AgroEcology_Italy

This project is dedicated to transforming local agriculture by encouraging sustainable practices among farmers, reducing dependence on synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, enhancing soil organic matter, promoting efficient recycling of organic materials, and regenerating degraded land through agroforestry. These efforts aim not only to improve environmental well-being but also to enhance the economic sustainability of the region’s agriculture by reducing reliance on EU subsidies.

Designed as a grouped project for registration with its initial instance, the initiative is poised for significant expansion, targeting an increase to at least 25,000 hectares of cultivated land by the end of 2024. The ambition is to grow by an additional 25,000 hectares each year, aiming to cover a minimum of 200,000 hectares by 2030.

The project is expected to generate a total of 51,420,690 tCO2e over a 45-year period (2022-2066), with an average annual reduction of 1,142,682 tCO2e. Initial monitoring has already confirmed the effective sequestration of 8,044 tCO2e across 67 farms who manage a combined area of 1,474.89 hectares from January 2022 to December 2023, demonstrating alignment with the project’s ambitious environmental objectives. Furthermore, an additional 1,367 farmers have committed to adopting similar practices and farmers onboarding is underway as of 2024.

At the heart of Alberami’s mission is the goal to mitigate carbon emissions while boosting the prosperity of local landscapes and communities through sustainable, scientifically-supported methods. The project adheres to the International Carbon Registry standards under ISO 14064-2 and incorporates the LIFE C-Farms methodology, benefiting from collaborations with Italian universities, research institutions, and industry partners. This methodology, co-financed by the 2020 LIFE Programme of the European Commission (LIFE20 PRE IT/017), is complemented by elements from Verra's VM0042 v2.0: A Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) for improved agricultural land management (ALM), and the CDM’s AR-AMS0007 methodology for small-scale afforestation and reforestation under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). These methodologies quantify emission reductions from agroforestry, afforestation, and reforestation activities, including carbon stocks and fluxes, ensuring a robust and verifiable approach to carbon reduction and environmental enhancement.

The project's commitment to innovative agronomic practices and the revitalisation of uncultivated and degraded lands, coupled with its advanced Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) models, has garnered significant acclaim during its validation and verification process.

This initiative not only promotes sustainable economic incentives for adopting eco-friendly practices but also ensures long-term reliability with a 45-year guarantee and a robust double permanence buffer. It also employs a 98% accurate Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) prediction model, ensuring the production of high-quality, integral carbon credits. These features collectively enable companies to significantly enhance their environmental impact through durable and reliable carbon removal solutions.