Climate Change Mitigation in Agriculture: Barriers to the Adoption of Carbon Farming Policies in the EU

Abstract

Climate change mitigation in the agricultural sector is essential to keep the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C within reach. This article explores why there has been a limited adoption of carbon farming policies in the EU, despite the potential for emissions reductions and carbon sequestration at the farm level. Desk research revealed that EU Member States are increasingly setting sectoral climate targets for agriculture, but there is a lack of policies addressing carbon farming. Governments have largely refrained from using laws and regulatory instruments, with strategies and plans representing the large majority of carbon farming policies in the EU. Moreover, interviews with policymakers and other stakeholders revealed that the main barriers to the adoption of carbon farming policies are concerns over carbon leakage and competitive advantage, the need for a just transition, and structural issues in the food value chain. Despite being regarded by researchers as a main barrier to carbon farming, the agricultural lobby is not perceived as a barrier by policymakers, who emphasise the importance of involving farmers in the policy process. A key implication of these findings is that carbon farming policies need to form part of a wider food system transformation in order to successfully contribute to climate change mitigation.