Guidance for Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)

It is estimated that sustainable soil management practices and rehabilitating degraded soils could sequester 15% of annual global GHG emissions (IPCC 2014). Carbon sequestration in agricultural soils is therefore very important for climate change mitigation, while at the same time enhancing productivity, resilience and ecological soil health functions.

In the context of agricultural supply chains, this can restore and build resilience in vulnerable or degraded areas, supporting local farmers and dealing with the challenges of remote or difficult-to-access suppliers.

This Soil Guidance is aimed at any company with a Scope 3 emissions reduction target that seeks to account for interventions that impact total net Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) associated with purchased goods and services. It demonstrates how to quantify carbon sequestered in soil, a severely neglected source of carbon sinks and a linchpin in farmer productivity.

The following organisations were involved in developing the Guidance and supported by an Expert Working Group including soil scientists, practitioners and companies: Danone, Gold Standard, Livelihoods Funds, Mars, TREES Consulting and UNIQUE forestry and land use GmbH.