Regenerative Agriculture, Scope 3 and Carbon Credits: the keys to accelerating the Agroecological transition
Agriculture is at the heart of the environmental and social issues of our time. In the face of the climate emergency and the need to preserve our ecosystems, regenerative agriculture is emerging as a powerful and credible solution.
But how can this approach be integrated into agri-business strategies? How can we make the most of farmers' efforts and finance the transition on a large scale?
To explore these issues, MyEasyFarm brought together experts from across the value chain.
This article summarizes their combined visions to offer you clear perspectives and concrete levers for action.
CONTENTS
2. Regenerative agriculture: more than just a trend
a) What is regenerative agriculture?
b) Agronomic levers at the heart of the system
c) From theory to action: the commitment of manufacturers
3. Scope 3 : A strategic challenge for cooperatives and agri-businesses
4. Carbon credits: A lever for financing, not an end in itself
a) How does it work? The MRV process
b) Economic reality: assistance, not primary income
c) Beyond carbon: co-benefits as the real driver
d) Advice for farmers?
5. Data : The pillar of trust in the transition
a) A common language for the entire value chain
b) The triptych of high-performance data: Reliability, Simplicity, Interoperability
c) Trust: the foundation of value enhancement
1. Introducing the experts
But before we get to the heart of the matter, let's introduce the 5 experts who shared their visions.
François Thierart MyEasyFarm)
As co-founder of MyEasyFarm, he is the moderator of this roundtable discussion. MyEasyFarm develops digital solutions that collect, measure, and leverage agricultural data to support environmental transition.
Émilie Miege (EcoAct)
An expert in the agricultural and agri-food sector, she emphasizes the importance of transitioning agricultural practices in the climate roadmaps of agri-food companies, particularly in terms of Scope 3. With EcoAct, she helps companies meet their environmental challenges.
Ughau Debreu (Saint Louis Sucre)
As Head of Agricultural Sustainability, he will outline Saint Louis Sucre 's commitment to regenerative agriculture, Scope 3 decarbonization and data collection via MyEasyFarm to monitor indicators and support farmers.
Sébastien Roumegous (Biosphères)
CEO of Biosphères, he accompanies farmers in the agroecological transition to improve their margins and reduce their working hours. Biosphères works with numerous industry players to demonstrate the positive evolution of agricultural systems.
Céline Cauhape (Lidea Seeds)
As Innovation Leader at Lidea, she presents the company’s seed and support offerings for the agroecological transition, including a “carbon” product line and a service providing access to carbon credits via MyEasyCarbon (a tool from MyEasyFarm).
2. Regenerative agriculture: more than just a trend
Far from being just a fashionable concept, regenerative agriculture represents a profound transformation, both agronomic and economic. It proposes a shift from a logic of "impact reduction" to one of "ecosystem restoration".
Regenerative agriculture
a) What is regenerative agriculture?
It aims to restore soil health, promote biodiversity, optimize water use and strengthen overall farm resilience.
As François Thierart, co-founder of MyEasyFarm points out MyEasyFarm “Regenerative agriculture projects are much broader than simple low-carbon initiatives. They encompass the four fundamental pillars of agriculture’s impact: climate, biodiversity, soil health, and water use.”
This holistic vision is shared by Sébastien Roumegous, CEO of Biosphères, for whom "Regenerative agriculture means putting life back into the soil, but also in the way players collaborate."
b) Agronomic levers at the heart of the system
This approach is reflected in concrete, proven practices:
Permanent soil cover: planting plant cover between two main crops nourishes microbial life, improves soil structure and limits erosion and nutrient leaching.
Crop diversification: Extending and diversifying crop rotations breaks disease and pest cycles, enriches biodiversity and makes agricultural ecosystems more robust and less dependent on synthetic inputs.
Reduced tillage: switching to direct seeding or simplified cultivation techniques preserves soil structure and porosity, encouraging better water infiltration and optimal root development, while protecting organic carbon stocks.
c) From theory to action: the commitment of manufacturers
As Ughau Debreu, Agricultural Sustainability Manager at Saint Louis Sucre explains , "The aim is to strengthen crop resilience while improving soil quality."
These field practices have a direct impact on an indicator that has become central to the entire industry: the famous Scope 3.
Leguminous cover crop - regenerative agriculture
3. Scope 3 : A strategic challenge for cooperatives and agri-food companies
Scope 3 refers to a company's indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, in particular those from its supply chain. In the case of the agri-food sector, these are largely emissions from upstream agriculture.
👉 Did you know? As Émilie Miege, sector expert at EcoAct, points out, "these emissions account for up to 75% of the carbon footprint of French cooperatives".
Taking action on Scope 3 is no longer an option. It is a necessity to meet regulatory requirements (such as the CSRD), consumer expectations (via indicators such as the Planet Score) and to meet climate objectives (notably via the SBTi).
✅ What to do?
✔️ Measure accurately : use digital tools such as the solutions offered by MyEasyFarm to collect reliable data and track changes in agricultural practices.
✔️ Collaborate with farmers: offer training, technical advice and financial incentives to encourage virtuous practices.
✔️ Integrate Scope 3 into your climate strategy : engage in initiatives such as SBTi (Science-Based Targets Initiative) to guarantee rigorous monitoring.
✔️ Transparency and accountability: Ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the value chain.
" Scope 3 is where the real levers for decarbonization come into play. Companies absolutely must include farmers in their climate roadmaps", insists Émilie Miege.
To achieve this, an insetting strategy (reducing emissions within one's own value chain) is increasingly favored over offsetting (offsetting through the purchase of external credits). Insetting not only allows us to decarbonize, but also to strengthen the resilience of our supplies and create shared value with our agricultural partners.
As Émilie Miege sums up, insetting makes it possible to "reduce emissions and increase sequestration within the company's value chain.
📢 Want to find out more? The conference on the subject is available for replay.
Scope 3 emissions in the agri-food company sector.
4. Carbon credits: A lever for financing, not an end in itself
Having explored reduction strategies, let's move on to financing. Can carbon credits accelerate the transition?
a) How does it work? The MRV process
A carbon credit represents one tonne of CO₂ equivalent that has either been sequestered in the soil, or whose emission has been avoided, compared with a reference scenario. It enables farmers to be remunerated for adopting low-carbon practices. The price of this credit varies according to the market.
In the field crop sector, several standards and methodologies can be used to quantify, certify and valorize reductions or sequestration of greenhouse gas emissions. In France, the Label Bas-Carbone is a recognized public methodology offering specific methods, such as the Grandes Cultures method, based on the implementation of low-carbon practices (plant cover, reduced tillage, optimized inputs). Internationally, standards such as the Gold Standard (notably the SOC - Soil Organic Carbon Framework) and the Verra VCS (Verified Carbon Standard) offer methodologies such as VM0042 (improved agricultural practices) or VM0021 (soil sequestration).
These standards require the implementation of a complete MRV process, including primary data collection (soil analyses, historical practices), modeling and verification by accredited bodies. These standards guarantee the environmental robustness and credibility of the carbon credits generated, while offering additional income opportunities for farmers who commit to more sustainable farming practices.
As previously stated, for a project to generate credible, monetizable credits, it must follow a rigorous MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, Verification) process:
Monitoring: Accurately collect data on agricultural practices (tillage, inputs, plant cover, etc.) on committed plots. This is where digital tools like MyEasyCarbon become essential for reliable, simplified data collection.
Reporting: Use this data to model emissions reductions or carbon sequestration according to a certified methodology.
Verification: Have the results audited by an independent third party to certify the veracity of the data and credits generated.
b) Economic reality: assistance, not a main source of income
While these credits offer a new source of financing, their impact needs to be put into perspective. Céline Cauhape Innovation Leader at Lidea Seeds, warns: "It's important not to see it as an additional income for farmers, but rather as a small financial incentive to encourage them to implement these practices.
She illustrates her point: "If I take the installation of cover crop to store carbon, one hectare will capture around one tonne of carbon, representing €30-40. That's a long way from the real cost of planting, between seeds, sowing and destruction."
Carbon credits alone do not cover the cost and risk of system change. They need to be integrated into a broader, "stacked" economic model, which includes :
🔹 of the subsidiary bonuses,
🔹 industrial support,
🔹 a clear economic valuation of farmers' efforts.
c) Beyond carbon: co-benefits as the real driving force
This is where the real opportunity lies. For Sébastien Roumegous, the key is to design systems "with farmers, not for farmers", so that they can "generate more margin and spend less time per hectare".
Low-carbon practices generate direct agronomic and economic benefits:
Lower costs: less fertilizer, plant protection products and fuel.
Improved soil fertility and water retention, making crops more resilient to drought.
Simplified cultivation operations save time.
The approach needs to be pragmatic, to enable low-carbon practices to be adopted gradually and realistically. "We're not asking all farmers to change everything right away. These are trajectories. But they need to be set in motion, now," stresses Ughau Debreu, Agricultural Sustainability Manager at Saint Louis Sucre.
Ultimately, carbon credits are a financial incentive, but it is the overall performance of the regenerative system that ensures its long-term economic viability.
They provide an economic return on farmers' efforts to reduce emissions and sequester carbon. But they alone do not cover the cost of the transition.
d) What advice do you have for farmers?
- Start with a diagnosis to identify concrete levers for change at plot or farm level
- Back to the basics of agronomy diversity, soil life, rational input management.
- Step by step Depending on resources, risks and available support.
Farmers can make potential savings on inputs (fertilizers, pesticides), reduce working hours and improve farm resilience to climatic hazards.
Carbon credit methodologies.
Would you like to find out more and talk to our experts?
5. Data : The pillar of trust in the transition
To measure, manage and enhance this transition, one element is essential: agricultural data.
If regenerative agriculture is the driving force behind the transition, data is its fuel and navigation system. Without it, it's impossible to steer with precision, to measure the real impact and to make the most of the efforts made. It is the common language that enables all players in the sector - farmers, advisors, cooperatives and manufacturers - to collaborate effectively towards a shared goal.
Agricultural data, the key to transition for agribusiness players.
a) A common language for the entire value chain
Data does not have the same function, but it is of vital importance to every link in the chain:
For the farmer: It's a strategic decision-making tool. By centralizing all his information (plots, operations, machine data), he can fine-tune his agronomic management, optimize the use of his inputs, reduce costs and save precious time.
For the cooperative and theagri-food company : It's the foundation of reporting and proof. Aggregated, reliable data can be used to build credible Scope 3 reports, justify marketing claims, meet CSRD requirements and pilot large-scale sustainable agriculture programs.
For the ecosystem (finance, insurance, certification): It's a tool for transparency and de-risking. Traceable and verifiable data are essential to unlock financing, certify carbon credits and create new insurance products based on farm resilience.
b) The triptych of high-performance data : Reliability, Simplicity, Interoperability
For data to become a lever for transformation, it must meet three key requirements:
Reliability: A decision or report is only credible if the underlying data is accurate. Reliability is achieved by cross-referencing multiple sources: satellite data, weather stations, soil analysis, and above all, data taken directly from farm machinery consoles. Automated data collection minimizes data entry errors and guarantees unquestionable, raw information from the field.
Simplicity: Farmers should not view data collection as yet another administrative burden. The strength of a platform like MyEasyFarm in making this process as simple and automated as possible. The goal is to free up the farmer’s time so they can focus on analysis and decision-making, rather than data entry.
Interoperability: The agricultural sector is diverse, with a wide variety of hardware and software brands. An effective solution must be able to communicate with this ecosystem. MyEasyFarm designed to be an open platform capable of connecting to various data sources (John Deere, CNH, Agco, etc.) and consolidating them in a single location, thereby breaking down technological silos.
c) Trust: The foundation of value enhancement
Sharing data is an act of trust. No farmer will share information without a guarantee of its security and governance. This is the most critical point in the agricultural digital transition.
As François Thierart We provide farmers and companies with customized dashboards, with complete interoperability and clear governance: the data belongs to the farmers.
This sovereignty is reflected in concrete commitments that comply with standards such as the RGPD and the DataAgri charter:
Clear consent: The farmer decides what data to share, with whom, and for what purpose.
Total transparency: the use made of your data is contractualized, with no surprises.
Robust security: Data is hosted on secure servers in France.
It's this trust that creates a virtuous circle. Without trust, there's no data. Without data, there's no measurement. Without measurement, no valuation.
It is by building this foundation of digital trust that we can then build solid alliances. For although data is the common language, it only takes on its full meaning when it is put to the service of collective action.
👉 At MyEasyFarm, we are committed to ensuring transparent, interoperable, and secure management of agricultural data, while guaranteeing that farmers retain full ownership of it. This is essential for building trust and ensuring that the efforts made in the field are fairly rewarded.
MyEasyFarm
6. A collective transition for shared value
The message is clear: no single player can succeed alone.
The agro-ecological transition is based on a dynamic of cooperation between manufacturers, farmers, cooperatives, seed companies, technical institutes and data experts. By aligning objectives, sharing tools and distributing value equitably, the transformation will be sustainable and scalable.
"It is by sharing the added value, going to the end of the measure and building on trust that the transition will be possible," concludes Émilie Miege.
Acting together now
Regenerative agriculture, low-carbon strategies and making the most of Scope 3 are powerful levers for reinventing our food systems. The solutions exist, the players are mobilized, and the momentum has been set in motion.
👉 The time has come to act together, with concrete tools, shared governance, and a common goal: to build an agriculture that is more respectful of the environment and economically viable for all stakeholders.
📢 Want to find out more? The conference on the subject is available for replay.
Get started today with MyEasyFarm
Tomorrow's agriculture is being built today through powerful but sometimes complex levers: regenerative agriculture, Scope 3 control, carbon credits. All these projects share a common need: reliable data and a management platform to guarantee transparency and create shared value.
MyEasyFarm designed to be your trusted partner, simplifying complex processes and ensuring your peace of mind.
📩 Contact our experts to find out how our platform adapts to your projects and accelerates your impact.
