New Rabobank guide aims to help farmers make sense of supply chain emissions targets

The growing expectation on Australian farmers to measure and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions has necessitated a better understanding of the “basics of emissions”, according to Rabobank. With that in mind, the agribusiness banking specialist has released a new guide to help primary producers make sense of supply-chain emissions targets on-farm. RaboResearch sustainability analyst Anna Drake said it came as expectations to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were having increasing market access implications. “As these expectations start to flow back towards farm level, understanding the basic concepts around emissions measurement — including the different scopes of emissions, what a farm’s GHG footprint is made up of and the significance of key emissions metrics — is becoming important in preparing farmers for these fast-approaching changes,” she said. “With growing focus on emissions in agriculture and the widespread introduction of company emissions reduction targets that include on-farm emissions, it is important farmers are well informed so they can best position themselves to respond to changes ahead.” Ms Drake said many farmers reported feeling confusion and uncertainty around how to measure and reduce emissions, and understanding why it was relevant to their business. The guide aims to provided a foundational overview on the topic of emissions as it relates to agricultural supply chains and the expected impacts on farmers. It includes information on how to navigate corporate emissions reporting, and examines agricultural emissions from three perspectives: market and supply chain, farm and global. “For many companies active in agricultural supply chains, farming-related emissions make up the biggest part of the emissions footprint of the products they sell,” Ms Drake said. “GHG emissions data — including farm-level emissions — is likely to be factored into the purchasing decisions made by key corporates in food and agricultural supply chains as they look to purchase products that contribute to their emissions-reduction targets.” Rabobank is also engaging with emissions platform Ruminati to pilot its online farm emissions calculator, designed to make the process of baselining farm emissions quicker and easier.