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Agriculture and livestock farming are key sectors for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The European Union promotes the development of diverse initiatives such as "Nature-Based Business Model and Emerging Innovations to enhance Carbon Farming Initiatives (CFIs) while preserving Biodiversity, Water Security and Soil Health", an outstanding project with a budget of almost 10 million euros that will be financed through the new instrument 'i3', or Interregional Innovation Investments, which aims to promote innovation through smart specialisation and collaboration between EU regions. The University of Salamanca is participating in this important initiative through the BISITE Research Group.

This week in Rome, at the headquarters of the Italian Space Agency, the launch of the project is being held and Professor Juan Manuel Corchado has attended its start accompanied by Marta Plaza and Diego Valdeolmillos, members of his group, since the University of Salamanca will be responsible for developing activities associated with Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence.

The project "Nature-based business model and emerging innovations to enhance carbon farming initiatives (CFI) while preserving biodiversity, water security and soil health", coordinated by the Fondazione E. Amald, has a twofold objective: on the one hand, it aims to promote reforestation practices that increase CO2 absorption, while favouring crucial environmental co-benefits such as sustainable freshwater production, drylands and soil restoration and biodiversity promotion; and on the other hand, it aims to finance the promotion of highly innovative technologies promoted by SMEs through a cascade system that will fund a minimum of 42 companies. 

The implementation of green blockchain technologies, the establishment of methods that favour the security and efficiency of transactions, the exchange of carbon credits, the signing of smart contracts and the creation of a certification scheme for carbon credits are some of the challenges that the BISITE Research Group will have to address. The University of Salamanca, through BISITE, will collaborate in the three-year project with Fondazione E. Arnald, Planet, Treedom, Space4Good, CNR, F6S, ABCORP, CIRCONNACT, NTUA, AINIA, NOVOBIOM, TREEO and RANCHO.