UMH Researchers Advance Technologies to Reduce Carbon Footprint in Agriculture

Developing innovative technologies to measure real-time greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural practices is one of the objectives of the European project LIFE ClimaMED. This initiative, involving a research team from the Environmental Sciences department at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), led by Professor José Navarro Pedreño, aims to unite efforts among farmers, researchers from various countries, and public administrations to reduce the agricultural sector's impact on atmospheric emissions.

The project, which concludes in December 2024, holds its final meeting in Elche tomorrow, Tuesday, November 19. During the meeting, representatives from Greece, Cyprus, and Italy will visit the fields of Elche. Additionally, on the same day, the Director of Rural Development from the Greek Ministry of Agriculture and the researchers participating in this European project will meet with a group of entities and farmer associations to discuss the possibilities of measuring and compensating for greenhouse gas emissions resulting from agricultural practices. In the afternoon, the delegation from the Greek Ministry of Rural Development and Food will be received at the Elche City Hall.

The initiative aims to develop innovative, reliable, fast, and cost-effective technologies to measure greenhouse gas emissions and changes in Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) in agricultural operations. To achieve this, the UMH research team, along with those from other participating countries, has developed a continuous measurement system based on a laser device that allows real-time monitoring of emissions. The goal is to assist scientists, public authorities, and policymakers in collecting, quantifying, evaluating, mapping, and disseminating spatial data on greenhouse gas emissions and SOC changes in the Mediterranean agricultural sector in real-time.

Based on this technological development, the Hellenic government intends to promote a legislative framework in Mediterranean countries to enable economic compensations with European Union funds and recognize the efforts of farmers who apply good agricultural practices. The results of LIFE ClimaMED can be used by farmers to certify/label products cultivated with practices that have a low greenhouse gas footprint. Additionally, it will allow them to implement high carbon retention strategies in soils.

Moreover, the devices and web tools in this project can be easily adapted to other sectors, such as natural space management and its carbon footprint, tourism, livestock, forestry, industrial activities, and airports. These tools facilitate the monitoring and study of emissions and, therefore, serve as a basis for decision-making to mitigate global warming.