The main objective of RECSOIL is to support and improve the national and regional greenhouse gases (GHG) mitigation and carbon sequestration initiatives. The program includes financial incentives that will be achieved by establishing a robust methodology that allows carbon credits to be traded. The Marketplace & Clearinghouse will enable and promote a liquid, generic market for soil-based credits, and others. As a result, additional and multiple benefits can be achieved: yields can increase, biotic and abiotic resilience of crops improves, and carbon and ecosystem services lost through traditional farming recover. Thus, carbon sequestered due to sustainable soil management produces additional relevant benefits at farmer level.

The guest speaker Professor Pete Smith, professor at the University of Aberdeen on Soil & Global Change, and Science Director of Scotland’s climate for change in Scotland’s, UK spoke about the role of soil organic carbon as a nature-based solution and global gaps. The presentation explained how climate smart soils had been around for years, and it relates to FAOs climate smart agriculture; the correct management of soils ensures a climate smart system of agriculture. The increase in carbon and the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission encourages an efficient agricultural mechanism. The Soil Carbon Sequestration (SCS) requires a limited amount of energy and significantly low negative potential, low-cost option, requires minimal land and water intake.

Ms. Rosa Cuevas, from the GSP Secretariat, presented the work of FAO on soil organic carbon (SOC) and how to unlock its potential. SOC is identified as the second-largest threat to soil function; therefore jeopardizing the soil functions leads to a loss of the inherent soil’s capacity to provide essential ecosystem services. According to IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land, increased SOC content is one of the most cost-effective options for climate change adaptation and mitigation, combat desertification, land degradation and food insecurity.

Mr. Ronald Vargas, secretary of the GSP secretariat, presented the current challenge in terms of global emission. The GSP proposal in relation to SOC represents an affordable investment and a viable solution. RECSOIL is a mechanism whereby farmers in central positions are encouraged to adopt sustainable practices to see a yield increase while using less inputs, which generates carbon credits. The step-by-step implementation of RECSOIL requires feasibility through understanding the current stock of carbon and examining the potential to develop a specific program. The benefit of enhancing and maintaining SOC does not only relate to food security but directly benefits farmers who will receive technical support and financial incentives. SOC sequestration is a long process, thus cannot be measured every year; the minimum cycle is eight-year. The MRV process is fundamental, and the effort of the GSP will help countries improve their capacities on measuring SOC. As Mr. Ronald Vargas mentioned, the MRV general protocol is a monitoring system that is in the process of implemented as a standard operating procedure.

Meeting report | RECSOIL: Recarbonization of Global Soils | Watch the video

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