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LIFE ENVIRONMENT |LIFE and Climate CHANGE mitigationA host of LIFE projects (including SINERGIA, Cropsfor better soil, AgriClimateChange, Petrignano, SOL-MACC, LIFE HelpSoil, and RegaDIOX) have monitoredand demonstrated the potential of reducedtillage, with projects such as SOLMACC going furtherand combining reduced tillage with non-use ofherbicides on organic farms.Soil monitoring is a common component of theseand other LIFE projects that provide climate benefitsfrom European farms. Member States haveused an assortment of different soil monitoringtechniques. The EU also has funded soil monitoringin 2009 and 2015 through its LUCAS programme,which could help redress this gap in the agri-climatepolicy apparatus.LIFE08 ENV/E/000129LIFE+AGRICARBONCrop contributionsFarmers’ crop choices affect farm incomes and GHGemissions. Intensification trends over recent decadesencouraged the installation of monocultures, but evidenceindicates that these highly – mechanised systemshave negative impacts on many environmentalfactors – including climate matters.LIFE project actions have reflected this fact andworked with farmers to identify cost-effectiveThe project worked closely with Spanish farmers to help clarify the bestways of boosting soil sustainability, without impinging on agri-profitability.“Our intention has been to promote certain techniques that have provento be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. What weare looking for within this broad sustainability framework is to focus onwhat climate change actually is, and on how to mitigate harmful effects ofgreenhouse gases through conservation agriculture and precision agriculture,”explains project coordinator Emilio Jesús González Sánchez.Conservation agriculture (CA) principles were applied to reduce tillage, slowthe decomposition of plant matter, and thereby promote the storage offixed CO 2.Increased understanding by farmers about the dynamics of soil carbonstocks was another useful outcome. “We have been able to prove at alarger plot scale that we are able to mitigate climate change due to anincrease in soil carbon by improving the sink effect of these techniques. Wehave also been able to reduce emissions derived from the use of inputsin farming activities,” adds Mr González. He identifies the involvement offarmers and ongoing use of CA techniques after LIFE as one of project’s keyachievements: “We have witnessed an increase of double the surface areain lands under conservation agriculture in herbaceous crops.”Photo: Gabriella CamarsaLeguminous plants fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil andimprove soil qualityalternatives to monoculture cropping. Such projects(which include Crops for better soil, AgriClimateChange,AGRI-CARBON and LIFE HelpSoil) have successfullyrotated crops (avoiding planting the samecrop on the same land each year) as a GHG reductionmethod. The amount of nutrients that the differentcrops can provide to the soil is being tested andmeasured according to the type of soil and climaticconditions.The SOLMACC project, for instance, is investigatingoptimal crop rotations between grass and legumes.This creates both environmental and economic advantages:the legume increases nitrogen fixation insoil (reducing the amount of fertiliser used) and thegrass biomass becomes a feedstock to produce biogasfor on-farm use.The Crops for better soil project is also testing leguminouscrops and first trials have demonstrated thatthey have the effect of fixating nitrogen to the rootsof the plant. This is then released to the soil, cuttingboth the need for fertilisers and N 2O emissions.Farmers have already expanded legume cultivationbeyond the project’s pilot plots. This suggests LIFEhas succeeded in its efforts to change the behaviourof farms that previously disregarded such nitrogenfixingcrops on the grounds of poor profitability.The programme’s involvement has helped to dispelsuch myths by proving that the yields and economic62
LIFE ENVIRONMENT |LIFE and Climate CHANGE mitigationsavings from climate-friendly leguminous crops canmake commercial sense for farmers.Another solution that is being tested is the reductionof annual pastures and the introduction of perennialcrops. Compared with annual crops, perennials(especially grasses) tend to allocate a relatively highproportion of carbon underground and have a greaternumber of days per year of active plant primaryproductivity, resulting in more potential biomass productionand carbon storage. LIFE RegaDIOX will testperennial crops, crop rotation, leguminous and permanentpastures using mulches in order to increasecarbon capture in soil.Cover cropsCover crops have a significant impact on increasingthe carbon stock at farm level. A number of LIFEprojects are demonstrating this positive mitigationeffect, including LIFE+AGRICARBON, AgriClimateChange,SOLMACC, LIFE HelpSoil and oLIVE-CLIMA. 1AgriClimateChange experimented with the use ofcover crops. Farmers have now established annual1 Cover crops can help to mitigate GHG emissions in four mainways: increase soil organic carbon content, decrease soil erosionduring the fallow period, reduce nitrate leaching, andreduce the amount of nitrates that need to be applied to thefollowing cropsmall-scale field trials to test and select the covercrops (mixed species) that satisfy their objectives.The choice of such crops is not predetermined, thefarmer’s decisions are instead guided by climaticconditions in a given year. The biomass produced bycover crops enhances soil fertility, with a recyclingof nutrients of some 20 kg N/ha for the followingcrop, thus reducing the amount of mineral nitrogenfertilisers purchased.Retaining crop residuesAgricultural crop residues returned to the soil canhelp mitigate climate change by increasing carbonsequestration, reducing direct emissions from nitrogenfertilisers and reducing the amount of such fertiliserthat needs to be applied to the following crop.The oLIVE-CLIMA project is sampling and analysingthe different material (pruned wood, olive-millsludge and leaves and other composted material)to determine the amount of carbon returned to thesoil. Another project (SOLMACC) is teaching farmersabout controlled composting. Techniques includethe collection of manure and/or plant residues; howto favour the microbial processes in the compostheap; how to form the compost heaps that facilitatemicrobiological transformation processes; and regularturning of manure piles using either standardor specialist farm machinery.oLIVE-CLIMA is demonstrating a range of climate-friendly olive crop management practices, such as the use of cover cropsPhoto: LIFE11 ENV/GR/00094263
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