Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
2001 S. Lincoln Ave.
URBANA,IL 61801
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Carbon capture and storage technologies are part of the pathway towards slowing and ameliorating the effects of climate change. Private companies in the United States have begun working with farmers to create soil organic carbon sequestration credits through "climate smart" agricultural practices and sell them on voluntary carbon markets. Farmers have the potential to benefit from this new conservation funding opportunity while being part of the climate change solution. While the promise of new avenues to fund conservation and climate mitigation is exciting to advocates, there are many scientific, legal, and social concerns that accompany the data and modeling technologies used to value and sell soil organic carbon credits. Existing social science research has focused primarily on increasing adoption of climate smart practices by identifying attractive payment levels, but little is known about the broader social implications of these carbon market-supporting technologies, including effects on consumer behavior, trust in science, and contract liabilities. Through data collection with agricultural stakeholders in Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana, and American consumers, we will first identify scientific, legal, and policy concerns through a survey, interviews, legal document review, and modeling workshops. We will then assess and implement opportunities to ameliorate these concerns through participatory processes, legal best practice documents, policy recommendations, and bolstered Extension capacity. Findings and processes developed from this project can be used to increase the transparency and responsiveness of science to public concerns, improve decision-making on the issue by farmers and consumers, and inform policy changes.
Animal Health Component
80%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
20%
Applied
80%
Developmental
0%
Goals / Objectives
The long-term goal of our project is to increase dialog across agricultural value chains, support decision-making by farmers and the public, and bolster public resources to ameliorate challenges regarding soil carbon market technologies.We propose research and Extension activities to address the following objectives regarding soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration technologies for voluntary carbon markets (VCMs) in the United States:(1) Understand public perceptions, focusing how on perceived uncertainties, oversight concerns, and trust in market actors affect consumer intentions.(2) Understand farmers' and other agricultural stakeholders' perceptions, focusing on current levels of trust in SOC technologies and market mechanisms, and opportunities to improve trust and legal protections.(3) Assess opportunities for policy intervention in VCMs to address public and agricultural stakeholder concerns.(4) Create an information clearinghouse and bolster Extension and other resources to support farm operator/owner and public learning and dialog.
Project Methods
Task 1A. In-depth interviews with members of public (n=20)Task 1B. Panel survey with general population sample (n=1500)Task 2A. Primary legal document analysis (e.g., data contracts)Task 2B. Interviews with farmers and other agricultural stakeholdersTask 2C. Participatory modeling with example public SOC modelTask 3A. Analyze VCMs within current agriculture policyTask 3B. Analyze opportunities for public oversight of VCMsTask 3C. Explore policy designs to support farmers in VCMsTask 4A. Create and maintain web-based clearinghouse (IL Carbon Farming) for project results and other resourcesTask 4B. Provide opportunities to connect Extension, researchers, and farmers to improve communicationTask 4C. Host in-person field days