France

RECSOIL Partner Project

Phase VI – Implementation and Monitoring

Project overview

Number of participating farmers	Project area (hectares)	Annual SOC sequestration potential (tCO2e)
478, with ongoing enrollment	20 020	50 050 (conservative estimate)

Implementing Institutions	South Pole Gaïago Gaïago Financement
Project Name	“Soil Revitalization project in France” VPA 01 (Voluntary Project Activity) of the “European Soil Revitalization Programme” (Programme of Activities), under retroactive validation by Gold Standard Link to the website of the project
Region (municipality)	all regions within metropolitan France
Farmers enrolled	478 farmers enrolled so far (Cohorts 1 and 2) Note: new farmers are enrolled in 2024 and 2025 and will be integrated in the project as new Cohorts
Target area for scale-up	France: additional 20,000 hectares
Main Crops	Durum wheat; Maize; Sugar beet; Rapeseed; Potato; Soft wheat; Barley The project also includes plots with viticulture and orchard management.

Soil management:

Soil threats addressed

Soil erosion
Soil compaction
Soil organic carbon / soil organic matter loss

SSM practices implemented

Soil organic cover (e.g. cover cropping, organic mulch…)
Tillage management (e.g. no-till, conservation tillage, reduced tillage, precision tillage…)
Application of biostimulant for soil revitalisation NutrigeoⓇL -The biostimulant applied is a liquid product derived from organic and inorganic compounds, classified as a Soil conditioner. It accelerates the humifying micro-organisms and activates soil enzymes. NUTRIGEOⓇL has been designed to use several mechanisms to enhance carbon sequestration through increased fungal activity evidenced as higher C-use efficiency ,production of stabilised C molecules by the fungi, and increased soil aggregation by hyphae and glomalin production.

Soil analysis:

Samples taken	Cohorts 1 and 2: 2,546 samples taken over 1,273 sampling points for SOC baseline assessment
SOPs used	Determination of sampling location: stratified sampling Soil sampling: Global Soil Organic Carbon Monitoring Reporting and Verification Protocol (GSOC MRV), Annex 3 Further sampling procedures described in the VPA Design Document Bulk Density: Cylinder Soil Organic Carbon: Walkley-Black and infrared spectroscopy (IR)

Trainings conducted:

Gaïago has developed several training courses dedicated to stakeholders directly or indirectly impacted by the project such as Gaïago’s own employees, farmers and retailers. It includes the following types of training:

The University of Soils hosted by Gaïago and dedicated to retailers/distributors
The Fertility Clubs hosted by retailers/distributors (with the support of Gaïago) for farmers

The project officially contributed to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) n°4 on Quality Education. The following indicator will be monitored throughout the project: Number of employees provided skill development training via the project. On average, 370 people should be trained every year over the 5 years crediting period of the project.

Co-benefits of the project:

Reduction of soil compaction: NUTRIGEOⓇL accelerates the organic matter build-up in the soil. It improves soil structure which leads to more porosity, a soil that is easier to drain and less compacted.

Improvement of soil fertility and health: prebiotics like NUTRIGEOⓇL lead to enhanced soil fertility via the modulation of microbial activity. NUTRIGEOⓇL application results in a significant increase in the activity of key enzymes such as laccase activity. This enzyme plays a key role in soil revitalisation after intensive farming, helping to degrade a variety of organic compounds in the soil, including lignin, phenols, pesticides and other organic pollutants.

Further impacts: The first re-sampling (post-baseline) campaign will take place in 2025. The impact of SSM practices on soil indicators will be analyzed and integrated into a Monitoring Report to be verified by a validation and verification body (VVB) and Gold Standard.

Scientific articles published:

Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Alahmad, A., Edelman, L., Castel, L. et al. Prebiotics: A Solution for Improving Plant Growth, Soil Health, and Carbon Sequestration? J Soil Sci Plant Nutr (2023).
Agriculture MDPI, Alahmad, A., Edelman, L., M. Bouteiller, Castel, L. et al. Unveiling the Impact of Soil Prebiotics on Rhizospheric Microbial Functionality in Zea mays L. Agriculture 2024