Standards Development

Scope

The protocol describes the requirements, methods and tools eligible to quantify carbon footprint from land agronomic practices. The protocol relies on the application of tested process-based crop and biogeochemistry models able to simulate the impact of agronomic land practices on SOC sequestration and GHG emissions reductions.

Key elements of the protocol include:

• Model input and source

• Model validation from measurements available from benchmarking sites or scientific literature for the area of evaluation

• Quantification of model uncertainties

• List of agronomic management practices suitable to increase soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emission reductions

Purpose

Justification: Agricultural production systems can be a net source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or a net sink depending on how they are managed. Agronomic management practices such as tillage, agrochemical application (fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, pesticides), crop residue management cause GHG emission such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Changes to these practices can lead to reductions in these GHG emissions, as well as increase Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) sequestration.

Purpose: This proposal aims to provide requirements and guidance for the development of a protocol to monitor, report, and to allow a verification of GHG emission reduction and SOC sequestration from the adoption of sustainable agricultural land management practices. Currently the agricultural management practices considered in this protocol include:

• Fertilizer (organic and inorganic)

• Amendments (organic and inorganic)

• Pesticides, Herbicide, Fungicide, Insecticides

• Irrigation

• Tillage

• Residue management

• Crop rotations

• Cover crops

• Fossil fuel usage

• Variable rate application of agrochemicals (Digital Agriculture)

This list of activities above is intended to be indicative and may be subject to be expanded. SOC sequestration and GHG emissions from these activities are accounted and reported at field scale; dates must be specified to set the beginning of monitoring activities. Methods and tools will be specified in the protocol.

The standard will be developed taking into consideration the existing ISO 14060 series of standard, such as ISO 14067, ISO14064-1 e ISO 14064-2