Insights from Cyprus, Greece, and North Macedonia towards the decarbonization of the agricultural sector: a quadruple helix perspective on carbon farming-data derived from a survey study

Carbon Farming (CF) is an emerging method contributing to greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, mainly through soil carbon sequestration. CF consists of numerous agricultural practices (e.g., No-tillage, Cover cropping, Crop Rotation etc.) that help in the reduction of atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) releases and enrich the below-ground biomassstorage in soil. To investigate how CF practices were aligned with stakeholders' needs, an in-depth questionnaire was designed under the frameworks of the CARBONICA project. Following the questionnaire, a second phase of face-to-face interviews was performed. Three Multi-Actor Platforms (MAPs) have been created in each of the three countries to facilitate the stakeholders’ interaction, i.e., Cyprus (CY), Greece (GR), and North Macedonia (NMK). The questionnaire aimed to identify the current knowledge and existing gaps in the agricultural sector related to CF, and the willingness to adopt CF practices, focusing on the quadruple helix (QH). Participants in this survey were primarily farmers, with 44%, 31%, and 58% in CY, GR, and NMK, respectively. The data analysis indicated that the primary interest of the participants was toward potential financial benefits rather than environmental gains. 33% (CY), 41% (GR), and 47% (NMK) showed a high interest in CF, showing a willingness to embrace these approaches. Poor knowledge of CF was identified from this survey. Questions related to the European Union were also included, illustrating different opinions from each country. A detailed country-based analysis will be included in the respective study for knowledge gained based on the QH needs to promote agricultural sustainability through CF practices.