Introduction to the Roundtable Discussion
The 2nd online roundtable discussion, titled “Strategies for Raising Awareness and Educating Farmers about Carbon Farming Practices,” successfully concluded, bringing together 125 participants from various sectors to explore strategies for promoting carbon farming practices and educating farmers. The discussion also addressed the importance of collaboration between agribusinesses and academic/research institutions, the need for accurate carbon accounting, and the challenges smallholder farmers face in accessing necessary funding and resources to invest in carbon farming initiatives.
Carbon Farming: Awareness and Education
The discussion underscored the critical need to educate farmers about carbon farming, a sustainable practice aimed at capturing carbon dioxide in the soil and vegetation. Despite its environmental and economic potential, widespread adoption remains limited due to farmers’ skepticism and lack of awareness. Speakers emphasized the need for addressing these barriers through partnerships between agribusinesses and academic/research institutions. Such collaborations can provide evidence-based guidance, foster trust, and encourage the adoption of sustainable farming practices.
Mr. Grigoris Chatzikostas, the Coordinator of the CARBONICA project, opened the roundtable discussion with an engaging overview of the project. He outlined its key goals, emphasizing the significant role of the participating innovation ecosystems, and the active stakeholder engagement in activities promoting carbon farming awareness.
Mr. Blagoja Mukanov emphasized AgFutura’s role in the CARBONICA project, which centers on delivering advisory services to farmers while equipping them with practical guidance for adopting carbon farming technologies. AgFutura’s strategy prioritizes knowledge transfer and capacity-building initiatives, utilizing innovative tools and services specifically designed to address the unique needs of farmers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the agricultural sector.
Christodoulos Karaoulis from Zambartas Wineries highlighted the importance of education and leading by example in promoting sustainable farming practices. He noted that Zambartas Wineries are committed to these practices and are actively supporting their growers in adopting more sustainable methods.
Panagiotis Kalafatis, , COO of Hellenic Dynamics, emphasized the need for increasing climate science knowledge, developing data-driven decision-making skills, and shifting from traditional farming methods to sustainable ones. He also stressed the importance of communication and the need for tangible economic benefits for end users
Viktor Gjamovski, Head of the Department of Pomology and Director of the Agricultural Institute of Skopje in North Macedonia, discussed the significance of collaboration between agribusinesses and academic/research institutions for driving research and innovation. He emphasized the need for establishing demonstration farms to showcase the benefits of carbon farming and highlighted the role of academic institutions in providing evidence-based information to help farmers overcome skepticism and misunderstandings regarding sustainable practices.
Kiril Manevski, researcher at the Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University in Denmark, stressed the importance of vocational training and capacity building as the key to bring changes. He stated that such programs could bridge the knowledge gap, empowering farmers to adopt data-driven decision-making and sustainable practices.
Speakers underscored the need for innovative tools to simplify carbon farming for farmers. Panagiotis Kalafatis mentioned that simulation tools are the easiest way to engage farmers and help them to increase their knowledge and understanding of its implications and benefits. Combined with practical demonstrations and user-friendly technologies, these efforts could significantly enhance farmers’ ability to adopt and succeed in carbon farming initiatives
Looking Ahead
The CARBONICA roundtable concluded with a strong commitment to action. Key next steps include developing synchronized training curricula tailored to specific crops, establishing a higher number of demonstration farms, and promoting the CARBONICA Forum as a platform for knowledge sharing. The project aims to foster a community of informed and empowered growers by providing farmers with clear roadmaps and tangible support.
During the roundtable, a poll was conducted with the following questions and responses:
What do you think is the most efficient way to reach out to farmers?
43%: Through representative organizations (e.g. Farmers’ unions etc)
31%: Through farmers’ advisors (e.g. agronomists, veterinarians etc.)
16%: Through targeted/ local or industry events (e.g. Agrotica etc)
5%: Through direct means of communication (e.g. emails, IMs etc)
5%: Through state agencies (regional/ national/ EU level)
What do you think is the second most efficient way to reach out to farmers ?
43%: Through farmers’ advisors (e.g. agronomists, veterinarians etc.)
24%: Through representative organizations (e.g. Farmers’ unions etc)
12%: Through targeted/ local or industry events (e.g. Agrotica etc)
12%: Through direct means of communication (e.g. emails, IMs etc)
9%: Through state agencies (regional/ national/ EU level)
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
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