers better navigate emerging agricultural carbon market opportunities,” said Michelle Perez, AFT Water Initiative Director, and guidebook co-author. “Corporations with sustainability goals are trying to satisfy some of their targets by purchasing carbon credits, some of which can be generated by farmers who adopt climate-smart practices. However, these agricultural carbon markets have been repeatedly described as the ‘Wild West’ because the programs are paying for different things in different ways, with different expectations.”