On April 19, Katharina Helming discussed the potentials of carbon farming at an event of the FDP parliamentary group with, among others, its climate policy spokesman Lukas Köhler. While he and Gero Hocker (agricultural policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group) considered private CO2 certification to be a suitable instrument for reliable carbon storage, Helming referred to its highly site-specific nature and the BonaRes study, which questions the climate protection potential of current certification practices, particularly on mineral soils. Nonetheless, she emphasized the crucial role of soil improving cropping systems for climate adaptation and resilience of agricultural systems. Hubertus Paetow (President of the German Agricultural Society) and Andreas Täuber (BMEL) agreed with Helming on key points and looked confidently into a digital future for agriculture. The event emphasised in the important role that agriculture plays in the major transformation towards a climate neutral world. The discussion can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oGVQxMNPP0

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from the left: Prof. Katharina Helming (ZALF), Dr. Andreas Täuber (BMEL) and Christian Lindner (leader of the liberal Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP)) | source: © Markus Börner / ZALF.