Speaker
Description
Introduction
The EU Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CF) Certification Framework (Reg. EU/2024/3012) demands transparent methodologies to quantify net carbon benefits. Tier-3 Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) systems are required for CF practices, but data scarcity limits model scalability across heterogeneous, fragmented agricultural landscapes. Within the MRV4SOC project, this study evaluates a Tier-3 MRV applied to agroforestry in the Po River plain.
Materials and Methods
The study was conducted at CREA’s experimental farm ‘Mezzi’ (Italy) across two soil types, with arable crops and poplar plantations. The MRV approach integrated field sampling, open data, and a Python-based RothC model simulating SOC dynamics. To test scalability, in-situ datasets were replaced with remote sensing (RS) and gridded proxies: ERA5 climate, gridded clay maps, SCMaP-derived initial SOC, and CASA-modeled aboveground biomass (AGB). A 2025-2035 scenario analysis compared a baseline (crop rotation with maize residue removal) against three mitigation options: i) residue incorporation; ii) poplar plantations on 10% of the area; iii) alley cropping system.
Results
In-situ model parametrization showed satisfactory predictive capacity (n=4, MD=0.21 tC ha-1, RRMSE=11.2%). Replacing dynamic variables maintained acceptable accuracy; satellite-derived AGB had the lowest bias (MD=-0.12 tC ha-1), while ERA5 climate caused a slight overestimation (MD=1.32 tC ha-1) via decomposition kinetics. Conversely, spatial soil properties reduced performance, both for gridded clay (MD=1.43, RRMSE=15.0%) and RS-derived SOC (MD=-1.68, RRMSE=18.8%). Combining all proxies yielded the lowest accuracy (RRMSE=20.5%). Scenario analysis indicated a SOC stock decrease for the baseline (1.9 tCO2eq ha-1 y-1), mitigated by residue incorporation (0.6 tCO2eq ha-1 y-1). Poplar plantations stored 14.1 tCO2eq ha-1 y-1 in biomass, while alley cropping stored 2.7 (biomass) and 0.5 tCO2eq ha-1 y-1 (interrow SOC).
Conclusions
While dynamic spatial proxies support scalable Tier-3 MRV frameworks, soil properties require field-scale verification to mitigate uncertainties. Alley cropping delivers a dual carbon benefit, enhancing living biomass storage and driving interrow SOC accumulation. Reliable CF certification must prioritize localized soil calibration.
Acknowledgments
We acknowledge financial support from the MRV4SOC project, funded under the Horizon programme (contract no. 101112754).
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