Targeting ambitious changes in agricultural practices that would preserve restore and enhance soil carbon and soil health requires an increased coordination of international research cooperation. The specific challenge lies in the identification, implementation and verification of agricultural soil management practices which create a positive soil/ecosystem carbon budget at the farm and landscape levels, sequester carbon, improve soil structure and soil quality and provide climate change adaptation while contributing to sustainable development. In this context, the CSA CIRCASA has an overarching goal to develop synergies on research in this field at European Union and global level, targeting four realistic and highly complementary objectives: O1. Strengthen the international research community on agricultural soil carbon sequestration; O2. Provide an improved understanding of agricultural soil carbon sequestration and its potential for climate change mitigation and adaptation and for demands of increased food production; O3. Synthesizing stakeholder’s views and knowledge needs on agricultural soil carbon sequestration and climate change O4. Favor a more structured approach, by preparing an International Research Consortium (IRC) These four objectives will produce measurable outputs during the time frame of the project and create significant outcomes for the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and of the Paris agreement (COP21, 4 per 1000 voluntary initiative) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). CIRCASA will benefit from the participation of three major initiatives: the Global Research Alliance on agricultural greenhouse gases (GRA), the Joint Programming Initiative on Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change (FACCE JPI) and the 4 per 1000 - Soils for Food Security and Climate - initiative, and from the contribution of the CCCAFS and the WLE programs of the CGIAR.

The aim of the ERA-GAS Cofund is to strengthen the transnational coordination of research programmes and provide added value to research and innovation on greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation in the European Research Area. ERA-GAS will organise a single joint transnational call for proposals with cofunding from the European Commission (EC). In addition, ERA-GAS will undertake additional joint activities including at least one other joint call without EC cofunding. By pooling national money and funding projects at a European/international level, ERA-GAS will achieve a critical mass for funding GHG research, thereby reducing duplication, harmonising research effort and making more efficient use of limited resources. Greater cooperation will enhance innovation capacity in the European Research Area and encourage the development of enabling solutions to reduce GHG emissions and improve inventories. ERA-GAS will work closely with other ERA-NETs and reinforce existing collaborations between actors in the research area (e.g. via FACCE-JPI and the GRA). A plan will also be drawn up for future collaborative actions to ensure that enhanced cooperation will be maintained past the lifetime of the ERA-NET. Through collaboration in this ERA-NET and additional joint activities, partners in the consortium will exchange experience and gain insight into other national/regional research programmes. This will help managers to follow best practice in terms of implementing international funding calls and harmonise research and policy agendas across nations. The objectives of ERA-GAS will directly address the scope of the Work Programme by incentivising participating countries to commit resources towards the development of a sustainable, innovative and more GHG efficient bioeconomy in Europe. This transnational effort is urgently required to develop mitigation solutions, refine reporting mechanisms and design policy instruments necessary to tackle this key global environmental challenge.