[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/10405\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EOn a mission to put carbon back into soil \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu\/en\/horizon-magazine\/en-mission-pour-injecter-le-carbone-dans-le-sol\u0022\u003EVersion fran\u00e7aise\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWithout soil, there is no life on earth\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBispo and his fellow researchers at CIRCASA project developed a methodology for measuring organic carbon in soil, so that farmers can then adopt tailored approaches to increasing carbon in soil and thereby improve soil health.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPreserving healthy soil is vital. It contains the nutrients upon which humans depend \u2013 and which we absorb through food crops. Intensive farming, overuse of agricultural chemicals, other contaminants, erosion and climate change, pose threats to the integrity and quality of our soil, whose long-term consequences are not yet fully understood. But we do know that one centimetre of soil that can take hundreds of years to form can be lost in a single rainstorm.\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EIncreasing carbon in soil is a win\u2013win solution. You improve the soil, and at the same time mitigate climate change.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EAntonio Bispo, CIRCASA.\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESetting soil standards\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECarbon is naturally occurring \u2013 the fourth most abundant element in the universe by mass after hydrogen, helium and oxygen \u2013 which we want to limit in the atmosphere to reduce global warming, but which when added to soil enhances soil structure, biodiversity and fertility. How exactly does sequestration, or capture, of carbon work? Bispo explains:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Agricultural fields can act as a carbon sink through sequestering carbon dioxide. During photosynthesis crops remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and create biomass. When the plants die the carbon goes to the soil: part is used by soil organisms, while the other part accumulates \u2013 this is the process of carbon sequestration in soil.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBispo was part of an international consortium that included researchers from Germany, France, the Netherlands and the UK, but also from as far away as Australia, Brazil, China, the United States and Madagascar. The effort was coordinated by his fellow Paris-based senior scientist Dr Jean-Francois Soussana, and it has now introduced standards in the monitoring of soil carbon among the world\u2019s leading soil-carbon experts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022 Dr Antonio Bispo inside soil bank of the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment in Orl\u00e9ans (France)\u0022 data-entity-type=\u0022file\u0022 data-entity-uuid=\u00229b10d895-dd11-45de-9f74-ec54129ef755\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/1.png\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EDr Antonio Bispo inside soil bank of the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment in Orl\u00e9ans (France)\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Soil is a huge reservoir of organic carbon,\u2019 explains Soussana. \u2018Storing it in agricultural soil contributes to carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere, to increased soil health, and to the climate change resilience of agriculture.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research, says Soussana, \u2018mapped for the first time at global scale the current changes in organic carbon stocks of croplands and grassland soils. We identified the potential to store more carbon, and how to monitor this carbon storage in soil through a unique combination of remote sensing, data and calibrated models.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEU research and innovation connects people locally and globally to transform research results into solutions that benefit us all.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EReaping what you sow\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFarmers are the ultimate guardians of the soil, and the application of carbon-storage techniques is just one of the ways soil can be protected long term. The consortium surveyed 4 000 farmers across 10 world regions as part of the initiative, which aimed to answer three main questions from farmers: how they would get paid for increasing carbon, how to get better knowledge on increasing soil carbon, and how to find a simple, cheap and accurate way of monitoring soil carbon.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EDesigning ways to increase soil carbon content, enhance soil biodiversity and reduce soil erosion is crucial for food security. \r\n\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003E\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Most farmers are good observers of their soil,\u2019 continues Soussana. \u2018They would like to improve soil management, and know about organic matter as a driver of soil health. However, many farmers are not aware of the carbon cycle and of possible changes in their soil carbon stocks. This contributes to a slow adoption of improved practices such as cover crops, grass leys and reduced tillage.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe remote sensing techniques employed during the research \u2013 using Sentinel satellites \u2013 could become a \u2018world standard\u2019, says Soussana. They allow for the estimation of vegetation cover, organic carbon volume, and the carbon storage potential, of every farm and every field in the EU, and potentially the world.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe long-term ambition, of course, is to make every farmer in the world a sort of \u2018carbon farmer\u2019. Better soil health will improve agricultural productivity, with citizens reaping the ultimate benefits through a better diet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Increasing carbon in soil is a win\u2013win solution,\u2019 remarks Bispo. \u2018You improve the soil, and at the same time mitigate climate change.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Samples of soil stored at the soil bank of the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment in Orl\u00e9ans (France).\u0022 data-entity-type=\u0022file\u0022 data-entity-uuid=\u0022c827a032-0f8b-405e-ac05-f81806a33aa1\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/2.png\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003ESamples of soil stored at the soil bank of the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment in Orl\u00e9ans (France).\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch and innovation are critically important to develop and upscale knowledge, practices and innovations that will help transitioning towards more sustainable farming systems and rural communities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EScience, research and innovation: our secret ally\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis research is part of the EU\u2019s efforts to discover new ways to prepare for climate change, protect our oceans and waters, and fight cancer. Together, EU countries can work more effectively, by pooling funding and expertise from around the world, coordinating international efforts, and benefitting from local knowhow.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENew knowledge and breakthrough innovation helps us move faster towards the sustainable and prosperous world. Thanks to EU investments, it is possible for international research collaboration to address challenges too big to be addressed by one country alone.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJoin researchers on a mission to protect our planet and society, by sharing, liking and following the stories of #ResearchImpactEU.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-tmpbmifavxrmdxwtpk3odttx-5iqp3wozlw84p2ce8\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-TmpbmiFAvXrMDXWtPk3odTTX--5IqP3Wozlw84P2cE8\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]