Arable farmers are advised to baseline their carbon emissions to start the process of meeting government net-zero targets, with experts estimating that so far less than 50% of producers have calculated their emissions.

However, farmers remain rightfully cautious about sharing data, and the confusion over carbon calculators remains a huge challenge and complicates efforts to provide accurate assessments.

Data platform firm Map of Ag’s sustainability consultant, Caroline Hope, says the variability in carbon calculator results has limited their uptake, but recommends that those who have not yet started calculating emissions do so.

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“We will need to achieve our net-zero targets or get as close as possible, and the first step is to calculate an emissions baseline. Without this, we cannot understand the impact of management changes on farm,” she says.

Caroline ensures that Map of Ag is proactive in assisting farmers with reliable software, and that farmers remain in control of how their data is used.

Simple steps

Caroline’s key piece of advice for farmers is to try new things, collaborate and learn.

“Starting the journey towards carbon reduction can yield immediate benefits,” she says. “There are low-hanging fruits that farmers can capitalise on early in the process.”

Fertiliser on arable farms, particularly inorganic nitrogen, is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.

“This could easily equate to 40-50% of all emissions on arable farms. Small steps in reducing this will help.”

She suggests farmers consider actions such as:

• Increasing bulky organic matter applications to the soil using green manures These crops are grown specifically for building and maintaining soil fertility and structure, though they may also have other functions.
• Reduce nitrogen use Carry out N rate trials and investigate if rates can be lowered by 10-15% while achieving similar yields
• Aim to have a living root in the ground for as much of the year as possible This will aid with carbon sequestration and can be achieved using cover crops, catch crops or companion cropping.

Caroline says: “You don’t need to change your entire farming system overnight, but try things and see if they work, then adopt the ones that do.

“You need to know where you are currently by establishing a baseline and then work out how you are going to move forward.

“It’s important to view this in the long term. If you look at it on a two- to three-year basis, you won’t see the trends, but over five to 10 years you will.

“It’s like investing money in the stock market; you generally need to look at it over time to see the real benefits,” she adds.

Regenerative agriculture

While Caroline believes the buzzword of “regenerative agriculture” has to some degree taken the focus away from emissions targets in recent years, she says its practices – including building natural capital and biodiversity – are very much part of the story.

“Regen ag is just a label and isn’t something new. It is part of the story, and many farmers are already doing it without needing to rebrand it,” she says.

“It is helping farms reduce emissions on-farm and build up carbon stores.

“The resurgence of regen ag as a movement globally has refocused our attention on good, holistic farming practices. Whether one likes or dislikes the label, it is positive for the industry.”

Carbon credits could be useful for farmers once they are universally regulated, which may lead to increased uptake.

“We are seeing a move away from carbon offsetting to carbon insetting. This means companies can only take carbon credits from within their supplier or customer base.

“Outfits such as banks are looking at this very closely and aligning themselves with this.”