Teagasc researchers have developed a framework to identify where soil carbon farming can deliver the most benefit across Ireland. The approach combines soil type data, land use history, and climate factors to prioritize areas for carbon sequestration practices like cover cropping and reduced tillage. The framework aims to help farmers and policymakers target incentives and technical support to the fields with the highest potential for measurable carbon storage. This matters because not all soils store carbon at the same rate, and poorly targeted programs waste money and miss climate goals. If the framework holds up under field validation, it could make Irish agricultural carbon credits more credible and support the country's 2030 climate targets. The next step is testing the model on working farms to see if predicted carbon gains match real measurements.
