Italy is gaining recognition for its leadership in agrivoltaics, with innovative projects attracting international attention. Despite new laws not leading to a significant increase in deployment, the country continues to develop projects that combine solar energy with agriculture. This trend showcases Italy's commitment to sustainable solutions for both energy production and food cultivation. Climate solutions experts should take note of Italy's progress in this area and the potential for further advancements in agrivoltaics.
Category: Food, Agriculture, Land & Ocean (FALO)
Cut Emissions:
– Curb Growing Demands
– Restore & Manage Ecosystems
– Shift Agriculture Practices
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Mombasa: Key outcomes from the Our Ocean Conference in Kenya
The Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya saw countries commit to political declarations on banning deep-sea mining, protecting coral reefs, and combating illegal fishing. African countries played a key role in driving ambition on fisheries transparency and marine protected areas, with 320 commitments made, including funding for research and waste management programs. The High Seas Treaty, entering into force in January 2026, will allow countries to establish MPAs in international waters to achieve the "30 by 30" target. Discussions on deep-sea mining included calls for a precautionary pause, while commitments were made to protect climate-resilient coral reefs. The summit also focused on advancing fisheries transparency and sustainable management, with a need to address overfishing and integrate climate change considerations for long-term sustainability.
https://www.carbonbrief.org/mombasa-key-outcomes-from-the-our-ocean-conference-in-kenya/
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Global Solar Council Launches AgriPV Taskforce to Unlock the Next Frontier of Solar Growth
The Global Solar Council's AgriPV Task Force aims to accelerate the growth of agrivoltaics, unlocking nearly 33 TW of additional solar capacity worldwide by utilizing just 1% of agricultural land. This initiative supports rural communities, strengthens agricultural productivity, and improves climate resilience by bringing together industry leaders to advance policies and build a scalable global AgriPV market. The Task Force focuses on promoting understanding, sharing best practices, supporting policy development, and fostering collaboration between solar and agricultural sectors to position agrivoltaics as a critical pillar for the next phase of solar growth, delivering benefits for energy systems, farmers, food security, and climate resilience.
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Agriculture
NASA has been utilizing satellites, data, missions, and programs for decades to support agriculture decision making, strengthen food security, track droughts and flooding, and determine plant and soil health. This technology is crucial in addressing climate-related challenges in agriculture, providing valuable insights for climate solutions experts to develop strategies for sustainable farming practices and adaptation to changing environmental conditions.
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Penumbra-aware irradiance modeling for agrivoltaic orchards
Researchers at Delft University of Technology have developed a Python framework to improve light-simulation workflows for agrivoltaics, focusing on realistic representations of atmospheric conditions and crop geometry. This advancement enhances predictions for crop yield and solar energy production in shared land-use systems, reducing design uncertainty and supporting sustainable food-energy integration. The framework includes site-specific sun and sky spectra across the entire solar spectrum, rendering soft shadows efficiently for crops under semi-transparent PV modules. A new model for agrivoltaic orchards was also developed to optimize sunlight penetration for both crops and solar panels, resulting in a 16% increase in energy production compared to traditional setups. This research, published in the journal Applied Energy, highlights the importance of accurate canopy representation for optimizing light levels and mitigating suboptimal conditions in agrivoltaic systems.
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/06/23/penumbra-aware-irradiance-modeling-for-agrivoltaic-orchards/
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Black Women Farmers Are Reclaiming the Land
The section discusses the historical injustices faced by Black farmers, particularly Black women, in relation to land ownership and agriculture, highlighting the broken promises of "40 acres and a mule" and discriminatory practices that led to the loss of millions of acres of farmland. Efforts to repair the harm inflicted by past practices are hindered by sexism and gender oppression, with organizations like the Land Loss Prevention Project in North Carolina providing legal support. Black women continue to face barriers to accessing resources and funding for land ownership, but are reclaiming their rightful place on land through initiatives like land trusts, focusing on smaller plots to serve their communities and preserve generational knowledge for future generations.
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/black-women-farmers-reclaiming-land/
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Mombasa ocean summit drives marine protection worth $6.4 billion
Governments and delegates at the Our Ocean Conference in Kenya reaffirmed commitments to protect marine ecosystems, with a focus on addressing climate-related issues such as blue carbon ecosystems, coastal adaptation, and marine biodiversity. Former US climate envoy John Kerry emphasized the importance of prioritizing ocean protection in global climate policy and urged for political will to align with scientific knowledge. The conference aimed to push marine issues to the forefront of global climate diplomacy and build momentum for the upcoming COP31 climate summit in Türkiye. Ocean-based solutions could contribute up to 35% of emissions reductions needed to limit global warming, with over 2,900 commitments worth nearly $170 billion generated in the past decade. Despite challenges in accessing sustained funding for marine conservation efforts, the upcoming Our Ocean Conference is seen as a critical moment to increase the prominence of the ocean in climate discussions and align political ambition with funding, implementation, and accountability to protect the ocean as Earth's life support system.
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New Ceres’ report offers guidance on landscape approaches to reduce nature risk
Ceres, a nonprofit organization, released a report advocating for corporate participation in landscape initiatives to manage nature loss and build supply chain resilience. These initiatives involve multi-stakeholder programs addressing environmental, economic, and social risks in key sourcing regions, with benefits including ecosystem restoration, carbon sequestration, and improved livelihoods. Companies like Nestlé and Mondelēz are already engaged in over 570 landscape initiatives, with a median investment of $300,000 per company. The report provides investors with a framework to engage agricultural and forestry companies in scaling action to mitigate nature-related risks, demonstrating the importance of sustainability for the bottom line. Visit ceres.org for more information on their efforts to accelerate the transition to a cleaner, more just, and resilient economy.
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Le Sénégal et les Comores s’engagent à prendre des mesures pour exclure la pêche industrielle destructrice de leurs eaux côtières
At the "Our Ocean" Conference in 2026, African leaders committed to expanding coastal exclusion zones and establishing artisanal management zones to protect marine ecosystems and prioritize the livelihoods of artisanal fishers. Efforts in Ghana and West Africa have cracked down on illegal industrial trawling, with the "Transform Bottom Trawling" coalition campaigning against destructive fishing practices. The focus is on excluding industrial fishing, empowering local fishing councils, and promoting community-based marine conservation efforts to address overfishing and prioritize the interests of coastal communities. Calls for more sustainable management solutions like Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) are emphasized to increase artisanal catches and support food security, with a focus on reducing the crisis caused by bottom trawling in the oceans.
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Agrivoltaics Gets A Huge Thumbs-Up With Bipartisan Support
Agrivoltaics, the practice of combining crops with solar panels, is gaining traction in Virginia with the introduction of legislation such as SB 340/HB 508 to support and accelerate this transition. The bill defines agrivoltaics as co-locating agricultural production and solar energy generation, emphasizing the need for projects to complement existing farm businesses. Supported by the PEC and passed with bipartisan support, the legislation also promotes on-farm energy storage and virtual power plants to enable farmers to collaborate with local utilities. The Community Farm at Roundabout Meadows serves as a model for small-scale, distributed generation and storage opportunities, showcasing the benefits of crop-based agrivoltaics systems in achieving energy independence and sustainability.
https://cleantechnica.com/2026/06/18/agrivoltaics-virginia-solar-energy-storage-conserve-farmland/