Humus per la Biosfera
This project is completed. Building up humus as a “climate gas sink” to bind carbon and enrich soil fertility in Sicily.
Agriculture Carbon Removals and Sinks Soils
Project info
Italy
08/21 - 12/23
General public, Educational institutions, Non-governmental organisations, Local governments, Private sector
195,800.07 €
Contact info
Stefanie Hermsen
- Manfred-Hermsen-Stiftung
- Giacche Verdi Bronte
Background
Humus is the essence of fertile soil and thus an important contribution to food security. It also has the ability to bind carbon and thus reduce CO2 emission. Worldwide, in Europe, and especially in Sicily, the loss of humus is a serious problem. To counteract this development, municipalities, farmers, and individuals need to apply new approaches in waste management and agriculture.
Sicilian Summer Landscape, Photo: ©Manfred-Hermsen-Stiftung | Giacche Verdi Bronte
Project
The project team promoted humus growth in farms and gardens in the small-scale farming river valleys of Mount Etna, Sicily. These valleys constituted an important eco-corridor between three nature parks which are home to the wildcat and other species. Several activities aimed at encouraging the return of organic matter from households and farms to the soil, thus binding carbon and enriching soil biodiversity and fertility.
On several trial plots, the project team worked together with scientists and more than one hundred farmers to develop climate- and biodiversity-friendly organic farming methods that ensured the production and preservation of humus soil. This additionally contributed to the goals set in the Italian Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan.
Furthermore, the team cooperated with 27 municipalities located within a planned biosphere reserve by providing guidance for an ambitious project: the establishment of a regional organic waste composting system for 140,000 inhabitants.
Finally, the project team supported environmental education for Sicilian schoolchildren by providing education material to schools, focusing on the potential of composting for climate action. To accompany this, project members also assisted the construction of schoolyard composters.
The project team included young volunteers from across Europe in all activities, making them multipliers who transport the lessons learned into their home countries.
External Links
TV-Reportage: Sizilien abseits der Touristenpfade – Wo junge Freiwillige Abenteuer erleben (German)
Results
- Hands-on environmental education with measurable climate benefits: The project strengthened climate change mitigation and environmental education by enabling more than 4,500 children around Mount Etna to set up composting areas in schoolyards, households and communities. Together, these measures save 24 tonnes of CO₂ per year. In addition, more than 40 young people from 12 countries carried out 11 humus-related studies. In the process, 4,150 tree seedlings were grown, which will store around 145 tonnes of carbon annually in future. The project thus combined practical environmental education with real CO₂ reduction and long-term soil improvement.
- Climate farming approaches integrated into agriculture: Climate farming methods were introduced on trial plots, which directly sequestered six tonnes of CO₂ in the soil. In addition, 12 farms began producing charcoal from olive wood – a measure that will sequester around 78 tonnes of CO₂ annually. The project thus established sustainable agricultural practices that promote both carbon storage and soil fertility in the long term.
Last update: February 2026