SoilCapital offers innovative carbon farming solutions, enabling farmers to improve soil health and earn carbon credits, thus contributing to climate change mitigation. Their program supports the transition to regenerative agricultural practices by providing a comprehensive framework that integrates agronomic guidance with robust financial incentives. This approach not only enhances agricultural productivity but also represents a strategic move towards sustainable land management.
By leveraging a comprehensive carbon farming program, SoilCapital provides a robust framework for farmers to contribute effectively to climate change mitigation. The solutions are designed to facilitate soil carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, offering a tangible path for farmers to engage in environmental stewardship while benefiting economically.
Key Features
SoilCapital stands out as Europe's first certified, multi-national carbon farming program, providing a credible and scalable solution for regenerative agriculture. The program is meticulously designed to combine scientific agronomy with market-driven incentives, ensuring that farmers receive comprehensive support to maximize soil health and carbon sequestration. This includes ongoing expert guidance from a team of agronomists and farmers, offering deep practical and technical knowledge.
A core aspect of SoilCapital's offering is its transparent and farmer-centric financial model. Farmers are empowered to earn significant income from carbon credits, retaining 70% of the revenue from sold certificates. This has translated into substantial payouts, with an average of €8,000 for farmers in the 2022 harvest and over €10 million already redistributed across the network.
Technology plays a crucial role through the mySoilCapital app, a dedicated farmer-facing digital platform. This app facilitates data collection, enables farmers to calculate regenerative performance metrics, and monitors key indicators. It leverages satellite remote sensing to verify practices such as cover cropping and reduced tillage, ensuring accurate and transparent monitoring. The program's MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification) methodology is rigorously certified against the ISO 14064-2 standard and undergoes annual audits by an independent third party, TÜV Rheinland, while SustainCERT has validated its methodology for calculating emission factors.
Further enhancing its capabilities, SoilCapital recently launched the 'Beyond Carbon' upgrade. This innovative feature introduces a comprehensive framework to measure farm performance across five critical areas: soil health, biodiversity, water management, climate, and socio-economics. Powered by a 'Regen Ag Score' with over 30 indicators, it provides a holistic view of sustainability. The carbon certificates generated through the program deliver reportable supply chain emissions removals that are accountable towards achieving SBTi FLAG targets and align with the EU's proposed regulation on carbon removal certification, making them highly valuable for businesses aiming to reduce their Scope 3 emissions.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Coverage | Over 500,000 hectares of farmland |
| Geographic Reach | France, Belgium, UK (expanding to other EU countries) |
| Program Duration | 5-year crediting period (repeatable up to 20 years) |
| Carbon Credit Unit | 1 Soil Capital Unit = 1T CO2e |
| MRV Verification Standard | ISO 14064-2 |
| MRV Audit Body | TÜV Rheinland (annual) |
| Emission Factor Methodology Validation | SustainCERT |
| Minimum Farmer Payout per T CO2e | €27.50 |
| Farmer Carbon Credit Revenue Share | 70% |
| Average Farmer Payout (2022 Harvest) | €8,000 |
| Total Revenue Redistributed to Farmers | Over €10 million |
| Digital Platform | mySoilCapital app |
| Verification Technology | Satellite remote sensing |
Use Cases & Applications
SoilCapital's carbon farming solutions serve various critical applications in modern agriculture. Primarily, they enable arable farmers, whether conventional or organic, to effectively transition to regenerative agricultural practices. This transition is crucial for improving soil health, water quality, and biodiversity protection across farms.
Another key application is facilitating significant soil carbon sequestration and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By adopting practices supported by SoilCapital, farmers actively contribute to climate change mitigation, turning their land into a carbon sink. This also provides financial incentives through the sale of certified carbon credits, offering a new revenue stream for farmers.
Furthermore, SoilCapital strengthens supply chain resilience for food and agri-food companies. By supporting farmers in their value chains to adopt regenerative practices, these companies can reduce their Scope 3 emissions, meet sustainability targets, and enhance their brand reputation. The program also offers a comprehensive platform for farmers to measure, manage, and monetize opportunities arising from regenerative agriculture, moving beyond just carbon to encompass broader environmental and socio-economic indicators.
Strengths & Weaknesses
| Strengths ✅ | Weaknesses ⚠️ |
|---|---|
| Certified and Audited Methodology: ISO 14064-2 certified MRV, annually audited by TÜV Rheinland, and emission factor methodology validated by SustainCERT, ensuring high integrity and credibility of carbon credits. | Participation Fee: The Standard Plan requires an annual participation fee of €980, which might be a barrier for some smaller farmers, although a 'Basic Plan' offers an alternative with a greater commission on certificate sales. |
| Significant Farmer Payouts: Farmers receive 70% of carbon credit revenues, with average payments of €8,000 for the 2022 harvest, providing substantial financial incentives. | Long-term Commitment: Farmers must commit to adopting and maintaining regenerative practices over a five-year crediting period, which can extend up to 20 years, requiring a significant long-term dedication. |
| Comprehensive Support System: Offers ongoing expert agronomic guidance and a dedicated digital platform (mySoilCapital app) for monitoring and engagement. | Geographic Focus: While actively expanding, current operations are primarily focused on France, Belgium, and the UK, limiting immediate access for farmers in other regions. |
| Market Leadership: Europe's first certified, multi-national carbon farming program, establishing a strong position in the emerging market for agricultural carbon credits. | Dependency on Carbon Market: The financial benefits for farmers are tied to the evolving carbon credit market, introducing a degree of market risk and price fluctuation. |
| Holistic Farm Performance Measurement: The 'Beyond Carbon' upgrade introduces a comprehensive framework for measuring performance across five critical areas, moving beyond just carbon. | |
| Alignment with Global Standards: Carbon certificates align with SBTi FLAG targets and the EU's proposed regulation on carbon removal certification, enhancing market relevance. |
Benefits for Farmers
Farmers engaging with SoilCapital's carbon farming solutions realize multiple tangible benefits. Economically, the program provides a significant new revenue stream through the sale of certified carbon credits, with farmers retaining 70% of the revenue. This direct financial incentive helps offset the costs of transitioning to regenerative practices and boosts overall farm profitability, with average payments of €8,000 for the 2022 harvest.
Beyond financial gains, the primary agricultural benefit is a marked improvement in soil health. Regenerative practices lead to increased soil organic matter, better water retention, enhanced nutrient cycling, and greater biodiversity, all of which contribute to more resilient and productive farming systems. This translates to reduced input costs over time and improved crop yields.
Environmentally, farmers become active participants in climate change mitigation by sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide in their soils and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farm operations. This not only contributes to global sustainability goals but also improves local environmental quality, including water quality and biodiversity protection. The program also offers agronomic support, helping farmers optimize their practices for both environmental impact and farm productivity.
Integration & Compatibility
SoilCapital's carbon farming solution is designed to integrate seamlessly into existing farm operations with minimal disruption. The core of its digital interaction is the mySoilCapital app, which serves as a user-friendly platform for farmers to record their practices and monitor progress. This app utilizes satellite remote sensing technology to verify the adoption of regenerative practices such as cover cropping and reduced tillage, eliminating the need for extensive on-site manual verification and simplifying the data collection process for farmers.
The program's focus is on supporting the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices rather than requiring complex integrations with diverse farm management software or hardware. It works alongside a farmer's current equipment and cultivation methods, guiding them towards more sustainable approaches. The comprehensive agronomic support provided ensures that farmers can effectively implement new practices and understand how they fit within their specific farm context, making the transition practical and manageable.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How does this product work? | SoilCapital enables farmers to transition to regenerative practices, which sequester carbon and reduce emissions. These practices are monitored and verified, leading to certified carbon credits that farmers can sell for financial incentives, receiving 70% of the revenue. |
| What is the typical ROI? | Farmers receive a minimum of €27.50 per 1T CO2e carbon certificate, with 70% of carbon credit revenues returned to them. On average, farmers were paid €8,000 for the 2022 harvest, contributing significantly to farm income. |
| What setup/installation is required? | Farmers enroll in the program and commit to regenerative practices. Data is collected via the mySoilCapital app, often using existing farm records and satellite remote sensing for verification, requiring minimal physical installation beyond digital access. |
| What maintenance is needed? | The program primarily involves maintaining regenerative agricultural practices on the farm and regularly inputting data into the mySoilCapital app. SoilCapital handles the monitoring, reporting, and verification processes. |
| Is training required to use this? | SoilCapital provides ongoing expert guidance and agronomic support to farmers. While the mySoilCapital app is intuitive, the company ensures farmers understand regenerative practices and how to effectively participate in the carbon farming program. |
| What systems does it integrate with? | The mySoilCapital app serves as the primary digital interface, integrating satellite remote sensing for practice verification. It is designed to work alongside existing farm management practices rather than requiring complex integrations with other software. |
| What is the program duration? | Farmers commit to adopting and maintaining regenerative agriculture practices over a five-year crediting period. This period can be repeated for a maximum of four crediting periods, totaling up to 20 years. |
| How are carbon credits verified? | SoilCapital's MRV methodology is certified against the ISO 14064-2 standard and audited annually by an independent third party, TÜV Rheinland. Satellite remote sensing verifies practices like cover cropping and reduced tillage. |
Pricing & Availability
SoilCapital offers a Standard Plan with an annual participation fee of €980. Alternatively, a 'Basic Plan' waives the upfront cost but involves a greater commission on certificate sales. Farmers receive a minimum of €27.50 per 1 T CO2e (carbon certificate), with 70% of carbon credit revenues being returned to them. On average, farmers were paid €8,000 for the 2022 harvest.
For detailed information and to determine the best plan for your farm, contact us via the Make inquiry button on this page.
Support & Training
SoilCapital is committed to providing comprehensive support and training to farmers throughout their carbon farming journey. The program includes ongoing expert guidance and agronomic support, delivered by a team of experienced agronomists and farming professionals. This support is crucial for helping farmers understand, adopt, and optimize regenerative agricultural practices to maximize both soil health and carbon sequestration potential.
Training is integrated into the program, ensuring that farmers are proficient in using the mySoilCapital app for data collection and monitoring. While the app is designed for ease of use, dedicated assistance is available to address any questions or challenges. This holistic approach ensures that farmers are well-equipped to succeed in their transition to regenerative agriculture and effectively monetize their environmental stewardship.
