How to choose a carbon calculator for your farm
Obtaining a reliable and credible carbon assessment is becoming increasingly important for all farmers.
Such assessments are crucial not only for implementing more resource efficient farming practices and for enhancing environmental stewardship, but they also pave the way for farmers to access new markets and financial incentives aimed at supporting sustainable agriculture.
While this blog focuses predominantly on carbon, it is important to note that carbon is just one piece of the puzzle and the opportunities extend to all aspects of natural capital.
You should therefore be looking at software options that allow you to measure and manage natural capital in a holistic way, taking into consideration elements such as biodiversity, water quality and soil health, alongside carbon.
But with so many tools proclaiming to provide carbon assessment data, which tool do you use?
You could easily be fooled into thinking that many of the tools available will give you a similar result and the data you need to navigate your natural capital, but this simply isn’t true. Defra’s recent report – Harmonisation of Carbon Accounting Tools for Agriculture - has reinforced this, highlighting the significant divergence in calculation methodology and the resulting information.
The report quite clearly shows that not all tools are equal. You can take a read of a summary of the report here.
The main thing for farmers and consultants to keep in mind when selecting a tool for benchmarking farm-level carbon and natural capital is to use software that provides the most credible and reliable data, and that will remain effective going forwards.
Ultimately, there are no gains to be had from obtaining unreliable and inconsistent carbon data. In fact, it could prove hugely damaging, painting an inaccurate picture of farm-level carbon and holding little trust, and therefore value, with key stakeholders.
Practical considerations
Before considering the technicalities of a carbon calculator, addressing some practical questions can help determine if a tool is well-suited for your farm.
Buyer/supply chain requirements: Don’t just assume that a tool encouraged by your buyer or supply chain is the best for the job; while it might tick a data box for them, it might not be the best choice for you so consider your options carefully.
Comprehensiveness: Does the tool cover all types of natural capital and all types of produce from your farm, including all crops, livestock and land uses.
Depth of analysis: What levels of carbon footprint analysis does the tool offer, e.g. whole-farm, enterprise, product levels? The granularity of data, from whole-farm to product-level analysis, can significantly impact strategic decisions.
Usability: How user-friendly is the platform and the data input process, does it connect with other farm software to streamline data entry?
Cost: Weigh up cost against the reliability, functionality and scope of the software. There are several free tools available, however they offer minimal reliability and scope, while still taking up valuable time to use.
Comparative analysis: Does the tool allow for scenario comparisons, benchmarking, and tracking changes over time? Understanding how your farm performs against others, plus the likely consequences of changes to practices can be incredibly insightful.
Carbon sequestration: An essential feature for future-proofing your farm, does the tool account for carbon sequestration through biomass or soil?
Technical questions for robust and reliable data
Here are some technical considerations to ensure that data generated by your carbon calculator tool is credible and will stand up to scrutiny:
Adherence to standards: Does the calculator follow these recognised standards: ISO14064:2, ISO14067, or the draft GHG Protocol Land Sector and Removals guidance which is supportive of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)? If not, the confidence in the data is very limited.
Methane and nitrous oxide emissions: How does the tool handle these significant agricultural GHGs? Look for calculators that offer dual reporting or use the GWP* methodology for a more accurate representation of methane's impact.
Updates and improvements: A tool that is not regularly updated will not reflect the latest in emission factors or scientific data, rendering your footprint less accurate over time. You want to be confident that the tool you select will continually remain relevant; tools that don’t update regularly or are slow to update should be avoided.
Sandy – the most credible and reliable software for assessing your farm’s carbon footprint
Our navigation software, Sandy, is uniquely fit for purpose and sets the standard for carbon assessment.
If you are interested in using Sandy to create a complete asset register of your farm’s natural capital, you can sign up for a free no-obligation demonstration here.