Combined Congress 2026 Special Session with Professor Linus Franke
Credible Carbon Credits
Land-based carbon credits offer the promise of rewarding land managers for sustainable land management practices that sequester carbon and improve agricultural productivity, while mitigating climate change. South Africa, covered by vast areas of extensively managed rangelands, offers great potential for carbon sequestration. However, land-based carbon credits have also become controversial, among others because the additionality of the emission reductions is often questionable. The science behind measuring and modelling carbon sequestration in soils needs to improve to ensure credibility of land-based carbon credits. This session will bring together scientists and practitioners in this field with presentations and a general discussion.
Focus areas include:
- Measuring soil carbon sequestration in the field
- Improving soil carbon models and the application of such models in a South African context
- Co-benefits of soil carbon and getting the focus right
- Who benefits from carbon credits?
- Carbon credits and the South African carbon tax
About the chair:
Linus Franke has worked on diverse topics related to crop production, food security, climate change, and sustainability throughout his career. Linking detailed crop production research to wider questions regarding sustainability, rural development pathways, and societal issues is a key strength of his. This is underpinned by the diverse and impact-full publications arising from his research. Based at the University of the Free State, Linus is currently leading an ARC-DALRRD-UFS funded Research Chair in the field of Climate Change Impact and Mitigation in Agriculture. The Chair focuses on the multiple impacts of climate change on agricultural production, the carbon footprint of agricultural activities, and the role of soils in mitigating climate change.