KARBONMAT: Designing sustainable business model (SBM) concepts for carbon sequestration in soils to transform the Norwegian food system

Foto: Colourbox

Research objectives

The overall objective of KARBONMAT is to develop sustainable business model (SBM) concepts for carbon sequestering soils in Norwegian agriculture that enable farmers to adopt healthy soil management practices, and companies to invest in these to contribute to local sustainable food systems, new practices in primary production, improve biodiversity and reduce their climate footprint.

Secondary objectives include to:

identify and revise existing carbon sequestering soil management practices (SMPs) relevant for the Norwegian context and document their relevance for the Norwegian context by a practical field trial (WP1)
measure environmental sustainability effects of carbon sequestering soil management practices in Norwegian agriculture (WP1)
explore legal and policy frameworks that may facilitate or inhibit the application of SBM concepts for carbon sequestering soils in Norwegian agriculture (WP2)
review existing business models for valorising carbon in soils and analyse how these might be applied in a Norwegian context (WP3)
investigate the interest towards existing business models for valorising carbon among Norwegian farmers and co-design optimal BMs from the farmers’ perspective (WP4)
explore the interest of Norwegian companies in investing in carbon sequestering soil management practices (WP5)
develop and recommend measures for the implementation of SBM concepts for carbon rich soils in Norwegian agriculture with relevant stakeholders (WP6)
integrate responsible research and innovation principles and practices in the project (WP7)
“Multi-Actor Platform” meeting in September 2024 at Vikersund, Norway.

Work packages

Work package 1: Identification and measurement of effects of carbon sequestering soil management practices relevant for Norwegian food production and their multiple sustainability effects (WP leader: Anders Næss, Grønt Fagsenter Buskerud)
Work package 2: Exploring appropriate legal and policy frameworks for carbon sequestering soils (WP leader: Pia Otte, Ruralis)
Work package 3: Review of existing business models for sequestering carbon in soils and analysis of application for Norway (WP leader: Natalia Mæhle, HVL)
Work package 4: Interest towards SBM concepts for sequestering carbon among Norwegian farmers (WP leader: Maja Farstad, Ruralis)
Work package 5: Investigating companies’ requirements for SBM concepts sequestering carbon in agriculture Norway (WP leader: Natalia Mæhle, HVL)
Work package 6: Developing measures for implementing SBM concepts sequestering carbon in agriculture Norway (WP leader: Pia Otte, Ruralis and Natalia Mæhle, HVL)
Work package 7: Ensuring Responsible Research and Innovation (WP leader: Arnt Fløysand, Ruralis)
Work package 8: Communication and dissemination (WP leader: Isabelle Hugøy, Ruralis)

Project Group

Project details

Contact persons

Pia Piroschka Otte

Research Professor

pia.otte@ruralis.no

Project leaders

Pia Piroschka Otte

Research Professor

pia.otte@ruralis.no

Other project members

Maja Farstad

Research Manager/Senior Researcher

maja.farstad@ruralis.no

Marita Uglem Remøy (contract completed November 2025)

Researcher

marita.remoy@ruralis.no

Renate Marie Butli Hårstad

Researcher, PhD

renate.harstad@ruralis.no

Isabelle Hugøy

Researcher, PhD

isabelle.hugoy@ruralis.no

Subject areas

Project number

6676

Project period

01/12/2023 - 30/06/2027

Collaboration partners

HVL, Grønt Fagsenter Buskerud, Tilburg University, University of Western Australia, Norges Vel, Stiftelsen Norsk Mat

Financing

The Research Council of Norway

News

Validating developed business model concepts

10.08.26

The NBM is an annual international conference that gathers business model researchers from all over the world. Professor…

How can new business models strengthen the agri-food sector? What can we lean from international experiences?

7.05.26

Join our workshop on innovative business models in the agri-food sector during the New Business Model Conference in…

Did you miss out on our contribution to the European Carbon Farming Summit 2026?

7.05.26

The Karbonmat team presents first findings in Trondheim

23.01.26

During the project meeting, the Karbonmat project team discussed new developments in the field of soil health, carbon…

Report from Iceland, Karbonmat

26.08.25

They are looking forward to presenting the findings from Karbonmat at the next NBM conference in Toulouse in…

Karbonmat on fieldwork in Belgium and the Netherlands

26.05.25

Carbon sequestration is an important topic at the EU level and three new rules have been recently adopted…

Article

2026

A-10/26 Towards Enhanced On-Farm Soil Carbon Sequestration: A First Assessment of the Potential Role of the Emerging EU Legal Framework

Contributors:
Pia Piroschka Otte
Jonathan Verschuuren Natalia Mæhle

Description

Writers: Jonathan Verschuuren, Natalia Mæhle, Pia Piroschka Otte

Farmers across Europe have embarked on on-farm soil carbon sequestration projects, with the aim to achieve healthy and resilient soils and simultaneously seek new business opportunities, for example, through selling carbon offsets to major greenhouse gas emitters. A regulatory framework for such carbon farming activities is slowly emerging in the European Union, most prominently with the adoption of Regulation 2024/3012 establishing an EU certification framework for permanent carbon removals, carbon farming, and carbon storage in products. However, other new EU laws may incentivize farmers to increase carbon levels in their soils as well, namely, Regulation 2024/1991 on nature restoration and Directive 2025/2360 on Soil Monitoring and Resilience. In this article we assess the extent to which the three new EU laws facilitate on-farm soil carbon sequestration projects through an analysis of the new rules and interviews with representatives of European on-farm carbon credit initiatives in five European countries.

Climate Law, https://doi.org/10.1163/18786561-bja10102

Article

2026

A-4/26 Crowdfunding of climate measures in agriculture: investigation of success factors in a real-life setting

Contributors:
Pia Piroschka Otte
Rita Moseng Sivertsvik
Natalia Maehle

Description

Writers: Pia Piroschka Otte, Natalia Maehle og Rita Moseng Sivertsvik

Purpose Promising climate mitigation practices are costly for farmers within the current regulatory, market and business frameworks. There is a need for innovative solutions that ensure that farmers are paid and supported for their efforts to reduce GHG emissions. Crowdfunding represents a novel approach with high potential. This article tests previously identified success factors for crowdfunding in a study of two sustainable crowdfunding campaigns in Norwegian agriculture in a real-life setting. Design/methodology/approach We designed real-life crowdfunding campaigns with two Norwegian farmers and carried out semi-structured interviews with them and their backers to discuss their experiences with crowdfunding. We also analysed both campaign descriptions. Findings One of the crowdfunding campaigns was unsuccessful with no backers, while the other one collected 88 per cent of the targeted amount with 82 backers. The farmer of the successful campaign communicated actively with backers and showed a strong emotional appeal in the campaign description. Originality/value This study contributes to testing previously identified success factors for sustainable crowdfunding and crowdfunding of climate measures in agriculture in real-life settings. Furthermore, the study contributes to the under-investigated topic of crowdfunding climate measures in agriculture, which is a potential innovative approach for reducing GHG emissions and increasing uptake of climate mitigation measures.

Baltic Journal of Management, https://doi.org/10.1108/BJM-05-2025-0400

Article

2024

A-15/24 Crowdfunding of Climate Mitigation Measures in Agriculture: Developing a Sustainable Business Model Concept

Contributors:
Pia Piroschka Otte
Natalia Mæhle

About the Result

The purpose of this article is to develop a sustainable business model (SBM) concept for local crowdfunding of climate measures in agriculture. Many climate measures entail significant capital costs preventing farmers from their adoption, and existing finance schemes have experienced limited success. Crowdfunding can be a novel financing tool for farmers to implement climate measures in agriculture.

Journal of Business Models, Vol. 12 No. 2, https://doi.org/10.54337/jbm.v12i2.8843

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