AgroTerra presented the results of its own experiments aimed reducing greenhouse gas emissions

At the agro-industrial conference held by Kommersant, Agriculture Day, which took place on March 1 in Moscow, AgroTerra spoke about its projects in the field of environmental sustainability: reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, increasing land fertility, and efficient use of resources. The event was attended by leading Russian experts, specialists from the agro-industrial and related industries, heads and representatives of agricultural companies, as well as representatives of government agencies.

AgroTerra was represented at the conference by Anton Andreev, director of agronomic innovations. He spoke about the results of the project aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This project was launched across five regions of the Central Black Earth economic region in 2021 on the area of ​​840 hectares. Following the recommendations developed by foreign consultants specifically for AgroTerra, the company made technological changes in the cultivation of various crops. The goal of the project is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2025 while ensuring the company’s economic sustainability.

“We need to be sustainable, both environmentally and economically. It is challenging, but we are making progress. Currently, we have nearly 1,000 hectares allocated for this project, where we explore the best global practices in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. And this allows us to avoid possible mistakes,” Anton Andreev commented on the implementation of the project.

Among the recommendations tested by AgroTerra were cover crops and associated crops seeding, reduced tillage, decreased fallow land acreage, companion crops and binary crops seeding. The results of the experiments show that some technologies can not only reduce CO2 emissions, but also sequester carbon in the soil. For example, the combination of high-oleic sunflower and clover allows an average accumulation of 0.5 tons of carbon per hectare in the soil.

The effective practices have been included in AgroTerra’s Regenerative Agriculture program. This program also focuses on the effective management of natural resources. The company actively works towards increasing soil fertility. Another component of the program is biodiversity support. AgroTerra's crop rotation, together with cover crops, includes up to 10-15 crops.

In 2023, the program will operate within the existing experimental areas. However, the company plans to scale it up to production fields in the future.

Watch the full recording of the event here.