A new industry network will launch this summer looking to tackle the carbon footprint of UK crop production.
The YEN Zero will bring together the entire food supply chain, including growers, to meet the industry’s target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2040.
The network is a new initiative by researchers from ADAS, the largest independent environmental and agricultural consultancy in the UK.
The production of crops, including cereals and oilseeds, contributes to greenhouse gas emissions primarily through the use of artificial nitrogen fertilisers and cultivation choices.
Currently, there is no standard for measuring GHG emissions in crop production, which makes it difficult for those further up the supply chain to quantify the agricultural contribution to their total emissions.
YEN Zero will undertake the analysis and benchmarking of combinable crop carbon footprints on a per-field basis with the aspiration of growing this to carbon accounting on a whole-farm scale.
This benchmarking of crop GHG intensities will enable fair and easy comparison of emissions among farms, fields and crops.
From there, it will be possible to see what agronomic practices are driving these emissions and test which mitigation strategies work best on farms.
Successful strategies will then be shared with members of the network. Researchers will also work directly with growers to help optimise their production with reduced inputs.
The network will create a space where knowledge can be shared around key net-zero topics, and metrics for calculating cropping carbon footprints can be agreed to create consensus across the industry.
From July, ADAS researchers will host a series of workshops for YEN Zero members to gain and share knowledge regarding key net-zero issues.
These workshops will be run as open forums addressing issues such as soil carbon sequestration potential, effective mitigation strategies and methodologies for calculating cropping carbon footprints.
Daniel Kindred, head of agronomics at ADAS, said: “We are really excited to have such strong support from organisations across the supply chain to bring our YEN approach to tackling carbon emissions.
"By working together, we can develop a shared understanding of the issues, and share ideas and experience of ‘what works’ for the industry’s journey towards net zero."
A number of organisations are currently engaging in YEN Zero, these include AHDB, Defra, Syngenta, Bayer, Origin Fertilisers, Hutchinsons, Nestlé, Anglian Water, John Fergus & Co and Glenmorangie.
The network is still looking for more groups that would like to join the initiative. Those interested have been told to contact christina.baxter@adas.co.uk.
