Lisette Phelan, Pippa J Chapman, Guy Ziv

This paper explores farmers’ and land managers’ perceptions of the emerging agricultural soil carbon market in the UK and examines their willingness to adopt soil health management practices to enhance and/or maintain soil carbon stocks and enthusiasm for and interest in participation in soil carbon sequestration schemes. Data were collected through online questionnaires administered to 100 farmers and six organisations responsible for the operationalisation and development of carbon codes in the UK using online questionnaires. The results indicate that farmers’ prior adoption of practices that promote soil health does not necessarily translate into a willingness to adopt additional practices and/or “buy into” soil carbon sequestration schemes. Farmers have reservations about planning and implementing soil carbon projects due to the terms and conditions associated with participation in the emerging UK agricultural soil carbon market. Although the carbon market may attract new entrants, early adopters of soil health management practices are likely to be excluded from soil carbon sequestration schemes established by public and private sector actors based on additionality criteria. The results of this study also suggest early adopters’ expectations regarding their scope to derive benefits from participation in the carbon market are at odds with the demands of the carbon market as articulated by the carbon codes driving the development and growth of the market. These results highlight that the key role that early adopters may play in encouraging new entrants to engage with the carbon market should not be underestimated. It contends that enhancing the transparency, robustness, and integrity of the carbon market hinges on incentivising early adopters to adopt additional practices that promote soil health and facilitate their participation in the market, alongside new entrants. The paper argues that kick-starting and supporting the growth of the agricultural soil carbon market is contingent on reconciling farmers’ expectations with the demands of the market, during an initial transition period, through flexible implementation of rules and regulations outlined by carbon codes regarding soil carbon sequestration and storage in agricultural soils.