Crop pathway
How does Cool Farm Tool determine above-ground biomass for trees?
The CFT uses different allometric equations that determine biomass based on a few parameters, which are easy to measure (e.g. diameter at breast height). The selection is based on the various allometric equations included from IPCC and other peer ...
Does the C-Input component of the carbon tab address only carbon sequestration? How are the effects of N2O emissions accounted for?
Currently, the tool only accounts for the effect on soil carbon. N2O emissions from cover crop residue decomposition, which can lead to higher nitrous oxide emissions, are not considered at the moment. However, you can include this by increasing the ...
What management practices can help me to sequester carbon in the soil? E.g. is reduced tillage more beneficial than conventional tillage apart from less fuel use?
There is no definitive answer as to whether tillage regime emits or sequesters carbon. It is dependent on your climate zone, your soil type and your moisture regime, and within that there is local variation incorporated in the error uncertainties in ...
Why can I not select my crop in my GHG and Water assessment?
The water module is only available for a range of crops in the tool: Alfalfa, Barley, Coffee, Cotton, Dry Bean, Maize, Millet, Oats, Other grain, Other legume, Other N-fixing forage, Other Non-N-fixing forage, Peanut, Perennial grass, Potato, Rice, ...
Why does the tool not show results for waste water after I filled this section under Fuel & Energy?
The waste water treatment options as well as related emission factors have been updated to IPCC 2019. The methodology is intended to only show changes in the emissions of waste water if the temperature of the farm is equal or higher than 15° ...
I can't see my tree species in the out-of-crop biomass section
Choose the type of tree that resembles your shade trees most. E.g. hardwoods, called angiosperms, are usually flowering or fruit bearing trees. Therefore, tropical moist hardwood would be a good choice for e.g. mango or citrus trees. For soft wood ...
How do I reflect carbon sequestration in a farming system that uses different tillage for different crops within a rotation?
The IPCC provides definitions for various tillage categories, including "no-till," "reduced," and "full" tillage. When entering tillage changes in the carbon tab of the CFT, consider these terms as applying to the entire rotation on your field, ...
Why is carbon sequestration potential bigger for soils with a high Soil Organic Matter than for soils with a low SOM?
The Cool Farm Tool uses IPCC Tier 1 method as the basis of its soil carbon module. This method observes that soil carbon stock under annual production is a fixed fraction of the native (pre-agriculture) carbon stock. It also says that changing ...
How does the Cool Farm Tool estimate soil carbon change due to management interventions? What parameters are taken into account?
The Cool Farm Tool calculates changes in soil carbon, whether it involves emissions or sequestration, by considering historical changes in land use change, tillage and carbon input. The method employed is based on the IPCC 2019 guidelines. It's ...
Does the tool account for emissions from natural mineralisation of soil organic matter?
Yes, the tool accounts for the annual nitrogen released through the natural breakdown of soil organic matter, but only if there is a loss of soil carbon due to changes in land use or management. This includes nitrogen lost through leaching and direct ...
SOC Tier 1 model: Can I capture cover crops?
Cover crops are not a separate question anymore but are part of C input added to a soil. Have a look at the info button text in the tool, you will see a helpful soil carbon decision tree (can also see attached to this article). If you started using ...
Why do I see emissions when I change from full till to reduced till?
This is only applicable to dry soils in different climates. With the updated models of IPCC 2019, the expected change of carbon stocks due to changes in tillage practices to reduced till lead to some surprising results, depending on soil moisture ...
Can I add a new crop to the CFT?
All new crops will be added into the Cool Farm Platform, rather than the Cool Farm Tool. Please note that in the annual GHG pathway, the primary impact of selecting a crop is the quantity of residues it produces. For crops not listed in the tool, you ...
Crop residue emission estimates
The residues estimated by the Cool Farm Tool are generated based on the guidelines provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It's important to note that these values are estimates and can indeed have a significant influence on ...
Why are seed emissions not covered in CFT?
The Cool Farm Tool covers seed emissions only for potato, but not for the remaining field crops. This model is available in the Cool Farm Platform for all annual crops.
When choosing a crop tree, do I also need to enter the woody biomass?
The biomass of your perennial crop trees in the annual existing CFT module is not automatically included but this should not be added into the biomass section because it is not considered permanent. You should only account for out of crop biomass in ...
Is crop residue to be entered in terms of fresh or dry matter?
Crop residues are to be entered in terms of DRY MATTER.
I don't see my crop in the drop-down list on the first tab. What should I do?
The crop affects your carbon footprint via above-ground residues and, below-ground biomass. If you don’t see your crop listed, choose from the “other” crops at the bottom of the drop-down list. The main impact of not finding a direct match is that ...
How do I classify 'hose and pump' irrigation systems?
If you're irrigating your crops, you need to account for the energy used to distribute the water to your crops. Details on irrigation are not mandatory to complete an assessment, but filling out this section will help the model to calculate the ...