Centre for High Carbon Capture Cropping

Input-efficient crops that can increase carbon capture will help farming and associated industries address climate change, but there must be confidence in achieving profitable and sustainable outcomes.

PROJECT WEBSITE

The Centre for High Carbon Capture Cropping (CHCx3) is a four-year, multi-partner project, led by Niab's Dr Lydia Smith. The research aims to help UK farmers and growers target Net Zero and build farming resilience through diversifying their arable and forage cropping. It will enable new revenue sources through a carbon marketplace and support enhanced value chains for industries such as textiles and construction.

Objectives

• Evaluate food, forage, and industrial cropping options with potential to enhance atmospheric carbon capture, and sequestration in the soil and crop-based products
• Optimise production of renewable biomaterials for fibre, textiles, and construction, and build value chains
• Establish a UK Knowledge Hub providing resources to support effective uptake and utilisation of crops with high carbon capture potential
• Quantify carbon removals, consistent with emerging standards for measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification
• Develop carbon insetting/offsetting platforms, achieving revenue generation for farmers and supporting corporate sustainability

The project is focusing on four cropping options: cover crops; annual fibre crops (industrial hemp, flax); perennial food, feed, and forage cropping (including cereals and herbal leys); and perennial biomass crops (miscanthus, willow/poplar). Field trials and demonstrations will examine the effect of cultivation systems and agronomy on economic returns and environmental outcomes, with practical outputs including crop guides, web tools and apps.

Get involved

If you are interested in growing these crops, contact us at chcx3 [at] niab.com (chcx3[at]niab[dot]com), or sign up to receive the CHCx3 e-newsletter.

To discover more, join one of our free CHCx3 events. We will be holding field demonstrations, webinars, and workshops throughout the project. Visit the Niab Event Hub to see what’s on and book your place or contact one of our partners.

Partners

The Centre for High Carbon Capture Cropping partners are: Niab, Biorenewables Development Centre, British Hemp Alliance, Cotswold Seeds, Crops for Energy, Elsoms Seeds, Energy Crops Consultancy, English Fine Cottons, FarmED,  FC Palmer & Sons, National Farmers Union of England & Wales (NFU), Natural Building Systems, Northern Ireland Hemp Association, Rothamsted Research, Scottish Hemp Association, Terravesta, UK Hempcrete, University of York, Unyte Hemp.

Funder

This project is funded by Defra under the Farming Futures R&D Fund: Climate Smart Farming. It forms part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.