• The Ukrainian farmland, which is located in Ukraine’s western and central regions, will be transformed into regeneratively farmed land. It will then be certified as soil-based carbon credits.
  • Ukraine is the breadbasket of Europe, producing one of the highest wheat yields in the world. However, deep tillage and poor soil management have left its Ukrainian farmland in a heavily degraded state.
  • Due to the poor state of Ukraine’s agricultural land, a shift to regenerative agriculture has immense carbon sequestration potential. This shift is especially relevant for Ukrainian farmland.
  • According to preliminary estimates, the amount of carbon that can potentially accumulate in Ukraine’s soils is 757.7 million tons.

Once farming practices across this area have shifted to nature-based, sustainable, and regenerative methods, the farmland will be certified for soil-based carbon credits. This will benefit farmland across Ukraine.

The 300,000 hectare space, which is equivalent to 741,000 football pitches, has been selected for its carbon sequestration potential. This potential will be realized once it switches over to a regeneratively farmed approach. The farmland has produced a mixture of arable crops including wheat, barley, and corn on the Ukrainian farmland. It will continue to do so.

With its’ chernozem soil, also referred to as black soil, Ukraine provides one of the highest wheat yields from its farmland worldwide. However, deep tillage has been popular in Ukraine for the past 50 years. This practice contributes to extreme soil degradation, humus layer quality and depth, and organic carbon oxidation.

Land degradation combined with the potential of chernozem soil across Ukrainian farmland means 757.7 million tonnes of CO2 emissions can be removed. This can be achieved if regenerative practices are applied across the country’s entire agricultural estate. This amount is equivalent to Germany’s total annual carbon output.

InSoil works with farmers to certify the amount of carbon sequestered in their land. They also provide loans to farmers and agri-businesses to shift to regenerative agriculture. The company is partnering with Ukrainian agricultural company Agsolco and its programme Carbon Credit Ukraine to enable this nature-based shift. InSoil is the only company in Europe conducting on-field soil carbon measurement. It plans to pre-sample over 3000 samples from Ukraine’s farmland in July. InSoil aims to generate over 1 million verified soil carbon credits under Verra’s methodology VM0042 volume 2 across Europe by 2025.

InSoil has enrolled around 250,000 hectares of farmland to regenerative agriculture across Europe. Countries include Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Portugal. This programme will more than double the area covered by InSoil’s Carbon Farming Programme.

InSoil collaborates with farmers to apply advanced carbon measuring methods in Ukrainian farmland. These include satellite data and laboratory samples, along with insights from international agronomists to certify the carbon sequestered in their land. Carbon credits represent tonnes of emissions either removed from the atmosphere or avoided. Companies and countries purchase these credits to support their climate contribution strategy.

“We tactically chose several key markets aiming for deep market penetration. This is accelerated by localised educational programmes and consultations from prominent agronomists and soil scientists. To improve their soil and store more carbon, agricultural entrepreneurs need smart financial support. This support comes with laboratory soil sample analysis, insights, and guidance to add new regenerative farming practices to the existing mix,” explains Laimonas Noreika, CEO and co-founder of InSoil.

This new partnership aims to enroll 500,000 hectares of Ukraine’s farmland by the end of 2024.

“It is an exciting opportunity for local farmers to participate in the carbon farming programme. Many farmers have already started their journey towards regenerative agriculture. So, this is a great opportunity to acknowledge their contribution to climate change and accelerate further implementation of sustainable farming practices,” commented Roman Osadchiy, CEO of Agsolco Ukraine.

The base layer of carbon content in soil is measured in laboratories, along with the use of satellite data. Consequently, the companies expect the first credit issuance from Ukrainian farmland in the third quarter of 2025.

InSoil recently announced raising a €50 million debt capital fund. This includes a €20 million funding commitment from the European Investment Fund (EIF) to support the transition of European farmers to regenerative practices.