To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, sequestration of greenhouse gases by natural absorption sinks—including soils—is now a solution favored by governments. Public authorities at both European and national level are focusing on carbon farming: this emerging concept refers to the use of agricultural practices that aim at preserving and enhancing the capacity of agricultural soils to absorb and store carbon sustainably.
The purpose of this contribution is to present the legal issues associated with the emergence of carbon farming, and to analyze the way in which European and French law has addressed the issue of carbon farming in material terms, as well as the nature of the legal tools and mechanisms used to encourage its development on farms. An analysis of these legal tools raises questions about the role of the law in transforming agriculture and helps to better define the agroecological transition in relation to carbon farming.