Climate change is a global issue that endangers the environment and all forms of life on Earth. Consequently, there is a growing need for pioneering initiatives and a common intervention framework to address this issue.
According to the 2021 Eurobarometer, one in five Europeans considers the ecological footprint of the food they buy and adjusts their shopping accordingly. This indicates an increasing trend among consumers to choose food that is carbon-neutral.
The Carbon Farming Awareness Hub (CarboFarmHub) is an Erasmus+ initiative co-funded by the European Commission. The project focuses on increasing awareness and skills, especially among young citizens and farmers, to prepare them for the new challenges arising from the growing demand for sustainable food systems, particularly in Europe, through initiatives like the Green Deal, the Farm2Fork strategy, and the Soil Mission to reduce the carbon footprint of agricultural products.
The project aims to create a network of awareness centers in four countries: Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. The project coordinator is Nea Geogia Nea Genia (NeAGen) from Greece. The project partners include the non-governmental organization Academy of Entrepreneurship (AKEP) and the research institute Theophrastus from Greece, Ecovalia from Spain, Agrobio from Portugal, and the educational center Centoform from Italy.
The first annual meeting of the Carbon Farming Awareness Hub (CarboFarmHub) took place in Athens on January 25th and 26th, where all partners gathered to discuss and organize current and future activities for the next 2 years. The second day was dedicated to the 1st workshop meeting, opened by Dr. Dimitris Voloudakis, Capacity Building Director of Nea Geogia Nea Genia, who welcomed the participants, set the workshop’s framework, and presented the Carbon Farming Hub project. Then, Prof. Ioannis Botetzagias from the University of the Aegean and member of the Theophrastus research institute gave a presentation titled: “Agricultural Activity for Carbon in the EU: Prospects and Challenges,” which provided a detailed overview of the current situation of agricultural activity for carbon sequestration in Europe and highlighted opportunities mainly for farmers, as well as the risks of greenwashing. In the second presentation, titled “Applications of Circular Economy in Agriculture,” Associate Professor George Vlachos from the Agricultural University of Athens reminded us that although many farmers already implement good practices, there are greater opportunities regarding carbon sequestration. In the last presentation titled “Calculation of CO2 Emissions in Forest Ecosystems,” Associate Professor Nikos Fyllas from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens presented the methodologies of carbon sequestration in forest ecosystems in Greece and discussed the various results that emerged from different methods.
The organizers encouraged all participants to follow the project and collaborate to adopt sustainable soil cultivation practices for current and future generations.
