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ORCaSa-Supported Workshop at CSU Advances Global Soil Carbon MMRV Collaboration

AI-LEAF recently held a Soil Carbon MMRV (Measurement, Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification) Workshop hosted by Colorado State University’s Department of Soil and Crop Sciences in Fort Collins and Estes Park, Colo., May 14 - 16. The workshop was organized by Keith Paustian - CSU professor and supported by ORCaSa, the Carbon Management Initiative, AI-LEAF and the Soil Carbon Solutions Center. Forty researchers and practitioners from around the world convened to explore best practices, emerging technologies and collaborative strategies for advancing soil carbon management.

Day 1: Global Perspectives on MMRV
The workshop opened with international insights into project-scale MMRV. The presentions included: Soil Carbon International Research Consortium - Mathieu Nogues, ORCaSa; Critical Institutional Analysis of MRV - Steven Wolf, Cornell University; EU’s MMRV “Cookbook” - Eric Ceschia, INRAE; and Australia’s Soil Carbon Farming Initiatives - Elaine Mitchell, QUT. Breakout sessions followed, discussing data sharing and expanding global collaboration.

Day 2: Reducing Uncertainty and Technical Innovation
The second day focused on reducing uncertainty through technical advances. Talks covered: In situ Measurement - Jonathan Sanderman, Woodwell Climate; Remote Sensing - Guanyuan Shuai, University of Maryland; The Farm Flux Mission - Emily Fischer, CSU; Dynamic Modeling, Ames Fowler - CSU; and Project-scale Uncertainty Estimation - Stephen Ogle, CSU. Breakouts addressed acceptable uncertainty thresholds across sectors and integrating models with diverse data systems.

Day 3: Implementing MMRV on the Ground
The final day turned to implementation challenges. Industry case studies were presented: Field to Market - Paul Hishmeh, SAI Platform - Ying Wang, Indigo Ag - AJ Kumar, and Ducks Unlimited - Christine Rost. Mathieu Nogues introduced ORCaSa’s Impact4Soil Platform and Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda. The workshop concluded with a breakout session on strategies to support implementers navigating evolving MMRV demands.