Understanding Farm Carbon: Building Evidence for the Future

Cotswolds National Landscape (CNL) has commissioned a project to investigate farm emissions across the farm systems common to the Cotswolds, exploring how agricultural emissions can be reduced while supporting farmers to identify new financial opportunities.

Agriculture covers 86% of the National Landscape and contributes 22% of its greenhouse gas emissions.  That is not to say agriculture is a problem. It is the principal influence on the special qualities of the Cotswolds, which the CNL is charged to conserve and enhance. The sector is also in major transition, with state support dwindling and many farms looking to diversify their income. We therefore want to understand how the climate impact of agriculture can be reduced, while supporting farmers to explore new financial opportunities.

The project is funding 12 farm carbon assessments across four farming systems: conventional mixed, livestock, organic and regenerative.

The data gathered will help build an understanding of how far regenerative and low-carbon practices can reduce emissions in the Cotswolds.The CNL team  will use the dataset to guide decisions on reducing farm emissions, including support for a shift towards regenerative agriculture. The results will also underpin the CNL's Climate Mitigation Action Plan and Land Use Framework.

What will the assessments provide?

Each participating farm will receive:

• A full carbon report from Trinity AgTech, detailing its emissions, carbon sequestration and net carbon balance, including the main drivers of its footprint by source and gas.

• Three modelled scenarios for reducing emissions, with the impact of each quantified to help farmers understand which changes could make the greatest difference.

• An optional results call with the project team to discuss the findings.

Beyond identifying opportunities to reduce emissions, carbon assessments can provide an important baseline for farm business planning and exploring potential future income from natural capital and carbon schemes.

While opportunities will vary between farms and future income is not guaranteed, building this evidence can help farmers better understand their environmental performance and make informed decisions about their businesses.

With thanks to Fred Constantine, Climate Action Lead at Cotswolds National Landscape, for contributing this article.