How to empower small farmers to measure and monetise their environmental impact?

In Latin America, many small- and medium-scale crop farmers (cocoa, coffee, etc.) and cattle ranchers lack affordable, accessible tools to measure and demonstrate their positive environmental impact. In particular, their low carbon footprint.

Such an assessment is key to:

1. Adopt more sustainable agricultural practices, such as:
   – Crop rotation to maintain soil health,
   – Pest management that doesn’t involve chemicals.
2. Benefit financially from conservation efforts like:
   – Carbon credits for verified carbon sequestration,
   – Gaining access to premium markets for sustainably produced goods,
   – Receiving financial incentives.

   → Example: In Colombia, the government promotes climate-smart practices in the coffee sector. Farmers integrate shade trees into coffee plantations to conserve soil, enhance biodiversity, and sequester carbon.

Satellite data and blockchain to boost sustainability and income in agriculture

Spotlight on CarbonSpace: CarbonSpace is an Irish company providing satellite – and AI-powered – monitoring technology to deliver accurate and transparent carbon and environmental data.

Spotlight on Preserva: Preserva is a Colombian startup developing integrated digital solutions that tokenise environmental assets like carbon, water, and biodiversity credits to enable sustainable agriculture and climate change mitigation for small and medium producers.

How do small and medium farmers benefit from CarbonSpace and Preserva’s combined technologies?

CarbonSpace uses satellite-based and AI-driven analysis to track carbon fluxes (how carbon moves into or out of farmland) by monitoring changes in vegetation, soil conditions, and land use.

Instead of costly and slow on-site visits, satellites continuously monitor vegetation health, soil conditions, and land use changes to calculate the farm’s carbon balance.

This data is then combined with practical, easy-to-use field documentation by farmers to verify and validate the carbon measurements. 

Then, Preserva’s technology tokenises these verified environmental benefits, transforming carbon removal, emission reductions, water savings, and biodiversity improvements into digital tokens on a secure blockchain. 

These tokens represent tradable environmental assets that farmers can sell or use to attract funding. 

EU-LAC Digital Accelerator: Driving International Growth and Market Entry for Preserva and CarbonSpace

The EU-LAC Digital Accelerator is designed to empower innovative climate tech partnerships like Preserva and CarbonSpace to accelerate the adoption of the joint solution in new markets, building on CarbonSpace’s established global presence. By providing strategic support across market entry, corporate collaboration, and investment readiness, the program helps break down barriers, connect with key stakeholders, and accelerate the adoption of digital environmental solutions in both European and Latin American markets.

• Proof of concept design and evaluation

The EU-LAC Digital Accelerator facilitates the implementation of a proof of concept and evaluation of the outcome, to guide current and future technological developments. The solution will be piloted with cattle farmers in Spain to assess its effectiveness and determine required adaptations to local market needs.

• International growth and soft-landing

The EU-LAC Digital Accelerator provides tailored guidance and resources to guide the partnership through a comprehensive analysis of the European market’s potential interest in Latin American commodities (namely coffee, cocoa, and palm oil) focusing on environmental traceability and carbon credits. It will assist in identifying key stakeholders, understanding relevant regulations, and exploring market opportunities within the context of sustainability.

Scaling Sustainable Agriculture Through Innovation and Local Partnerships

The partnership between CarbonSpace and Preserva is delivering tangible outcomes for both parties and for small to medium-sized farmers. By combining market expansion, technological innovation, and strong local networks, the partnership enhances adoption and impact, while empowering farmers to generate new income, measure their environmental footprint, and implement more sustainable land management practices. Partners benefit from CarbonSpace’s transparent and traceable methodology, where data sources, assumptions, and uncertainties are clearly defined and measurable, providing the level of rigour needed to validate environmental performance with confidence.

For CarbonSpace & Preserva

For small and medium crop farmers

Market expansion and growth: Building on its experience with global players, CarbonSpace is strategically strengthening its partnership with Preserva to focus on high-impact Latin American commodities (coffee, cocoa, etc.). The partnership plans to scale rapidly, growing from tens to over a thousand farms within a year. Technological innovation: Developing AI tools to analyse satellite data and turn it into understandable technical reports helps improve service quality and efficiency, boosting the partnership’s competitive edge Strong local networks: Collaboration with local agricultural organisations and producers in various countries ensures that the solution is locally relevant and can benefit from on-the-ground support, strengthening adoption and impact.

Empowerment: Farmers, especially small and medium-sized ones, can easily measure their environmental impact, thereby removing high costs and technical barriers. New income opportunities: By turning their verified carbon, water, and biodiversity conservation into tradable digital credits, farmers can generate additional revenue streams beyond traditional farming. Sustainable land management: With clearer insights into their carbon balance and conservation statuses, farmers can adopt more sustainable practices, improving soil health, biodiversity, and resilience to climate change while supporting global environmental goals.

 

* “Tokenise” means converting environmental assets—such as carbon removal, emission reductions, water usage, or biodiversity conservation—into digital tokens recorded on a blockchain. These tokens represent verifiable and tradable units of ecological value, enabling transparent tracking, efficient trading, and secure ownership.