Novel Soil Management Practices - Key for Sustainable Bioeconomy and Climate Change Mitigation (SOMPA)

Public description of the goals at the beginning of the project

The Paris Agreement aims to limit global climate change by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Finland has a target to reduce the emissions of the agriculture and other non-emission trading sectors by 39% compared to the 2005 levels. A fraction of the emission reductions may be compensated by forest carbon sinks. Currently, peat soils of croplands and forests are largest sources of GHG emissions on land-use sector in Finland.  This project will develop ecologically and economically sustainable climate change mitigation methods for forest and cropland on peat soil. We will produce new scientific knowledge on drivers for the soil CH4 and CO2 emissions on peat soils and on cost-efficient and ecologically sustainable means to mitigate the emissions. We will provide methods that encourage land owners to apply the optimal mitigation measures in practice. The methods to be developed by this consortium will help Finland to reach the emission reduction targets.