Background It is widely recognised that the primary sector has significant potential to mitigate climate change, given that it has been responsible for around a third of all carbon emissions since 1850 from land use. Though agriculture in the EU accounts for only about 2% of GDP and 5% of employment, it is responsible for 45% of total land use and 9.6% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (according to figures for the EU-27 in 2008). Objectives The overall goal of the LIFE-AGRICARE project is to demonstrate that the introduction of new integrated agriculture applications, incorporating precision farming technologies, have significant potential in terms of energy saving and GHG reductions. The project’s specific objectives are to: Test and demonstrate, in four different crop systems, the GHG mitigation potential of five types of new electronic and mechanical machines for minimum tillage and sustainable soil management; Compare innovative types of equipment for precision farming with traditional types, to benchmark their effective potential for energy saving and GHG mitigation; Analyse the barriers to the diffusion of new techniques in different Italian rural areas and to assess the economic convenience for farmers of introducing advanced precision farming systems, taking into account the driving forces towards changes (e.g. increasing yields, energy reductions and overall economic benefits); Evaluate, using modelling systems and GIS analysis, the long-term effects of technology introductions upon the effects of climate change patterns in agriculture, as well as defining the Italian rural surfaces that are most suitable for the introduction of the tested technologies; and Introduce on a large scale low-emission, precision farming techniques, along with agro-environmental indicators, by implementing a technology transfer strategy at regional, national and European levels. Expected results: Conducting of 83 trials for low-carbon farming; Benchmarks for the mechanical operations, in terms of plant growth, yield, soil characteristics, energy and CO2 consumption; Three comparative assessments completed, concerning plant production for each crop management technique, emissions and energy consumption, GHGs during the trials, and economic benefits delivered; A model simulation of the long-term effects of new crop systems on carbon storage and GHG emission from soils, as well nitrogen balance; Report comparing the different technological solutions tested from the point of view of long-term soil carbon content; An evaluation analysis of the Italian arable land surfaces that could be suitable for the diffusion of new tillage and management techniques; Online tool for farmers for the self-assessment of the environmental impacts of innovative techniques in terms of GHG emissions; Evaluation of carbon market benefits showing the potential effects of tested technologies in providing meaningful carbon credits; and Lifecycle assessment implemented for each of four demonstration tests, to assess overall environmental impacts.