The Cool Farm Tool (CFT) was originally developed by Unilever and researchers at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland to help growers measure and understand on-farm emissions.
The tool has since been tested and adopted by a range of multinational companies who are using it to work with their suppliers to measure, manage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The online, farm-level emissions calculator is based on empirical research from a broad range of published data sets and designed to be intuitive and easy to complete based on information that a farmer will have readily available.
After inputting data on their farms, growers can use the tool to identify hotspots and test alternative management scenarios. The tool also identifies those that will have a positive impact on total net GHG emissions to make it easy for growers to make the right choice.
Unlike many other agricultural greenhouse gas calculators, the CFT includes calculations of soil carbon sequestration, which is a key feature of agriculture that has both mitigation and adaptation benefits, developers said.
Although developers have been improving the tool for more than three years, it has just recently been released to the public – meaning growers can now log in and try it out for themselves.
For a quick demo of the tool, and more information on how it helps growers cut back on carbon emissions, check out the video below.