Which products and regions are covered by the CFT?
The Cool Farm Tool covers virtually all crops grown in mineral soils (which are primarily composed of inorganic material formed from the weathering of rocks) and livestock globally. You can make GHG assessments for these products, and for crops you can additionally assess water efficiency and food waste. The tool also provides a biodiversity module to assess whole farm management in temperate forest and semi-arid/mediterranean biomes.
There are a few exceptions. The tool does not apply to:
- The SOC and N2O models are not suitable for organic soils. These typically have up to 12% soil organic carbon - but this 12% is not a rule for defining a mineral soil. See IPCC 2013 wetland supplement guidance and IPCC 2019 definition of organic soil for more information.
- Crops grown in non-soil media (e.g. greenhouses or hydroponic systems).
- Polar regions (the SOC model is not suitable for this climate).
The new perennial pathway will launch improve ease of use and applicability of the Cool Farm Tool for many perennial and multi-year crops including citrus, shaded coffee, monoculture coffee, cocoa low and high density and possibly almonds.
Also improvements to make the tool fit for glasshouse grown crops or update the other livestock pathway have been initially drafted, but need funding for implementation. If you would be willing to fund improvements to extend the scope of the tool, please get in contact with support@coolfarmtool.org.