The Gigaton Carbon Goal initiative will reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the atmosphere by 1 billion tonnes by 2040, thanks to the use of sustainable agricultural methods, and will create a carbon market from which farmers will benefit directly.
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Sustainable agricultural solutions company UPL presented in Paris the project, which is expected to generate 15 billion euros ($15.3 billion) in additional income for farmers around the world.
The initiative has the backing of the FIFA Foundation and carbon certification bodies are to validate the credits. In each of the countries where the project will be deployed, UPL will create open ecosystems from which producers will benefit. The financing of soil analysis, for example, will be provided by banks, a study aimed at assessing the amount for which credit can be obtained.
“It is a long process that takes time and we help producers in that process with our partners,” Fernando Derossi, UPL’s Global Head of Agricultural Technology and Sustainable Solutions, explained to Efe.
The pilot phase of the project began in October 2021 in Brazil, Argentina and India, with more than 250,000 hectares and 100,000 farmers.In the two Latin American countries, farmers have already received their carbon credits, while in India they are still in the certification phase. It will now be launched in Europe with pilot phases in France and Spain, and later in Poland.
“We chose France and Spain because we wanted to have a variety of crops and producers. In France, with producers for cereals and, in Spain, with producers of intensive crops,” Derossi said.
The goal is to have at least eight countries around the world in a pilot phase by the end of the 2022-2023 campaign. The project is to continue with an expansion phase around the world. By 2024, it should reach one million hectares worked with sustainable practices to later reach 100 million hectares (equivalent to 100 million soccer fields) “as a minimum” in 25 to 30 countries.
The company is working in collaboration with the FIFA Foundation, which will be in charge of the social inclusion aspect through programs such as Football for School for children in rural areas. “We will attend to the needs of those parents who are the agricultural producers by facilitating the creation of carbon credits,” said Derossi.
During the presentation, UPL CEO Jai Shroff stressed that “the impact of climate change is much greater in agriculture.”He added that “the recarbonization of the world’s soils not only brings immediate environmental benefits, but also offers a new source of income for farmers.”
“We need to use soccer to have a positive impact on people’s lives (…) This initiative has a direct impact on the health of our planet. Global challenges require global solutions,” said the executive president of the FIFA Foundation, former Argentine President Mauricio Macri. ■