The voices of innovating farmers at the 2º European Carbon Farming Summit
The 2º European Carbon Farming Summit brought together leading voices in sustainable agriculture, offering a platform for innovative farmers to share their experiences and perspectives. During the Plenary Session "Paving the way towards climate positive agriculture: The role of innovating farmers", three pioneering farmers—Sheila Darmos, Mateusz Ciasnocha, and Iain Tolhurst—discussed their approaches to carbon farming, biodiversity, and systemic change in agriculture.
Sheila Darmos (Greece) – Regenerating farming and rural communities
Sheila Darmos, a third-generation farmer and social entrepreneur, is dedicated to holistic agricultural transformation in Greece. Through her initiative, "Regenerative Farming Greece," she fosters systemic change by integrating soil restoration, ecosystem health, and community-driven farming. Her work demonstrates how a regenerative approach can empower rural communities while ensuring sustainable food production.
Sheila's journey took an unexpected turn when she and her family decided to graft their citrus trees due to economic challenges. The result? A spontaneous emergence of mulberries and fig trees—what many saw as a threat, she later recognized as an opportunity.
"It was just later that I discovered agroforestry as a concept and realized—perfect! These mulberries and fig trees were actually the support species my farming operation was missing in the first place."
This experience reaffirmed the importance of listening to nature and integrating natural processes into farming systems.
Mateusz Ciasnocha (Poland) – Bridging agriculture and climate policy
Mateusz Ciasnocha is a Polish farmer committed to connecting agricultural practices with climate policies. Through his ventures, European Carbon Farmers and the Farm of Francesco, he advocates for farmer-centric solutions to climate challenges. As an Advisory Board member for key environmental initiatives, Mateusz works to integrate policy with practical on-farm solutions, ensuring that carbon farming benefits both the environment and farmers.
He emphasizes that while the technical pieces for results-based carbon farming are in place, there is still a gap in execution.
"We have all the pieces in place to make this reality happen. The job is to accelerate the pieces that need acceleration and create a framework for the system to work."
His message to policymakers and researchers is clear: "Keep it simple and, most importantly, visit the farm. We need those bridges."
Iain Tolhurst (UK) – A systems approach to Carbon Farming
Iain Tolhurst has been a leader in the UK organic farming movement for nearly 50 years. His award-winning 8-hectare farm exemplifies biodiversity-driven agriculture, where soil health and fertility are enhanced through long-term carbon monitoring and integrated crop management. Tolhurst emphasizes the importance of seeing farms as whole ecosystems rather than isolated components, arguing that true sustainability lies in reducing emissions across the entire food system.
"We need to farm in a positive way for carbon... but we can't just think of farms as carbon sinks. We must also focus on reducing emissions in food production itself."
These three perspectives highlight the diversity of approaches within carbon farming and reinforce the need for systemic change across agricultural landscapes.