The Soil Carbon International Research Consortium (Soil Carbon IRC) was launched in November 2023 during the “European Soil Mission Week” in Spain. Its mission is to advance carbon solutions through research funding, harmonisation of research activities and knowledge dissemination. The consortium brings together participants from universities, research institutions, policy makers, private companies, NGOs, and organisations working on environmental and sustainability issues.

Soil Carbon IRC addresses soil carbon management across various land uses, including agricultural, forest, pasture, wetland and urban soils. Supported by Impact4Soil, a virtual platform that hosts and shares knowledge on soil carbon, the Soil Carbon IRC and its partners and regional hubs aim to provide better access to research, methods and practices related to soil carbon management.

The International “4 per 1000” Initiative, launched in 2015 during the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP21 of the UNFCCC, is the first large-scale global initiative that positions agriculture and agricultural soils as important instruments for sustainable development for the benefit of farmers and society at large. It positions agricultural soils as key to improving food security and combating climate change.

The Initiative welcomes all voluntary stakeholders from the public and private sectors (farmers, associations, governments, companies, NGOs, and research institutions...) within the framework of the Lima-Paris Action Plan and invites them to actively participate in promoting or implementing concrete actions to sequester carbon in soil to contribute to food security and combat climate change. Currently, the initiative includes 365 Consortium members and 826 partners worldwide.