Thareau B., Seyni N., Coisnon T. et al., 2023 – Designing carbon markets connecting farmers and companies: stakeholders claiming territorial-based devices to promote synergies between diverse environmental challenges. Review of Agricultural Food, and Environmental Studies (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41130-023-00194-6
Abstract :
Because of its capacity to provide numerous ecosystem services, agriculture is an essential lever in the fight against climate change and the preservation of biodiversity. However, trade-offs between economic strategies and environmental outputs, as well as between environmental challenges themselves, remain an important issue. In this paper, we seek to better understand how the different stakeholders manage these contradictions, based on a specific case study exploring the potential of setting up a local and voluntary carbon market in Western France involving farmers, companies, and local authorities. Applying a survey approach, we identify and discuss the preferences and trade-offs made by the potential stakeholders of this scheme. Our results show a strong preference for solutions that emphasize the provision of environmental co-benefits (biodiversity and landscapes) rather than strict carbon storage. We also show that criteria such as the duration of commitment or the scope given to the length of committed hedges are important components of stakeholders’ preferences. Our results allow us to discuss the potential of different types of market systems, depending on traceability, governance, control method, and technical support, in relation to the respondents’ heterogeneous preferences.
Keywords : Carbon market, Agroecological scheme, Hedgerows, Ecosystem services, Governance