Agreena’s Soil Carbon Programme Secures DNV Approval Again

Agreena’s initiative empowers farmers with carbon finance to drive a shift towards regenerative farming practices, reducing emissions and capturing CO2 in the soil. 

DNV, a leading provider of assurance and risk management services, validated the programme, boosting its global impact and scientific rigour.

Scope 3 emissions and agriculture

Agriculture is a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly within Scope 3. 

These emissions are indirect, occurring throughout the supply chain rather than directly from an organisation’s operations. 

For agriculture, Scope 3 includes emissions linked to soil management, energy use and livestock production.

Farmers contribute to GHG emissions through:

• Tilling and soil disturbance: Ploughing accelerates organic matter decomposition, releasing CO2
• Fuel consumption: Machinery and equipment powered by fossil fuels emit CO2
• Land use changes: Converting forests or grasslands into farmland releases stored carbon
• Electricity usage: Operations like automated milking systems rely on energy that often originates from non-renewable sources
• Fertiliser production: The industrial processes behind synthetic fertilisers emit CO2
• Crop residue management: Inefficient handling of plant residues leads to CO2 emissions
• Livestock-related activities: While methane and nitrous oxide dominate livestock emissions, producing feed contributes to CO2 output.

Although CO2 accounts for only 5-7% of agricultural GHG emissions, addressing these sources is crucial to broader efforts to mitigate climate change.

Agreena’s approach to Scope 3 reductions

Agreena addresses Scope 3 emissions by promoting practices that lower emissions and enhance carbon capture in the soil. 

Its digital Measurement, Reporting and Verification (dMRV) system provides field-level GHG assessments, enabling transparency and precision. 

With participation from over 2,300 farmers managing 4.5 million hectares across 20 countries, Agreena incentivises sustainable farming by offering financial rewards through carbon credits.

Key practices supported by Agreena include:

• Reduced soil disturbance: Minimising ploughing to preserve organic matter and reduce CO2 release
• Cover crops: Planting cover crops enhances soil health and prevents erosion
• Organic fertilisers: Using natural alternatives to synthetic fertilisers reduces CO2 from production
• Residue management: Optimal handling of crop remains helps retain carbon in the soil.

By quantifying emissions reductions and removals, Agreena enables farmers to access carbon markets and earn revenue through verified carbon credits, insets, and data.

Simon Haldrup, CEO of Agreena, highlights: "Agreena is incredibly proud to have achieved verification from our highly respected assurance partner, DNV, for the third year running. DNV verification and compliance with the global standard ISO 14064-2 show our clients how highly we value the integrity of our programme, and reassure our farmers that the impact of their efforts is fully recognised and valued.

"Agreena invests heavily in our dMRV capabilities for this reason – it drives value and confidence in the soil carbon sector and will underpin the scaling of regenerative agriculture.”

DNV’s Validation Strengthens Impact

DNV plays a key role in enhancing Agreena’s credibility by validating its adherence to ISO 14064-2, an international standard for GHG quantification and reporting – ensuring the programme’s robustness and reliability.

Geir Fuglerud, CEO of Supply Chain & Product Assurance at DNV, emphasises: "Regenerative farming can play an important role in tackling greenhouse gas emissions and achieving net zero targets – but only if all stakeholders can be certain that the carbon impacts are accurately monitored and measured."

DNV is delighted to support the transition towards regenerative agriculture through validating and verifying of Agreena’s robust programme, ensuring a win-win situation for farmers and companies accounting for GHG emission reductions and removals.” 

DNV's endorsement confirms that Agreena’s methodology:

1. Prevents double counting: Eliminates the risk of errors in carbon credit calculations.
2. Ensures accuracy: Monitors emissions reductions and removals rigorously.
3. Applies transparency: Implements clear, repeatable, and reliable procedures.

Scope 3 Categories Relevant to Agriculture

For organisations, addressing Scope 3 emissions is essential to achieving comprehensive GHG reductions. 

Agriculture intersects with several Scope 3 categories, including:

• Purchased goods and services (1): Fertilisers, seeds, machinery, livestock, fuel…
• Upstream transportation and distribution (4): For agricultural supply chains, this includes the movement of fertilisers, seeds or other inputs from suppliers to farms and the transport of raw agricultural products to processing facilities
• Waste generated in operations (5): crop residues…
• Use of sold products (11): emissions from consumer food preparation
• End-of-life treatment of sold products (12)
• Investments (15): supporting sustainable agriculture projects.

By focusing on these categories, companies can align with climate targets while supporting farmers in regenerative practices. 

As DNV validates Agreena’s methodology, it sets a precedent for scalable and reliable carbon programmes in agriculture.

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