GHG Protocol Agricultural Guidance (April 26) - 0

GHG Protocol Agricultural Guidance
Interpreting the Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard

for the agricultural sector
Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................... 5
1.1 Agriculture and climate change ....................................................................................... 5
1.2 What is the Greenhouse Gas Protocol? .......................................................................... 6
1.3 Why an Agricultural Guidance? ....................................................................................... 7
1.4 Who should use this Guidance? ...................................................................................... 9
1.5 Relationship between this Guidance and the Corporate Standard .............................. 10
1.6 How does this Guidance relate to the GHG Protocol Product Standard? .................... 15
1.7 How does this guidance relate to the GHG Project Protocol? ...................................... 16
1.8 How was this Guidance developed? ............................................................................. 16
Chapter 2: Business goals ....................................................................................................... 17
2.1 Overview of business goals ............................................................................................ 17
Chapter 3: Principles .............................................................................................................. 22
3.1 Overview of principles ................................................................................................... 22
Chapter 4: Overview of agricultural emission sources ............................................................ 24
4.1 Overview of agricultural sources ................................................................................... 24
4.2 Individual agricultural sources ....................................................................................... 27
4.3 Off‐site emission sources beyond the farm gate .......................................................... 32
Chapter 5: Setting Inventory Boundaries ................................................................................ 34
5.1 Setting organizational boundaries ................................................................................. 34
5.2 Setting operational boundaries ..................................................................................... 37
Chapter 6: Tracking GHG fluxes over Time ............................................................................. 42
6.1 Setting base periods ...................................................................................................... 42
6.2 Recalculating base period inventories. .......................................................................... 44
Chapter 7: Calculating GHG Fluxes ......................................................................................... 46
7.1 Collecting activity data .................................................................................................. 47
7.2 Guidance for prioritizing data collection efforts ........................................................... 50
7.3 Selecting a calculation approach ................................................................................... 52
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7.4 Uncertainty in activity and GHG flux data ..................................................................... 58
Chapter 8: Accounting for Carbon Stocks ............................................................................... 60
8.1 Including flux and stock data in inventories .................................................................. 60
8.2 Reporting recommendations for different C stocks ...................................................... 61
8.3 Amortizing changes in carbon stocks over time ............................................................ 64
Chapter 9: Reporting GHG Data ............................................................................................. 70
9.1 Required information .................................................................................................... 70
9.2 Minimum, best practice, recommendations for reporting agricultural GHG fluxes ...... 71
9.3 Additional information that may be reported ............................................................... 73
9.4 Agricultural offset and renewable energy projects ....................................................... 74
Appendix I: Performance metrics ........................................................................................... 77
Appendix II: Amortizing CO2 Fluxes to / from Carbon Stocks .................................................. 83
Appendix III: Tools for calculating agricultural GHG fluxes ...................................................... 88
Abbreviations 97
Glossary 98
References 102
3
A note on terminology in GHG Protocol publications

The GHG Protocol uses specific terms to connote reporting requirements and
recommendations. The term “shall” is used in this Guidance to indicate what is required
for a GHG inventory to conform to the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and
Reporting Standard. The term “should” is used to indicate a recommendation, but not a
requirement. The term “may” is used to indicate an option that is permissible or
allowable. This publication contains requirements and guidance from the Corporate
Standard, and additional, sector-specific recommendations.

Part 1: GENERAL INFORMATION
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Agriculture is a major contributor to global emissions of the greenhouse gases (GHGs)
that drive climate change. Leadership and innovation from the sector is therefore vital in
making progress in reducing these emissions and in abating the worst effects of climate
change on agricultural production. Action in this arena also makes good business sense.
By addressing GHG emissions, companies (and producers1) can identify opportunities to
bolster their bottom line, reduce risk, and discover competitive advantages.
A GHG emissions inventory is the foundational tool that allows a company to understand
its GHG emissions and build effective climate change strategies. GHG inventories help
companies understand their exposure to GHG-related risks, identify emissions reduction
opportunities, create baseline data and reduction targets for tracking performance, and
communicate performance to key audiences, including internal management and external
stakeholders. Realizing these benefits requires that inventories are prepared according to
industry-accepted best practices.
This chapter:
 Introduces the family of GHG Protocol publications that define best practices for
developing GHG emissions inventories.
 Describes how and why the Agricultural Guidance (‘Guidance’) was developed,
and for whom.
 Describes what guidance is (and is not) provided in this publication.
 Summarizes how the Guidance differs from the GHG Protocol Corporate
Accounting and Reporting Standard, and relates to other GHG Protocol
publications.
1.1 Agriculture and climate change

The international community has adopted a goal to restrict global warming to 2oC above
pre-industrial levels2. Temperature rise above 2oC will produce increasingly
unpredictable and dangerous impacts for people and ecosystems, but particularly for
agricultural systems. Impacts on the agricultural sector that are already occurring but
expected to intensify include increased irrigation water needs, increased spread of animal
and crop diseases and pests, reduced forage quality, and reduced crop and pasture yields
(Easterling et al., 2007). These impacts stem from changes in surface temperatures, the
timing of seasons, and in the frequency and severity of severe weather events, such as
droughts, floods, and heatwaves.
Achieving the 2oC goal will require drastic reductions in GHG emissions. Here, again,
the agricultural sector is central. A wide range of agricultural activities emit GHGs
1
In this Guidance, the terms ‘producer’ and ‘company’ are used synonymously to refer to any entity that
develops an inventory of the agricultural GHG emissions. The terms ‘farm’, ‘farmland’ and ‘agricultural
land’ are also used interchangeably to refer to the land on which agriculture is practiced.
2
See paragraph 1 of ‘Report of the Conference of the Parties on its fifteenth session, held in Copenhagen
from 7 to 19 December 2009’
(http://unfccc.int/documentation/documents/advanced_search/items/6911.php?priref=600005735)
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(Figure 1-1), and together they directly contributed about 11%3 of total global
anthropogenic emissions in 2010, and roughly 60% of all nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions
and 50% of all methane (CH4) emissions in 2007 (Smith et al., 2007a). Land use change
(LUC), caused by the conversion of native habitats to farmland, contributes a comparable
amount of emissions (Houghton, 2012). Finally, the production of agricultural inputs and
various downstream activities, such as the processing and transport of agricultural
products, contributes a further 3 - 6 % of global emissions (Vermuelen et al., 2012).
Figure 1-1. Agricultural practices that emit GHGs.
Source: IPPC (2006), with permission.
1.2 What is the Greenhouse Gas Protocol?
The GHG Protocol is a multi-stakeholder partnership of businesses, non-governmental

organizations (NGOs), governments and others convened by the World Resources
Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
Launched in 1998, the mission of the GHG Protocol is to develop and promote the use of
industry-accepted best practices for GHG accounting. To date, the GHG Protocol has
released four standards that define best practices for how GHG emissions inventories
should be performed at the enterprise, project, and product levels (Table 1-1). All
publications are available from the GHG Protocol website (www.ghgprotocol.org).
3
Value calculated using data from Tubiello et al., (2014) and WRI (2014)
6
Table 1-1. The GHG Protocol family of publications

Type of GHG assessment GHG Protocol publication
Corporate Accounting and Reporting
Standard (‘Corporate Standard’)

Development of GHG emissions
inventories that itemize the
Enterprise‐level The Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3)
emissions from all of the
Accounting and Reporting Standard
operations that together comprise
(‘Scope 3 Standard’) provides additional
the reporting company
requirements and guidance on
developing comprehensive inventories
of scope 3 emissions (see Box 1‐1 for an
introduction to the concept of ‘scopes’)
The quantification of the GHG Project Protocol
impacts of projects that have been
Project‐level
undertaken to reduce emissions,

avoid emissions occurring in the
future, or sequester carbon
The development of GHG Product Life Cycle Accounting and
emissions inventories of the entire Reporting Standard (‘Product Standard’)
life cycle impacts of individual
Product‐level
products or services, from raw
material extraction to product
disposal
1.3 Why an Agricultural Guidance?
The Corporate Standard provides a high-level, cross- This Guidance defines agriculture as
sector accounting framework. But, it does not address the cultivation of animals, plants,
many accounting and reporting issues specific to and fungi for food, fiber, biofuels,
agriculture. These include: drugs or other purposes.*
 The profound influence of environmental factors on
Definition developed by the stakeholders
agricultural GHG fluxes (emissions or removals)4, involved in this Guidance’s development
which complicates efforts to separate anthropogenic process.
from non-anthropogenic effects and thus ensure that
GHG inventories are useful as management tools.
 Obtaining accurate, site-specific flux data when environmental conditions vary a lot
across landscapes.
 Setting and tracking progress toward emission reduction goals against a background
of highly variable GHG fluxes.
4
GHG fluxes are the emissions to or removals from the atmosphere of GHGs.
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 Carbon (C) sequestration and accounting for changes in the management and
ownership of different carbon pools.
 The fact that agricultural activities do not immediately result in GHG fluxes (e.g.,
delayed emissions from decomposition of post-harvest detritus).
 The types of organizational structures and operational practices specific to
agriculture.
This Guidance outlines recommended methodologies to address these and other issues
important to the sector, while incorporating requirements in the Corporate Standard.
Because the agricultural sector is highly diverse, this Guidance aims to establish a
common framework that is applicable to the myriad subsectors within agriculture. This
Guidance can largely be used on its own for developing GHG inventories. However, it
does not address certain topics covered by the Corporate Standard, such as the
verification of GHG inventories or setting of GHG reduction targets (see Chapter 1.5).
The specific objectives of this Guidance are to:

 Increase consistency and transparency in GHG accounting and reporting within the
agricultural sector.
 Help companies cost-effectively prepare GHG inventories that are true and fair
accounts of their climate impact.
 Enable GHG inventories to meet the decision-making needs of both internal
management and external stakeholders (e.g., investors) and so provide for the more
effective management of agricultural GHG fluxes.
What does this Guidance not do?

This Guidance is squarely focused on corporate- or farm-level accounting and reporting
issues and:
 Does not advance methods for project- or product-level GHG accounting (e.g.,
product category rules).
 Does not provide accounting methods for indirect Land Use Change (iLUC). iLUC
occurs when an existing crop is diverted for another purpose, such as transportation
fuel production, and replacement crops are then grown on formerly non-agricultural
lands. An example of iLUC is when sugarcane is diverted from sugar to biofuel
production, causing forests to be cleared for additional sugarcane production.
Accounting for such iLUC impacts requires a project-based approach to determine
what the GHG fluxes would have been in the absence of the market intervention. The
Project Protocol provides general, high-level guidance that can help inform how to
account for iLUC impacts.
 Does not require sector-specific GHG performance metrics. The choice of a metric
has to be guided by a company’s objectives in developing an inventory and by the
specific operations and sources that characterize that company. (Appendix I provides
an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of different types of metrics.)
 Does not require specific methods or tools for calculating agricultural GHG fluxes.
 Does not provide guidance on the selection and deployment of GHG mitigation
practices on farms.
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 Does not address environmental impacts other than GHG fluxes, such as water use,
eutrophication, and emissions of air pollutants. Consequently, this Guidance cannot
be used by itself to evaluate the possible trade-offs between GHG emissions
reductions and other environmental impacts of a given farming practice.
1.4 Who should use this Guidance?
This Guidance is primarily intended for producers and companies that seek to develop
scope 1 and 2 inventories of their agricultural operations (Box 1-1). Examples include
fruit and crop growers, ranchers, and biofuel producers. While producers with small
agricultural operations may find it difficult to devote the resources to use this Guidance,
it is applicable to operations of all sizes.
Box 1-1. The concept of scopes
Under the Corporate Standard emissions sources are categorized as direct or indirect and
then further divided into ‘scopes’:
 Direct sources: Owned or controlled by the reporting company. All direct sources are
classified as scope 1.
 Indirect sources: Owned or controlled by another company, but a portion of whose
emissions are a consequence of the activities of the reporting company. Indirect
sources are either scope 2 or scope 3: scope 2 emissions stem from the generation of
electricity, heat, or steam that is purchased by the reporting company, while scope 3
emissions are all other indirect emissions.
The focus of this Guidance is on including scope 1 and scope 2 sources in inventories,
although certain scope 3 sources are also discussed because they are highly emitting.

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Other users
This Guidance will be helpful to downstream or upstream companies that seek to
understand their value chain GHG impacts from agriculture. Downstream companies
include processors (e.g., slaughterhouses and biofuel makers), brand manufacturers that
make packaged food products, and retailers that make private label food products, while
upstream companies include manufacturers of farm inputs, such as seeds, fertilizers,
herbicides, and pesticides. Agricultural emissions will often form a substantial part of the
scope 3 inventories of these companies and will fall into the Scope 3 Standard’s Category
1 (Purchased Goods and Services) and Category 11 (Use of Sold Products) for
downstream and upstream companies, respectively. Companies completing a value chain
assessment should consult the Scope 3 Standard for additional requirements and guidance
on including agriculture in their inventories.
GHG reporting programs and policy makers may also be interested in incorporating this
Guidance into their policy or program design.
Many companies in other sectors also have land-based GHG fluxes. Examples include
the construction, mining, and utility sectors. While this Guidance is likely broadly
applicable to these sectors, it has not been evaluated for use outside of the agricultural
sector.
1.5 Relationship between this Guidance and the Corporate

Standard
The Corporate Standard outlines requirements and/or guidance on a range of topics,
ranging from inventory design to tracking emissions over time. This Guidance
summarizes and customizes most of this content to the agricultural sector, adding
additional recommendations in many areas. However, this Guidance does not include
guidance on inventory verification and target setting, and on other topics that are included
in the Corporate Standard, but not relevant to the sector. For such guidance, users should
consult the Corporate Standard. Table 1-2 maps the content of this Guidance onto that of
the Corporate Standard, while Table 1-3 summarizes the main recommendations made in
this Guidance.
Note that, under the Corporate Standard, companies must report emissions of at least the
seven Kyoto GHGs, which are: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide
(N2O), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), sulphur hexaflouride (SF6),
and nitrogen triflouride (NF3). This same principle applies to companies using this
Guidance. However, agricultural activities typically generate only a subset of these
GHGs (see Chapter 4).
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Table 1-2. Summary of how this Guidance maps onto each Chapter in the Corporate
Standard
Chapter in Corporate Standard Corresponding content in the Agricultural

Guidance
Chapter 1: GHG Accounting Chapter 3 reviews these principles
and Reporting Principles
Chapter 2: Business Goals and Chapter 2 highlights business goals specific to the
Inventory Design agricultural sector
Chapter 3: Setting Chapter 5 outlines recommendations on setting
Organizational Boundaries inventory boundaries in relation to common types
Chapter 4: Setting Operational of organizational structures and operational
Boundaries activities in the sector
Chapter 5: Tracking Emissions Chapter 6 provides requirements and
Over Time recommendations for selecting and using base
periods. Appendix I provides general information
on performance metrics
Chapter 6: Identifying and  Chapter 4 reviews the emissions sources
Calculating GHG Emissions associated with agriculture
 Chapter 7 reviews common approaches and data
requirements for calculating GHG fluxes
 Appendix III summarizes a range of tools for
calculating agricultural GHG fluxes
Chapter 7: Managing Inventory  Chapter 7 outlines recommendations for
Quality addressing uncertainty in GHG flux data and
prioritizing data collection efforts
Chapter 8: Accounting for GHG Chapter 9 provides requirements for accounting for
Reductions renewable energy projects on farms
Chapter 9: Reporting GHG Chapter 9 describes the types of information that
Emissions are either mandatory or optional to publicly report
Chapter 10: Verification of GHG
emissions
Chapter 11: Setting GHG
Targets
Appendix A: Accounting for
Indirect Emissions from
Electricity
Appendix B: Accounting for Chapter 8 outlines requirements and
Sequestered Atmospheric recommendations for accounting for the emissions
Carbon and removals of biogenic CO2. Appendix II
provides examples to illustrate this accounting.
Appendix C: Overview of GHG
Programs
Appendix D: Industry Sectors
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and Scopes
Appendix E: Base Year
Adjustments
Appendix F: Categorizing GHG Chapter 5 summarizes the requirements for lease
Emissions from Leased Assets accounting
Table 1-3. Summary of main recommendations in this Guidance for applying

requirements in the Corporate Standard.
Chapter in the Requirements in the Corporate Additional, sector-specific
Corporate Standard recommendations in the
Standard Agricultural Guidance
Chapter 1.  Base GHG accounting and
GHG reporting on the following
Accounting principles: relevance,
and Reporting completeness, consistency,
Principles transparency, and accuracy.
Chapter 3.  Select a single consolidation
Setting approach to establish the
Organizational organizational boundaries.
Boundaries
Chapter 4.  Separately account for and  Accounting should take
Setting report on scope 1 and 2, at a appropriate note of production
Operational minimum. contracts and other forms of
Boundaries agricultural contracting, land
and equipment leases, and
membership of co-operatives.
Chapter 6.  Choose and establish a base  Multi-year base periods are
Tracking period, and specify the recommended for many
Emissions reasons for choosing that companies.
Over Time period.
 The base period shall be the
earliest point in time for
which verifiable data are
available on scope 1 and
scope 2 emissions.
 Develop a base period
emissions recalculation
policy, and clearly articulate
the basis and context for any
recalculations. If applicable,
the policy shall state any
“significant threshold”.
 Recalculate the base period
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inventory to reflect changes in

organizational structures or
calculation methods, or the
discovery of errors, that
significantly impact the base
period inventory.
Chapter 9. Companies shall report: Companies should report:
Reporting
GHG  An outline of the operational
Emissions boundaries chosen and, if
scope 3 is included, a list
specifying which types of
activities are covered.
 An outline of the
organizational boundaries
chosen, including the chosen
consolidation approach.
 The reporting period covered.
 Data for all seven GHGs
(CO2, CH4, N2O, SF6, PFCs,
HFCs and NF3),
disaggregated by GHG and
reported in units of both
metric tonnes and tonnes
CO2-equivalent (CO2e).
 Total scope 1 and 2
emissions.
 Data disaggregated by scope.  Scope 1 data disaggregated by
mechanical versus non-
mechanical sources.
 Data reported in the scopes
without subtractions for
trades in offsets.
 Methodologies used to  Whether the calculation
calculate or measure methodologies used for ‘non-
emissions, providing a mechanical’ sources are IPCC
reference or link to any Tier 1, 2, or 3.
calculation tools used.  Methodology used (where
relevant) to amortize the CO2
fluxes to/from C stocks.
 Assumptions regarding any use
of proxy data in calculating the
impacts of historical changes in
management on C stocks.
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 Year chosen as base year, and

an emissions profile over time
that is consistent with and
clarifies the chosen policy for
making base year emissions
recalculations.
 Appropriate context for any
significant emissions changes
that trigger base year
emissions recalculation.
 Any specific exclusions of  Any exclusions of the impacts
sources, facilities, and / or of historical management
operations. practices on C stocks.
 CO2 emissions from  Net CO2 flux data for the C
biologically sequestered stocks in above-ground and
carbon, separately from the below-ground biomass, DOM
scopes. and soils (in tonnes CO2).
 Biologically sequestered  Where LUC results in a
carbon reported outside of the reduction in the size of C
scopes (but is optional to stocks, report the CO2
report). emissions in Scope 1.
 Otherwise, report all CO2
fluxes outside of the scopes in
a separate category (‘Biogenic
Carbon’) divided into three
components: (1) CO2 fluxes
(emissions or removals) during
land use management; (2)
Sequestration during LUC;
and (3) CO2 emissions from
biofuel combustion.
 Account for historical changes
in land use or management
occurring on or after the base
period.
 Use a ‘fixed-rate’ approach to
amortize change in C stocks
over time.
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1.6 How does this Guidance relate to the GHG Protocol Product
Standard?
Product GHG inventories and corporate inventories (when scope 3 emissions are
included) are complementary and they together provide a comprehensive approach to
value chain GHG management. For example, product and corporate inventories are
mutually supportive when:
 Corporate inventories are used to identify products that are likely to have the most
significant GHG footprints based on their use of highly emitting sources, such as
specific raw materials (e.g., fertilizers).
 Product inventories are used to inform GHG reduction strategies that impact both
product and corporate inventories.
 Product inventories are used to extrapolate to relevant upstream and downstream
scope 3 emissions in a corporate inventory.
Companies may wish to complete scope 3 and product GHG inventories in parallel.
Alternatively, they may develop scope 1 and 2 inventories to supply information
requested by a buyer for the purpose of its scope 3 and product inventories. In either case,
companies should be mindful of certain differences between this Guidance and the
Product Standard that can affect the extent to which both types of inventories are
mutually supportive (Table 1-4).
Table 1-4. Differences in methodologies between this Guidance and the Product
Standard that affect how useful a corporate inventory is for product GHG inventories
(and vice-versa).
GHG reporting Recommendation in the Requirement in the Product Standard
issue Agricultural Guidance
Scope 3 sources Should be reported Emissions from all relevant upstream and
downstream sources shall be reflected in the
inventory of a given product (though
downstream emissions need not be
considered in cradle-to-farm gate analyses)
CO2 fluxes  Should be reported The following fluxes shall be accounted for:
to/from carbon  CO2 emissions and removals due to C
stocks in soils stock change occurring as a result of land
CO2 fluxes  CO2 emissions should be conversion within or between land use
to/from C stocks reported categories (e.g., adoption of no-till
in biomass and  CO2 removals by woody practices or land use change)
dead organic vegetation should be  Emissions from the preparation of
matter (DOM) reported converted land (e.g., biomass burning or
 CO2 removals by liming)
herbaceous vegetation,  The CO2 fluxes to/from soils that occur
should not be reported as a result of subsequent land use (e.g.,
fertilizer application and harvesting) are
optional and may be included, provided
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GHG reporting Recommendation in the Requirement in the Product Standard
issue Agricultural Guidance
the fluxes can be estimated reasonably
 Biogenic CO2 fluxes shall be reported

separately from non-biogenic fluxes
Timeline for Varies depending on site- In the context of land use change: 20 years
amortizing the specific conditions or the length of one harvest, whichever is
CO2 fluxes from longer
changes in carbon
stocks
1.7 How does this guidance relate to the GHG Project Protocol?
The revenue from offset credits is often mentioned as a leading reason for why
agricultural companies should become interested in managing their GHG fluxes. Soil C
sequestration, in particular, is considered an important potential source of offset credits
because it offers most (~89%) of the global potential for reducing the emissions from
agriculture (Smith et al., 2007b). The Corporate Standard, and therefore this Guidance,
do not address the accounting steps needed to create offset credits from soils, biomass or
other sources located on farms. For example, this Guidance does not consider the
permanence of C sequestration. Instead, fluxes to/from C stocks are simply reported as
they occur (or projected to occur5) and there is no consideration of policy measures to
ensure the permanence of sequestered C (e.g., insurance mechanisms, project buffers,
etc.). For such guidance readers should instead refer to the Project Protocol and its
companion document, the Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry Guidance for GHG
Project Accounting.
1.8 How was this Guidance developed?

This Guidance is the culmination of an international, three-year stakeholder consultation
process that involved over 150 Technical Working Group (TWG) members from
businesses, government agencies, NGOs, and academic institutions. Milestones include:
 January, 2011: Publication of WRI Working Paper

 March, 2011: Formation of TWG
 January, 2012: First draft of Guidance
 April, 2012: Stakeholder workshop in Washington, DC
 August, 2012: Second draft of Guidance
 September, 2012: TWG workshop in Sao Paulo
 January, 2013: TWG workshop in Sao Paulo
 March – August, 2013: Road testing and public open comment period
 October, 2013: Third draft of Guidance
5
Chapter 8 describes how projected changes in C stocks can be calculated and reflected in inventories.
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Chapter 2: Business goals

The development of a GHG inventory can be a significant undertaking. Companies
should therefore have clearly defined goals for managing their GHG fluxes and
understand how inventories will allow them to meet those goals. Companies generally
want their GHG inventories to be capable of serving multiple goals. It therefore makes
sense to design the inventory process from the outset to provide information for a variety
of different users and uses – both current and future.
This chapter:
 Reviews the various goals that GHG emissions inventories can help companies
meet.
 Describes the potential economic and environmental benefits from a range of
GHG reduction measures.
2.1 Overview of business goals
Agricultural companies can have diverse reasons for developing inventories. These
reasons generally involve (Table 2-1):
 Identifying opportunities to reduce GHG emissions (or sequester C), setting baselines
and reduction targets, and tracking performance.
 Identifying opportunities to reduce costs and increase productivity (e.g., conservation
tillage and cover cropping can help to reduce fertilizer and fuel costs; Table 2-2).
 Managing reputational risks and opportunities associated with agricultural GHG
fluxes (e.g., meeting the requirements of buyers such as processors and food and
drink companies, and reporting to civil society).
 A desire to sustain farmlands for future generations.
GHG emissions reduction measures may also offer co-benefits such as:
 Reduced erosion and land degradation
 Reduced phosphorous (P) and nitrogen (N) runoff
 Improved water quality and retention
 Control of air pollutants (e.g, ammonia and hydrogen sulphide)
 Increased soil fertility
Often, these co-benefits can help to reduce costs and increase productivity on farms.
Table 2-2 summarizes common agricultural practices that provide GHG and other
benefits. Stockwell & Bitan (2011) provide further information on these practices.
Because agro-ecosystems are inherently complex, reduction measures should not be
selected in isolation of each other, but rather selected using a whole-farm or systems
approach. This ensures that interactions between the C and nitrogen (N) cycles on farms,
as well as trade-offs between the emissions of different GHGs, are taken into account and
that reduction measures can be more effectively integrated into individual farming
17
systems (see Chapter 7.1). Because this Guidance only considers GHGs, it cannot be used
by itself to assess trade-offs between GHGs and other environmental impacts.
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Table 2-1. Business goals served by including agricultural GHG emissions in corporate inventories.
Business Goal Description
Track and reduce GHG Identify emissions hot spots and reduction opportunities, and prioritize GHG reduction efforts
impacts Set GHG reduction targets
Measure and report GHG performance over time
Develop performance benchmarks and assess performance against sector averages and competitors
Understand operational Identify climate-related risks (e.g., determine whether agricultural or processing facility would be subject to
and reputational risks government regulations, such as a cap and trade scheme or other reporting scheme)
and opportunities Understand economic and environmental benefits of managing emissions (see
associated with Table 2-2 for examples)
agricultural GHG
fluxes Enhance market opportunities (e.g., access niche markets with potential price premiums)
Guide investment and procurement decisions (e.g., to purchase relatively less GHG-intensive goods )
Report to stakeholders Meet needs of stakeholders through public disclosure of GHG fluxes and of progress towards GHG
reduction targets
Participate in voluntary reporting programs to disclose GHG related information to stakeholder groups
Report to government reporting programs at the international, national, regional or local levels
Improve reputation and accountability through public disclosure
Table 2-2. Some agricultural practices that can reduce GHG emissions and improve farm performance*
Practice Potential GHG benefits Potential environmental Potential agronomic / Potential trade-offs or
co-benefits business benefits problems
Cover crops  Increased soil C  Improved soil nutrient  Reduced fertilizer needs  Requires extra time
Non-commodity crops sequestration content  Reduced weed growth and knowledge to
planted in between rows  Reduced indirect N2O  Reduced wind and  Reduced irrigation needs manage, and some
of commodity crops or emissions from soils due to water erosion  Supplemental livestock new techniques for
during fallow periods a reduction in N leaching  Reduced nutrient and feed (extends grazing growing commodity
 Reduced scope 3 sediment run off and season, cattle weight crops
emissions from fertilizer leaching gain)  Requires more fuel
manufacture  Increased profit use for crop planting
Conservation tillage  Increased soil C  Improved soil water  Reduced fertilizer needs  Potential increase in
A range of cultivation sequestration retention and drainage  Reduced fuel and labor herbicide use
techniques (including  Reduced indirect N2O  Reduced water and costs from fewer field  Increased pest threats
minimum till, strip till, emissions from reduction wind erosion passes in repetitive single
no-till) designed to in run-off  Reduced nutrient and  Improved yields commodity
minimize soil disturbance  Reduced scope 3 sediment runoff  Retains top soil production
for seed placement, by emissions from fertilizer
allowing crop residue to manufacture
remain on soil after
planting
Rotational or mob  Increased soil C  Increased plant cover  Increased herd size  Requires careful
livestock grazing on sequestration and productivity  Can increase length of management in some
pasture  Reduced CH4 emissions  Improved soil water grazing season areas with sensitive
Grazing practices that from enteric fermentation retention and drainage  Reduced need for species
maximize plant health (due to improved feed)  Reduced water and purchases of feed  Labor intensive
and diversity, while wind erosion  Pastures more able to
increasing the animal  Reduced nutrient and exclude weeds / exotic
carrying capacity of the sediment runoff species
land  Potentially reduced
herbicide costs
 Helps avoid burning
20
Practice Potential GHG benefits Potential environmental Potential agronomic / Potential trade-offs or
co-benefits business benefits problems
fields as a management
practice
Anaerobic digester  Reduced N2O and CH4  Reduced risk of  Processed solids can be  Digester
Enclosed system in which emissions from manure accidental toxic used as bedding technologies can be
organic material such as management leakages (pathogens  Reduced need for expensive
manure is broken down  Reduced scope 3 killed) fertilizers (as nutrient
by microorganisms under emissions from fertilizer  Reduced ammonia and availability in the
anaerobic conditions manufacture VOC emissions digestate is increased)
 Electricity / heat
generation
Windbreaks  Increased C sequestration  Reduced soil erosion  Greater animal survival  May take some land
Plantations usually made in biomass and soils and health in livestock out of production
up of one or more rows of systems
trees or shrubs
Switch from constantly  Reductions in CH4  Reduced water use and  Less fuel used in
flooded to intermittently emissions (as oxygen is increased use of rainfall irrigation
flooded rice fields allowed to reach soil)
*, A more extensive discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of different management practices can be found in Stockwell & Bitan (2011)
21
Chapter 3: Principles
As with financial accounting and reporting principles, generally accepted GHG
accounting principles are intended to ensure that an inventory represents a faithful, true,
and fair account of a company’s GHG fluxes.
This chapter:
 Introduces GHG accounting and reporting principles as they apply to farms,
businesses and others in the agriculture sector.
3.1 Overview of principles
GHG accounting and reporting shall be based on the following principles:
Relevance: The GHG inventory shall appropriately reflect the GHG fluxes of the
company and serve the decision-making needs of users – both internal and external to the
company.
Completeness: Companies shall account for and report on all GHG emission sources and
activities within the inventory boundary, to the extent practicable and relevant to the
purpose of the inventory. Any specific exclusions shall be disclosed and justified.
Consistency: Companies shall use consistent methodologies to allow for meaningful

performance tracking and comparison of GHG flux data over time, business units,
geographies or suppliers.
Transparency: Companies shall address all relevant issues in a factual and coherent
manner, based on a clear audit trail. Companies shall also disclose any relevant
assumptions and make appropriate references to the accounting and calculation
methodologies and data sources used.
Accuracy: Companies shall ensure that estimates of GHG fluxes are as accurate as
possible and that they are not systematically over or under actual fluxes, as far as can be
judged. A level of accuracy is needed that will allow users to make decisions with
reasonable confidence as to the integrity of the reported information.
The accuracy of GHG flux data is a particular concern for many agricultural GHG
sources, including C stocks, soils, and enteric fermentation (see Chapter 7). Reporting on
measures taken to ensure accuracy and improve accuracy over time can help promote the
credibility and enhance the transparency of inventories.
In practice, companies may encounter trade-offs between principles when completing an

inventory. In particular, a company may find that achieving the most complete inventory
requires the use of less accurate data, compromising overall accuracy. Conversely,
22
achieving the most accurate inventory may require the exclusion of activities with low
accuracy, compromising overall completeness.
Companies should balance tradeoffs between principles depending on their individual

business goals. For instance, relatively less accurate data may be appropriate for the
initial evaluation of GHG reduction opportunities, whereas more accurate data may be
required to track progress toward a specific GHG reduction target.
23
Chapter 4: Overview of agricultural emission sources

Many different types of emission sources are associated with agriculture, such as fuel
use, soils, and manure management. Understanding the qualitative differences amongst
these is crucial to many steps in inventory development, including calculating, reporting,
and undertaking the quality control of GHG flux data.
This chapter:
 Distinguishes between two types of emissions sources – mechanical and non-
mechanical sources – whose fluxes differ in fundamental ways, with important
implications for GHG inventory development.
 Describes the variety and relative importance of these sources along agricultural
value chains.
4.1 Overview of agricultural sources
Figure 4-1 lists the principal emission sources found on farmland. An important
distinction for the agricultural sector is between mechanical and non-mechanical sources.
This is because agriculture relies on biological systems, whose emissions or removals of
GHGs generally occur through much more complex mechanisms than the emissions from
the mechanical equipment used on farmland.
Non-mechanical sources are either biological processes shaped by climatic and soil
conditions (e.g., decomposition) or the burning of crop residues. They are often
connected by complex patterns of N and C flows through farms. Non-mechanical sources
emit CO2, CH4 and N2O (or precursors of these GHGs) through different routes. CO2
fluxes are mostly controlled by uptake through plant photosynthesis and releases via
respiration, decomposition and the combustion of organic matter. In turn, N2O emissions
result from nitrification and denitrification (see Box 4-1), and CH4 emissions result from
methanogenesis under anaerobic conditions in soils and manure storage, enteric
fermentation, and the incomplete combustion of organic matter.
Mechanical sources are equipment or machinery operated on farms, such as mobile

machinery (e.g., harvesters), stationary equipment (e.g., boilers), and refrigeration and
air-conditioning equipment. These sources emit CO2, CH4, and N2O, or HFCs and PFCs,
and their emissions are wholly determined by the properties of the source equipment and
material inputs (e.g., fuel composition).
24
Figure 4-1. Agricultural emissions sources
Mechanical Non-mechanical
 Purchased electricity: CO2, CH4,  Drainage and tillage of soils: CO2, CH4, and N2O
and N2O  Addition of synthetic fertilizers, livestock waste,
 Mobile machinery (e.g., tilling, and crop residues to soils: CO2, CH4, and N2O
sowing, harvesting, and transport  Addition of urea and lime to soils: CO2
and fishing vessels): CO2, CH4,  Enteric fermentation: CH4
and N2O  Rice cultivation: CH4
 Stationary machinery (e.g., milling  Manure management: CH4 and N2O
and irrigation equipment): CO2,  Land-use change: CO2, CH4, and N2O
CH4, and N2O  Open burning of savannahs and of crop residues
left on fields: CO2, CH4, and N2O
 Refrigeration and air-conditioning
 Managed woodland (e.g., tree strips,
equipment: HFCs and PFCs
timberbelts): CO2
 Composting of organic wastes: CH4
 Oxidation of horticultural growing media (e.g.,
peat): CO2
Relative importance of different agricultural sources

Globally, non-mechanical sources are larger than mechanical sources (Figure 4-2; U.S.
EPA, 2006a), with enteric fermentation (CH4) and soils (N2O) being the largest sources
(U.S. EPA, 2006b). The exact contribution of agriculture to global CO2 emissions is hard
to quantify. This is because the biomass and soil C pools not only emit large amounts of
CO2, but also take up CO2. Nevertheless, additional C sequestration offers most (~89%)
of the global emissions mitigation potential in agriculture (Smith et al., 2007b).
Agriculture-driven LUC is also a globally important source of CO2 emissions.
At the farm scale, the relative magnitude of different emission sources and of different
GHGs will vary widely depending on the type of farm, management practices, and
natural factors at play. These factors include original land cover; farm topography and
hydrology; soil microbial density and ecology; soil temperature, moisture, organic
content and composition; crop or livestock type; and land and waste management
practices. Few studies have looked at the relative contribution of different sources to the
whole-farm inventories of different farming systems using a consistent set of methods. It
is difficult to accurately predict the relative magnitude of different sources for a given
farm. Nonetheless, certain broad patterns can be expected (e.g., Figure 4-3).
25
Figure 4-2. Relative contribution of different agricultural sources to global

anthropogenic emissions (percent)
1%
Fertiliser / waste application
2%
6%
Enteric fermentation
7%
Biomass burning
34%
10% Rice cultivation
Manure
11% Irrigation
Farm machinery
29% Soil carbon (net emissions
basis)
Notes:
1. Data are from U.S. EPA (2006a) and exclude emissions sources located upstream or downstream of
farms.
2. Data exclude LUC emissions.
3. The ‘soil carbon’ value represents the net emissions from agricultural soils after subtracting C
sequestration from gross soil C emissions. It represents the summed effect of different management
practices on soil organic C.
Figure 4-3. Typical patterns of the contribution of different sources to overall GHG
fluxes from select farming systems.
Emission source Type of system
Sheep Beef Dairy Arable Horticulture
(pasture) crop
Enteric fermentation
Deposition or application of
fertilizer and/or wastes to soils
Crop residue burning
Manure management
Fuel use
Soil CO2
Key:
Small contribution
Medium contribution
Large contribution
26
Notes:
1. The actual emissions profile of a farm may (and in many cases will) deviate from the pattern in this
figure, depending on the soil, climate and management conditions concerned.
2. Figure based on expert opinion of the Technical Working Group.
4.2 Individual agricultural sources
Non-mechanical sources
The non-mechanical sources that are globally largest in magnitude are:
Enteric fermentation (CH4)

CH4 is produced in herbivores as a by-product of enteric fermentation, whereby
carbohydrates are broken down by bacteria in the digestive tract. The amount of CH4 that
is produced depends on:
 The type of animal. Ruminant livestock have an expansive chamber, the rumen,
which fosters extensive enteric fermentation and high CH4 emissions. The main
ruminant livestock are cattle, buffalo, goats, sheep, and deer. Non-ruminant livestock
(horses, mules, donkeys) and monogastric livestock (swine) have relatively lower
CH4 emissions.
 Quantity and composition of feed. Generally, the higher the feed intake, the higher
the CH4 emissions.
 Age and size of livestock. Feed intake increases with animal size, growth rate, and
production (e.g., milk production, wool growth, or pregnancy).
Soil amendments and soil management (N2O)

Direct and indirect emissions of N2O also occur from soils following increases in
available N (see Box 4-1) from:
 Synthetic N fertilizers and organic fertilizers (e.g., animal manure, compost, sewage
sludge, and rendering waste).
 Urine and dung that is deposited onto pastures, ranges and paddocks by grazing
animals.
 Incorporation of crop residues into soils and N-fixation by legumes. (Note: crop
residue management and legume growing can reduce field fertilizer requirements
and ultimately reduce overall soil N2O emissions.)
 N mineralisation associated with the loss of soil organic matter and caused by
changes in land use or soil management, such as the drainage or management of
organic soils (i.e. histosols).
Manure management (CH4 and N2O)

Manure management releases both CH4 and N2O, although the emissions of these GHGs
are influenced by different factors.
27
CH4 is emitted during the storage and treatment of manure under anaerobic conditions. It
is most readily emitted when:
 Large numbers of animals are managed in a confined area (e.g., dairy farms, beef
feedlots, and swine and poultry farms).
 When manure is stored or treated as a liquid (e.g., in lagoons, ponds, tanks, or pits).
In contrast, when manure is handled as a solid (e.g., in stacks or piles) or when it is
deposited onto pastures and rangelands, it tends to decompose under more aerobic
conditions, producing less CH4.
N2O is emitted either directly or indirectly from stored or treated manures (see Box 4-1).
N2O emissions are influenced by:
 The N and C content of the manure, and the duration of storage and type of
treatment.
 Temperature and time - comparatively simple forms of organic N, such as urea
(mammals) and uric acid (poultry) tend to lead to indirect N2O emissions more
quickly.
 The leaching and run-off of N from treatment units.
28
Box 4-1. Indirect and direct N2O emissions from soils

N2O emissions on farms are controlled by the supply of available N. Increases in available N,
through the addition of fertilizers or animal wastes to soils, or from the storage and treatment of
manure, stimulate denitrification and nitrification processes, which lead to N2O emissions. The
actual N2O emissions may occur directly from the site of manure storage or fertilizer application,
or they may occur indirectly, via leaching and volatilization. Volatilized N is ultimately deposited
onto soils or onto the surface of lakes and other water bodies, where N2O emissions then occur.
Leached N leads to N2O emissions in the groundwater below the farm and in ditches, rivers,
estuaries, etc., that eventually receive the leachate. While indirect N2O emissions may occur off
the farm, they are accounted for in the same way as direct N2O emissions in this Guidance.
DIRECT N2O EMISSIONS
Volatization Volatization
Storage /
treatment
Soil
Addition of unit
manure Addition of
fertilizer / farm Deposition
wastes
Deposition
Leaching / run‐off
DIRECT N2O EMISSIONS
= Enhancement of denitrification and nitrification processes from increase in available N
Rice cultivation
The anaerobic decomposition of organic material in flooded rice fields produces CH4,
which escapes to the atmosphere, mostly by transport through the rice plants. The CH4
emissions will depend on the number and duration of crops grown, water regimes before
and during the cultivation period, and organic and inorganic soil amendments. Soil type,
temperature, and rice cultivar are also important.
29
Soil liming
Liming is used to reduce soil acidity and improve plant growth. When added to soils,
carbonate limes such as limestone (CaCO3) or dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) dissolve and may
release bicarbonate (HCO3-), which then forms CO2 through additional chemical
reactions. Whether CO2 is emitted and the amount of emissions depends on soil factors,
climate regime, and the type of lime applied (i.e., limestone or dolomite, fine or course
textured). Non-carbonate limes, such as oxides (e.g., CaO) and hydroxides of lime, do not
result in CO2 emissions on farms, but their production causes CO2 emissions from the
breakdown of carbonate raw materials.
Management of carbon pools

The agricultural sector differs profoundly from industrial sectors in the importance of C
pools, which may act either as sources or sinks of CO2 during agricultural land use or
LUC. These pools are of four main types (Figure 4-4):
 Above-ground and below-ground biomass (e.g., trees, crops and roots).
 Dead organic matter (DOM) in or on soils (i.e., decaying wood and leaf litter).
 Soil organic matter. This category includes all non-living biomass that is too fine to
be recognized as dead organic matter.
 Harvested products. Generally, this pool is short-lived in the agricultural sector as
crop products are rapidly consumed following harvesting. Harvested wood products
(HWPs) are a potential exception.
It is possible to disaggregate these pools further. For instance, the DOM and biomass
pools can be subdivided into understory vegetation, standing dead tree, down dead tree,
and litter pools, etc. This level of disaggregation may be useful depending on data
availability and the intended accuracy of the inventory (see Chapter 8).
Carbon stocks represent the quantity of C stored in pools. It may take C stocks decades to
reach equilibrium following a change in farm management. Ultimately, for agricultural
land as a whole to sequester C, the sum of all stock increases must exceed the sum of all
stock decreases (i.e., the sum of all C gains through CO2 fixation must exceed the sum of
all C losses through CO2 and CH4 emissions and harvested products).
Soil carbon pools

Both organic and inorganic forms of C exist and are found in soils. However, agriculture
has a larger impact on organic C pools, which are found in organic and mineral soils.
 Organic C pools in organic soils. Organic soils (e.g., those in peat and muck) have a
high percentage of organic matter by mass and develop under the poorly drained
conditions of wetlands when inputs of organic matter exceed losses of C from
anaerobic decomposition. The drainage of organic soils to prepare land for agriculture
leads to CO2 emissions - emission rates vary by climate, with drainage under warmer
conditions leading to faster decomposition rates. CO2 emissions are also influenced
by drainage depth, liming, and the fertility and consistency of the organic substrate.
30
 Organic C pools in mineral soils. All soils that are not organic soils are classified as
mineral soils. They typically have relatively low amounts of organic matter, occur
under moderate to well drained conditions, and predominate in most ecosystems,
except wetlands. The organic C stocks of mineral soils can change if the net balance
between C inputs and C losses from the soil is altered. C inputs can occur through the
incorporation of biomass residues into soils after harvesting and fires, or through the
direct additions of C in organic amendments. C losses are largely controlled by
decomposition and are influenced by changes in moisture and temperature, soil
properties and soil disturbance.
Figure 4-4. Carbon pools in agriculture
Mechanical sources
The following categories of mechanical sources exist on farms:

 Stationary and mobile combustion sources. Stationary combustion sources are
devices such as boilers, furnaces, and electric generators and are used to power a
wide range of equipment, such as milling and irrigation equipment. Mobile
combustion sources are vehicles and mobile equipment, such as tractors, combine
harvesters, and trucks. The CO2 emissions from all combustion sources are
primarily determined by the C content of the fuel used. In contrast, the CH4 and
31
N2O emissions are primarily determined by the combustion and emissions control
technologies present.
 Purchased electricity. The associated emissions will depend on the mix of fuel
types and technologies used on the grid concerned.
 Refrigerant and air-conditioning equipment. These equipment leak refrigerants –
high Global Warming Potential (GWP) GHGs - during installation, maintenance,
operation and disposal.
4.3 Off-site emission sources beyond the farm gate
The relative importance of different upstream and downstream processes will vary,
depending on the proximity to markets (i.e. transportation distance), the amount of
processing and packaging, and the type and volume of farm inputs (especially fertilizer).
The following sources will be important for many types of farms:
Fertilizer production
The GHG emissions from fertilizer production are closely linked to energy consumption
and vary with aspects of plant design and efficiency, emissions control technologies, and
raw material inputs. Three raw materials are particularly important:
‐ Ammonia. CO2 is emitted from the consumption of hydrocarbons (primarily
natural gas) as a hydrocarbon feedstock (to supply H) and as an energy source.
‐ Nitric acid (HNO3). Nitric acid production is the largest industrial source of N2O
(IPCC 2006) and is emitted as a byproduct of the catalytic oxidation of ammonia
to nitric acid.
‐ Phosphoric acid. Produced from reacting phosphate rock with sulphuric acid. The
resultant emissions are mainly of CO2, from fuel use and from the C compounds
contained in the rock.
To a large degree, the GHGs embedded in a fertilizer product will reflect the relative
amounts of these ingredients.
Feed production
Globally, feed production accounts for 45% of the product-level GHG emissions across
all types of livestock (Gerber et al., 2013). It is more important in the life cycle
inventories of egg, chicken and pork, compared to those of milk and beef, where enteric
fermentation dominates. Feed production emissions come from many of the sources
described in Chapter 4.2; particularly, soil management, LUC, and fertilizer production,
as well as electricity use during drying and processing.
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is the major GHG-intensive component of the downstream supply chain.
Refrigeration emissions occur during initial chilling, transport, storage, catering and
retail. Limited data are available, but this “cold chain” could account for about one
percent of global GHG emissions (James and James, 2010).
32
Part 2: DEVELOPING CORPORATE

INVENTORIES
33
Chapter 5: Setting Inventory Boundaries

Agricultural companies vary tremendously in terms of their organizational structures and
business operations. Common examples include the degree of vertical integration, the
types of leases entered into for land and equipment, and the manner in which agricultural
products are sold off the farm. This variation poses a challenge to ensuring that emissions
sources are included in inventories in a consistent way over time, both within and across
companies. Fortunately, specific approaches are available to help companies determine
which sources should be included – these approaches relate to setting inventory
boundaries.
This chapter:
 Describes approaches for setting organizational boundaries to determine which
business operations should be included in an inventory.
 Describes approaches for setting operational boundaries that define whether and
how emissions sources associated with these operations should be reported in
inventories.
Summary of requirements and main recommendations:

 Companies shall separately account for and report on scope 1 and 2 at a
minimum.
 When setting operational boundaries, companies should take appropriate account
of production contracts and other forms of agricultural contracting, land and
equipment leases, and membership of co-operatives.
5.1 Setting organizational boundaries

Organizational boundaries determine which land and operating facilities, such as barns
and processing plants (collectively termed ‘operations’ in this Guidance), shall be
included in an inventory. Three ‘consolidation’ approaches can be used to set
organizational boundaries:
1. Operational control. A company accounts for 100% of the GHG fluxes to/from an
operation over which it has the authority to introduce and implement its own
operating policies.
2. Financial control. A company accounts for 100% of the fluxes to/from an operation
over which it has the ability to direct financial and operating policies with a view to
gaining economic benefits.
3. Equity-share approach. A company accounts for the fluxes to/from an operation
according to its share of equity (or percentage of economic interest) in that operation.
Various criteria can be used by companies to determine if they exert operational control
of an operation. For instance, operational control would be held if:
• The operation is operated by the reporting company, whether for itself or under a
contractual obligation to other owners or participants in the operation.
34
• The operation is operated by a joint venture (or equivalent), in respect of which the
reporting company has the ability to determine management and board-level
decisions of the joint venture.
• The reporting company holds an operating license.
• The reporting company sets environmental, health and safety policies.
A company must use only one consolidation approach (and related criterion) in creating
an inventory, although it may choose to create multiple inventories using different
approaches. Many agricultural businesses are organized as sole proprietorships or family
businesses and their organizational boundaries will be correspondingly simple. As
business structures become more complex, organizational boundaries will become more
valuable in ensuring consistent accounting practices. Exactly which agricultural
operations are included in an inventory will depend on the business structures involved
and the chosen consolidation approach (Table 5-1). For example, the member-patrons of
a co-operative would not account for any of that co-operative’s fluxes under the financial
control approach, but they would account for those fluxes under the equity share
approach (Table 5-1). Figure 5-1 illustrates the application of organizational boundaries
for different accounting categories. Co-operatives are considered further in Chapter 5.2.
This Guidance makes no recommendations about which consolidation approach should

be used in the sector. Rather, many companies will likely need to consider a range of
factors when selecting an approach and that selection should be based on the reporting
company’s business goals for GHG reporting (Table 5-2). For instance, a company with a
large cattle feedlot may fall under the jurisdiction of a mandatory GHG reporting
program. Because compliance with such programs typically rests with the operators of
emission sources, the company may choose the operational control approach to
streamline its reporting processes. In general, sole proprietorships will typically find the
operational control the most straightforward approach to apply, while companies with
other business structures may prefer any of the three approaches based on their specific
business goals.
Table 5-1. Common types of business structures and outcomes of setting organizational
boundaries
Type of agricultural business
Feature compared Individual Partnership Corporation

(sole
proprietorship) Investor-oriented Co-operative
Who uses the services? Non-owner Generally, non- Generally, Chiefly, the co-
customers owner non-owner operative’s members
customers customers
Who owns the business? The individual The partners The The member-patrons
stockholders
Who votes? None necessary The partners Common The member-patrons
stockholders
How is voting done? None necessary Usually by By shares of Usually, one
35
partners’ share common stock member-one vote
in capital
Who determines policies The individual The partners Common The member-patrons
stockholders and directors
and directors
Who gets the operating The individual The partners in The The member-patrons
proceeds? proportion to stockholders in on a patronage basis
interest in proportion to
business stock held
Who Based on The company The member-patrons
accounts for equity accounts for a on a patronage basis
the GHG share Each partner % of fluxes
fluxes from accounts for a based on its
business’s % of the fluxes share of equity
agricultural Owner accounts in proportion to in the business
production? Based on for 100% of interest in The company The co-operative
And at what financial fluxes business accounts for accounts for 100% of
percent? control 100% of the fluxes
fluxes
Based on Varies depending on contractual The co-operative
operational and other legal provisions accounts for 100% of
control the fluxes
Figure 5-1. Applying organizational boundaries. A wine company owns and operates a
winery and a vineyard (Vineyard B). It also owns 50% of a second vineyard (Vineyard
A) that is operated by another company. The size of the wine company’s inventory
depends on the consolidation approach used.
36
Table 5-2. Considerations for choosing an organizational boundary approach.

Consideration Preferred Explanation
boundary
approach
Reflection of Equity share Equity share is based on the share of economic
commercial reality interest in a business activity, which is a
reflection of commercial reality
Government Operational control Programs usually require reporting on the basis
reporting and of operational control
emissions trading
programs
Liability and risk Equity share or The ultimate financial liability for GHG
management financial control emissions often rests with the group company
that holds an equity share in the operation or has
financial control over it
Alignment with Equity share or These approaches result in the closest alignment
financial accounting financial control between GHG and financial accounting
Management Operational control Managers can only be held accountable for
information and or financial control activities under their control
performance
tracking
Cost of Operational control The equity share approach can result in higher
administration and or financial control costs because of resource requirements of
data access collecting data from joint operations not under
the control of the reporting company.
5.2 Setting operational boundaries
Having set organizational boundaries using any one of the consolidation approaches,
companies should then set operational boundaries for each of their sources. These
boundaries define whether an emission source is direct (i.e., is controlled or owned by the
reporting company) or indirect (i.e., owned or controlled by another company, but a
portion of whose emissions are a consequence of the activities of the reporting company).
Emission sources are further classified by scope (Box 1-1):
 Scope 1: All direct sources
 Scope 2: Consumption of purchased heat, steam and electricity (an indirect source)
 Scope 3: All other indirect sources
All scope 1 and 2 sources shall be reported in an inventory. Scope 3 sources are optional
under the Corporate Standard, although it is recommended to measure and report
significant scope 3 sources (see Chapter 9.3). Also, with the exception of LUC, all CO2
fluxes to/from C pools that are owned or controlled by the reporting company should be
reported separately from the scopes in a special ‘Biogenic Carbon’ category. Biogenic
CO2 fluxes are considered further in Chapters 8 and 9.
37
What factors affect how operational boundaries are set?
Companies may encounter the following factors for consideration when determining
which scope a given source falls under:
1. Production contracts
Agricultural products can be sold in various ways, including production contracts,
marketing contracts and spot markets (Figure 5-2). Production contracts are distinct in
that they are agreements between contractors (often called growers) and contractees
(often called integrators) that cede some measure of control over the production process
to the integrator. The contract specifies: (1) the services to be provided by the grower
(e.g., fertilizer application schedules, husbandry conditions); (2) the manner in which the
grower is to be compensated for the services; and (3) specific integrator responsibilities
for the provision of any inputs. There are many different types of production contracts,
which vary according to whether the integrator or grower owns the product during
production; whether the terms of the contract are non-negotiable; and the extent to which
the integrator provides inputs.
For the purposes of reporting under this Guidance, growers are assumed to retain
operational control over the contracted production and should therefore account for 100%
of the associated emissions under scope 1 or 2 using the operational control approach.
The accounting under financial or equity share approaches may differ. In particular, if the
integrator has established multi-year contracts with individual growers and provides
extensive inputs, the integrators and growers should each then account for a portion of
the emissions according to their share of investments in the production process.
Figure 5-2. Primary sales routes for agricultural products
2. Other forms of agricultural contracting

While companies can enter into production contracts that require them to raise livestock
or grow crops for third parties, they may enter into other types of contracts that require
third parties to perform agricultural activities on their own behalf. These activities may
take place either on or off the reporting companies’ farmland.
38
On-farm activities: Companies may contract third parties to perform a subset of farming
activities, such as harvesting or fertilizer application (see the example of service co-
operatives below). At the other end of the spectrum, landowners may enter into custom
farming contracts under which contract operators supply all the labor and equipment
needed to perform tillage, planting, pest control, harvesting, crop storage, and other farm
functions. With the exception of contractor-owned equipment, the on-farm sources are
scope 3 for the contractor and scope 1 for the producer/landowner, under both the
operational and financial control approaches.
Off-farm activities: Many different arrangements exist for the grazing or feeding of a
company’s livestock on a third party’s land. Examples include feedlots and ajistments6.
While the livestock are on the third party’s land, the agricultural emissions (e.g., CH4
emissions from enteric fermentation and manure management) are scope 1 for the third
party and scope 3 for the producer, under both the operational and financial control
approaches.
3. Leases for land and equipment

The Corporate Standard (Appendix F) distinguishes between two general types of leases:
 Capital (or financial) leases: This type of lease enables the lessee to operate an asset
and also gives the lessee all the risks and rewards of owning that asset. In a capital
lease the lessee has use of the asset over most of its useful life. Assets leased under a
capital or financial lease are considered wholly-owned assets in financial accounting
and are recorded as such on the balance sheet.
 Operational leases: This type of lease enables the lessee to operate an asset, such as a
building or a vehicle, but does not give the lessee any of the risks or rewards of
owning that asset. In an operating lease the lessee only has use of the asset for some
of its useful life. Any lease that is not a capital or financial lease is an operating lease.
Whether leased assets are scope 1 or 3 for the reporting company depends on the
approach chosen to set organizational boundaries and on the type of leasing arrangement
(see Table 5-3 and Table 5-4).
Land leases and operational control

For the purposes of reporting under this Guidance, the reporting company is considered
to exert operational control of any land it leases (Table 5-3). This is true, regardless of the
form of rent payment (cash, crops, or both), the amount of resources contributed by the
landlord, or the extent to which the landlord is involved in management decisions. For
instance, permits for the lease of national-owned grazing lands from governments might
contain requirements related to resting periods and reseeding. The lessee retains
operational control of the land in these cases.
6
Ajistments are typically defined for a shorter period of time than pasture or grazing leases, which are
considered separately in “Leases for land and equipment”
39
Table 5-3. Emissions from leased assets: Lessee’s perspective

Type of leasing arrangement
Approach used for Financial/capital lease Operating lease
organizational
boundaries
Equity share or financial Lessee does have ownership and Lessee does not have ownership
control financial control; therefore, the or financial control; therefore, the
emissions from the leased asset emissions from the leased asset
(land or machinery) are scope 1 (land, machinery, or purchased
and those from purchased electricity) are scope 3 (Scope 3
electricity are scope 2 Category 8: “Upstream leased
assets”)
Operational control Lessee does have operational control; therefore, the emissions from
the leased asset (land or machinery) are scope 1 and those from
purchased electricity are scope 2
Table 5-4. Emissions from leased assets: Lessor’s perspective
Type of leasing arrangement

Approach used for Financial/capital lease Operating lease
organizational
boundaries
Equity share or financial Lessor does not have ownership Lessor does have ownership and
control or financial control; therefore, financial control; therefore, the
the emissions from the leased emissions from the leased asset
asset (land, machinery, or (land or machinery) are scope 1
purchased electricity) are scope and those from purchased
3 (Scope 3 Category 8: electricity are scope 2
“Upstream leased assets”)
Operational control Lessor does not have operational control; therefore, the emissions
from the leased asset (land, machinery, or purchased electricity) are
scope 3 (Scope 3 Category 8: “Upstream leased assets”)
4. Membership of co-operatives
A co-operative is a business that is owned and controlled by the member organizations
that use its services and whose benefits are shared by the members on the basis of use
(Table 5-1). Agricultural co-operatives take many forms, but can broadly be grouped into
marketing, purchasing, and service co-operatives (Table 5-5).
Accounting under the equity share approach. Many producers will have a relatively small
percentage patronage of their co-operative and need not account for its emissions under
the equity share approach. However, some producers may have a significant percentage
patronage and should account for a corresponding percentage of the co-operative’s scope
1, scope 2, and (optionally) scope 3 emissions under the equity share approach. Note that
the nature of the emissions source will vary widely depending on the type of co-operative
40
(see Table 5-5). For instance, the members of a purchasing co-operative would have
scope 1 emissions relating to the manufacture of feed and fertilizer.
Accounting under either control approach. A Co-operative does not fall within the
organizational boundaries of its members and only the co-operative itself should account
for its emissions under scope 1 and 2. Individual members may account for certain
emissions under scope 3 should those arise from activities conducted by the co-operative
specifically on their own behalf (and not on that of other members). For instance, the
member of a service co-operative might account for the emissions from the co-
operative’s processing of animal feed, should that feed be used by that member (the
relevant scope 3 category is Category 1: “Purchased goods and services”).
Table 5-5. Co-operatives and operational boundaries

Type of co-operative Co-operative activity
Marketing Negotiate prices and terms of sale of their members’ products with
buyers
Process members’ products into other products
Distribute members’ products to retailers under own brand name
Purchasing Provide access to production supplies such as feed, fuel, fertilizer, and
seed
Produce fertilizers and feed
Service Provide farm-specific services, such as applying fertilizer, lime, or
pesticides; processing animal feed; and harvesting crops
41
Chapter 6: Tracking GHG fluxes over Time

Setting and using base periods is a fundamental step in designing GHG inventories. They
help companies compare performance against a point in the past and they put the effects
of changes in inventory methodologies into context, allowing meaningful and consistent
comparisons of performance over time. Agricultural activities and environmental
conditions that affect GHG fluxes can change a lot over time. Also, structural changes
such as acquisitions, divestments, and mergers, can affect the types of operations that
need to be reported in inventories. Companies need to take these changes into account
whilst setting and using base periods.
This chapter:
 Details requirements and recommendations for choosing a base period and for
recalculating base period data to ensure historical comparisons are meaningful.

 Companies shall choose and establish a base period, and specify the reasons for
choosing that period.
 The base period shall be the earliest point in time for which verifiable data are
available on scope 1 and scope 2 emissions.
 Multi-year base periods are recommended for many companies.
 Companies shall develop a base period emissions recalculation policy, and clearly
articulate the basis and context for any recalculations. If applicable, the policy
shall state any “significant threshold”.
 Companies shall recalculate the base period inventory to reflect changes in
organizational structures or calculation methods, or the discovery of errors, which
significantly impact the base period inventory.
6.1 Setting base periods

The base period is the period in history against which an organization’s GHG fluxes are
tracked over time7. Both the Corporate Standard and this Guidance require companies to
establish a base period. Companies shall use as a base period the earliest relevant point in
time for which they have verifiable data on scope 1 and scope 2 emissions. Critically, the
base period should be representative of a company’s GHG profile. This has several
implications:
Base periods shall not be less than one year

The base period should not be an individual crop year or production season (for
livestock) that is less than one year. Otherwise, the effects of seasonal management
activities may not be reflected in the base period. For instance, tillage practices, winter
cover crops and double cropping systems can cause emissions outside of the growing
7
The Corporate Standard uses the term ‘base year’ instead of ‘base period.’ The latter term is used here to
avoid confusion because base periods may comprise more than one year.
42
season. Also, the length of crop years and production seasons will vary between regions,
potentially compromising the comparability of data from different facilities owned by the
reporting company.
Multi-year base periods are recommended

Oftentimes, individual years will not serve as representative base periods (see Table 6.1
for examples). In such cases, companies should average GHG flux data from multiple,
consecutive years to form a more representative base period. In general, this Guidance
recommends at least a three-year base period, which is often sufficient to smooth over
inter-annual variability. If a base year has already been set for non-agricultural emissions,
then a multi-year base period can be centered on that year.
Many calculation methodologies (e.g., Tier 1 IPCC methodologies; see Chapter 7.3) do
not capture the effects of climate or environmental change on GHG fluxes. Instead, they
only pick up changes in activity data (e.g., number of hectares farmed, number of cattle
raised, amount of fertilizer used, etc.). As a result, if management practices in an
individual year are representative, it may be appropriate to select that year as the base
period.
Table 6-1. Examples of when an individual year may not serve as a representative base
period
Why is the selected base period Examples
atypical?
Changes in environmental conditions During a single growing season, a heat wave
occur that are beyond the control of the increases irrigation and therefore fuel use
company and that cause the base period requirements
inventory to depart significantly from
typical GHG flux profiles
Atypical or episodic changes in farming Coppiced woodland is returned to crop production
practices Forest is cleared for agricultural production
Agricultural activities vary cyclically over A multi-year multiple crop rotation

a set period of years, such that activities Coppicing of short-rotation woody crops (e.g., a row
(and corresponding GHG fluxes) in one of willows that is harvested every three years)
year differ from those in other years Rotational applications of lime
within the same cycle
Rolling base periods may be useful

Rolling base periods are base periods that move forward in time with each reporting
period. They are useful because long-term environmental trends, such as changes in
precipitation and temperature that accompany climate change, can affect agricultural
GHG fluxes. As a result, the more widely separated the current reporting period is from a
fixed base period, the more likely it is that at least some of the difference in GHG fluxes
between the two periods is due to these trends. Therefore, companies may use a rolling
base period to help minimize the influence of these long-term trends and ensure that
inventories are more useful as a basis for tracking the impacts of management practices.
43
Using a rolling base period involves moving the base period forward with each reporting
period (Figure 6-1).
One disadvantage to rolling base periods is that they do not allow reduction targets to be
expressed as a percentage reduction relative to a fixed point in the past, which is the most
common form of expressing reduction targets.
Figure 6-1. The concept of rolling base periods

Before rolling of base period After rolling of base period
5 5
Amount of GHG flux
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
0 0
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Base period Current reporting period
6.2 Recalculating base period inventories.
To ensure consistent tracking of GHG fluxes over time, the base period inventory shall be
recalculated when changes occur to the inventory boundaries or inventory development
process that would significantly impact the base inventory. These changes include:
 Structural changes that transfer the ownership or control of operations from one
company to another as long as those operations existed in the base period of the
reporting company. Examples: mergers, acquisitions, and divestments (see Figure
6-2).
 Changes in calculation methodologies. Example: the use of improved emission
factors.
 The discovery of errors that are significant on their own or collectively. Example:
the discovery of errors in activity data.
In determining whether changes are significant, companies should set significance

thresholds (i.e., changes are cumulatively significant if they cause a change that exceeds
x% of the base period inventory). The GHG Protocol does not define significance
thresholds, although many GHG reporting programs do provide recommended
thresholds. Once defined, a significance threshold should be applied consistently over
time.
44
Figure 6-2. Recalculating base period inventories for structural changes. Here, the
reporting company acquires a business at the beginning of year 3. The emissions from
that business during year 3 are reflected in the reporting company’s inventory for that
year, but the inventories for the base period and year 2 are recalculated to include the
acquired business’s emissions during those two years.
Changes that do not trigger recalculations

 Organic growth or decline. Organic growth and decline is defined as increases or
decreases in production output, changes in product mix, or closures and openings of
operating units that are owned or controlled by the reporting company. For instance,
an egg producer would experience organic growth if it increased production, perhaps
by building a new facility, but it would not experience organic growth if it bought
out a pre-existing facility. Changes in the amount of land leased by a company are
also considered organic change and do not trigger recalculations, even if that action
substantially increases production levels.
 The acquisition (or insourcing) of an operation that did not exist in the base period of
the reporting company.
 Operational changes, such as switching from a feedlot to a rotational grazing
operation, assuming both operations are owned or controlled by the reporting
company.
45
Chapter 7: Calculating GHG Fluxes

Calculating GHG fluxes can be the most challenging part of developing GHG inventories
in the agricultural sector. Companies should first identify the management practices and
emissions sources that would need to be reflected in their inventories (see Chapter 4 and
Chapter 5), before selecting a calculation approach. This selection is a key step, because
the likely accuracy of GHG flux data and the types of activity data needed vary widely
amongst approaches. Figure 7-1 shows the general process for calculating GHG fluxes.
Figure 7-1. General process for calculating GHG flux data.
Activity data:
Data on farm inputs

(e.g., amount of
fertilizer used)
Data on farm production

Calculation GHG flux data
(e.g., number of
approach
livestock grown)
Data on environmental
factors (e.g., soil type,
climate, and weather)
This chapter:
 Describes the types of activity data typically needed to calculate GHG fluxes.
 Provides guidance on prioritizing emissions sources for data collection.
 Describes the general approaches for calculating the GHG fluxes to/from
agricultural, especially non-mechanical, sources.
 Describes criteria that are useful in selecting specific calculation tools.
 Describes common sources of uncertainty in calculating GHG data that offer
opportunities for improving inventory quality.
46

 When high-quality activity data are not available for all of the emissions sources
that need to be included in an inventory, companies should prioritize their data
collection efforts based on source magnitude.
 Companies should select a calculation approach that best meets their objectives
for compiling an inventory and the GHG accounting and reporting principles.
 When managing inventory quality, companies should focus on reducing
parameter uncertainty.
 Information on GHG data uncertainty should be reported in inventories.
Note: Prior to calculating GHG fluxes, companies should also consult Chapter 8, which
details the specific types of C stock changes that should be included in an inventory and
for which calculations are therefore recommended.
7.1 Collecting activity data
Activity data can often be collected from existing data records held by producers, such
as: invoices, electricity meters, crop insurance records, field records of tractor passes and
crop operations, production records, land registry records, nutrient management plans,
and livestock movement records. To the extent possible, these records should be used to
reduce the GHG reporting burden and improve the audit trail. In general, data on energy
consumption, procurement and production levels can often be obtained from high quality
sources. In contrast, reliable data on land management practices and LUC can be more
difficult to obtain. Table 7-1 summarizes common types of required activity data.
Companies should consult individual calculation tools to determine their exact data
requirements. It is recommended that large operations with geographically separated
facilities should standardize inventory procedures and keep central records.
Common challenges
Certain challenges are commonly encountered when collecting activity data (Table 7-2).
Companies should be mindful of these challenges when designing inventories and
inventory quality management plans.
47
Table 7-1. Types of activity data that may be needed to calculate GHG fluxes to/from on-
farm sources. Note that some calculation tools may have data requirements that are not
reflected here and that not all types of activity data may be required for a given source.
Source Common types of activity data needed
General  Soil texture, moisture, drainage and pH
 Temperature
 Area of different types of crops harvested and crop yield by crop
 Location (e.g., state or biome)
Enteric fermentation  Livestock numbers by age and type (e.g., calves, bulls, heifers, cows),
disaggregated by season or month
 Length of juvenile, adult production and adult non-production phases
 Number of livestock managed off-site (e.g., off-site wintering, feedlots,
ajistments)
 Sales and purchases of animals
 Amount, type and digestibility of feed
 Quality of forage in pastures or open grazing systems
 Amount of time livestock were grazed
 Dry matter intake per head
 Type and amount of feed additives
Manure management  Type of management system
 Amount of manure managed in this system
 Number of days system used
Application of  Type of fertilizer/farm waste and N content (e.g., %N/kg or liter)
synthetic fertilizers,  Application rate (e.g., kg/ha)
livestock waste and  Application method (e.g., broadcast, incorporated, etc.)
crop residues to soils  Dates of applications
 Amount of crop residue returned to soil (including from crop rotations)
 Amounts of exported/imported manure
Drainage and tillage  Types of tilling practices
of managed soils  Years tilling practices were changed
 Area of cropland for which tilling practices were changed
 Area of organic soil (e.g., peat, fen) drained to different depths
 Soil organic matter (SOM) content
Rice cultivation  Crop acreage
Open burning of  Acres burnt
crop residues  Amount of crop residue left on field per acre
Land use change  Land types and species concerned (e.g., type of woodland)
 Area of land concerned
 Year land use change occurred
Woodland  Volume of harvested wood
management (e.g.,  Volume of woody detritus left on-site
short-rotation woody
crop plantations)
48
Fuel use in mobile  Amounts of different types of fuels used, or

and stationary
equipment  Starting and ending volumes of different fuel stocks, and
 Amounts of different types of fuels purchased
For contractor operations:

 Hours of different types of machinery operated by contractors (e.g.,
<150 hp, 150-200 hp, etc.)
 Acres of cropland contracted
Electricity use  Amount of purchased electricity
 Amount of electricity from on-farm renewable energy sources, used on-
farm or sold to the grid
Refrigeration or air-  Amount of products refrigerated
conditioning  Starting and ending volumes of different refrigerant stocks
 Amounts of different types of refrigerants purchased
Table 7-2. Common challenges in collecting activity data for agricultural emissions
sources
Challenge Solution
Determining the number of head on the Calculate emissions on a monthly basis
farm per year, when livestock numbers and
categories vary a lot over the year (e.g.,
with spring and autumn calving there is a
wide spectrum of ages of livestock on the
farm)
Obtaining data for calculating the emissions Make assumptions about the amount of
from contractor fuel use on farms, when fuel needed per area serviced, as well as
only the contracted area is recorded the machinery employed
Understanding the energy consumption of Install meters or provide a use log that
individual facilities or sources (e.g., an tabulates the number of hours per day of
irrigation pump) operation
Determining the amount of crop residues Determine the total amount of above-
burnt on fields ground biomass grown over the reporting
period, then subtract the fractions removed
before burning due to animal consumption,
decay in the field, and harvesting (for
biofuels, domestic livestock feed or other
use).
49
7.2 Guidance for prioritizing data collection efforts
It may not always be possible to collect high quality activity data for all of the emissions
sources that need to be included in an inventory. As a result, data collection efforts
should be prioritized.
Companies should prioritize data collection efforts for key sources

Key sources are those that are expected to have the highest GHG fluxes, offer the most
emissions reduction potential, and are most relevant to the company’s business goals
(Table 7-3). The identification of key sources should take into account the range of
different GHGs emitted from individual sources, because of the potential for trade-offs in
GHG fluxes (see Chapter 7.3) and also because companies might have different amounts
of control over the different sources. Collecting higher quality data for key sources will
allow companies to more effectively set reduction targets and track and demonstrate
progress over time, while making the most efficient use of available resources. For the
same reasons, the key sources should also be subject to the most accurate quantification
methods and the focus of quality analysis/quality control procedures.
Table 7-3. Criteria for prioritizing data collection efforts

Criterion Application to source (or sink)
Magnitude of The source (or sink) is large (or believed to be large) relative to most other
GHG flux sources
Trends in There is a documented increase or decrease in the size of the source over time
magnitude or a projected trend based on projected changes in agricultural practices
Uncertainty of The uncertainty of the GHG fluxes is (or is believed to be) large
GHG flux
estimates
Degree of There are potential emissions reductions that could be undertaken or
control influenced by the reporting company
Risk The source contributes to the company’s risk exposure (e.g., climate change
related risks such as financial, regulatory, supply chain, product and
customer, litigation, and reputational risks)
Stakeholders The source is deemed critical by key stakeholders (e.g., customers, suppliers,
investors or civil society)
Sector Guidance The source has been identified as significant by sector-specific guidance
Other The source meets any additional criteria developed by the company or sector
Identifying key sources based on the magnitude of GHG fluxes is preferred

The most rigorous approach to identifying key sources is to use quantitative data to rank
the size of different sources (and sinks). This approach has three steps:
1. Obtain GHG flux data. Preferentially, companies would use data from the latest
available inventory, although certain sources will fluctuate in magnitude from one
inventory period to another. Alternatively, companies may use initial GHG
estimation (or screening) methods to estimate the fluxes for each source (e.g., by
50
using industry-average data, LCA studies of different food or biofuel products, or

rough estimates).
2. Rank all sources from largest to smallest according to their estimated GHG
fluxes. Removals should be listed as absolute values (i.e. no negative sign) to
allow the proper identification of significant sinks.
3. Apply a pre-determined, percentage cumulative threshold. Key sources are then
those that together add up to a certain percentage of the overall emissions (e.g.,
key sources are cumulatively responsible for 70% of GHG fluxes).
Trends in magnitude are also useful for identifying key sources In addition to ranking
sources for a given inventory period, it may also be useful to rank sources based on the
percentage change in fluxes over time (e.g., between the base period and the latest
inventory period), if data are available.
Percentage change in GHG flux

latest inventory estimate base period estimate
100%
absolute value of base period estimate
This analysis is helpful because it can identify sources whose trend is different from that
of the overall inventory. Companies may choose not to invest additional resources in
estimating emissions that show a declining trend (or sequestration that shows an
increasing trend), especially if these trends result from the introduction of mitigation
measures. However, prioritizing these sources is still recommended to help ensure
inventories reflect mitigation efforts as much as possible. Companies may likewise chose
to invest more in categories whose fluxes show large increases.
Companies should not exclude small or highly uncertain emissions sources

In general, companies should not exclude required emissions sources from their
inventories as a result of uncertainty. Instead, to ensure the relevance and completeness
of the inventory, companies may decide to use a less accurate approach for emissions
sources that are expected to be relatively less significant, as long as the inventory is
transparent about the limitations of the calculation approaches used (see Chapter 9). For
instance, while fuel use will often comprise a small share of the inventory of a ranching
operation, it should still be included in the inventory, but may be estimated based on
simplified assumptions.
Can ‘materiality thresholds’ be used? These are minimum GHG accounting thresholds
that state that when a given source is smaller than the threshold size it can be omitted
from the inventory. Although it appears useful in theory, the practical implementation of
such a threshold is not compatible with the completeness principle of this Guidance. In
order to use a materiality threshold, the emissions from a particular source or activity
would have to be quantified to ensure they were under the threshold. However, once
emissions are quantified, most of the benefit of having a threshold is lost.
51
7.3 Selecting a calculation approach
GHG fluxes can be determined in different ways, ranging from the use of highly
specialized, field-scale measurement equipment to global emission factors. This
Guidance does not require or recommend the use of a specific calculation approach or
tool. Instead companies should select an approach that best meets their objectives for
compiling an inventory and that meets the GHG accounting and reporting principles (see
Chapter 3 and below).
The distinction between mechanical and non-mechanical sources becomes paramount

when calculating GHG fluxes and the associated levels of uncertainty. In general, GHG
fluxes for mechanical sources can be calculated with higher accuracy. This is especially
true of mobile and stationary sources, whose emissions are primarily of CO2 and can be
calculated based on only a few items of information – mostly the type and amount of fuel
used. In contrast, the GHG fluxes to/from non-mechanical sources depend on complex
interactions between management practices and variable environmental conditions. As a
result, GHG flux data for these sources are likely to have much higher uncertainty,
regardless of the calculation approach chosen. This difference has important implications
for how these data should be reported in inventories (see Chapter 9).
Because calculation tools for mechanical tools are widely available (e.g., from GHG
reporting programs), this section will focus on non-mechanical sources.
How are GHG fluxes calculated for non-mechanical sources?

Broadly, four different types of calculation approaches can be used for non-mechanical
sources (Table 7-4):
 Field measurements
 Emission factors
 Empirical models and process-based models
Field measurements
Many, but not all, GHG emission sources in agriculture can be measured using either
direct or indirect measurement techniques. Direct techniques include controlled livestock
chambers that measure the CH4 emissions from enteric fermentation, flux chambers that
measure the N2O and CO2 emissions from plots of land, and gas flux meters that measure
the CH4 emissions from certain livestock waste management systems (e.g., covered
anaerobic lagoons). Indirect techniques include the measurement of carbon stocks before
and after a change in management practices or land use. Indirect techniques are often
much simpler and easier, but may require additional planning ahead of time to capture the
‘before’ scenario. While useful for research, both direct and indirect techniques are often
far too costly for developing corporate inventories.
Emission factors
The simplest approach involves the multiplication of management activity data by a
relevant emission factor, which is a coefficient describing the amount of GHG flux per
52
unit of activity. For instance, to calculate the CH4 emissions from enteric fermentation,
emissions may be estimated by multiplying the number of dairy cattle by an emission
factor that specifies how much CH4 is emitted per head of dairy cattle. The accuracy of
this approach depends not only on the accuracy of the activity data, but also on how
specific the factor is to the specific combination of environmental factors and
management activities concerned. Default emission factors are largely either based on
field measurements at individual research sites or represent average values across a range
of sites.
Empirical and process-based models

Empirical models use field measurements to develop statistical relationships between
GHG fluxes and agricultural management factors. In turn, process-based (or mechanistic)
models mathematically link important biogeochemical processes that control the
production, consumption, and emission of GHGs. Some models may only require one or
several inputs to estimate GHG fluxes; others might have extensive data requirements
that span different spatial and temporal scales. Input data can be physical variables such
as temperature, precipitation, elevation, and soil nutrient levels, or biological variables
such as soil microbial activity and plant diversity. The accuracy of models is variable and
depends on the robustness of the model and the accuracy of the inputs. For instance, if a
model is used in a new agro-climate regime for which it was not previously calibrated,
the model may not be reliable.
GHG fluxes can also be calculated using any combination of the above approaches. For
instance, empirical or process models could be used to derive more specific emission
factors. The resulting hybrid approaches can increase the accuracy and practicability of
calculating emissions.
No one approach is ideal

The calculation approaches differ in how they map onto the various tiers defined by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the purposes of national
inventory reporting (see Box 7-1). In general, emission factors and empirical models
(IPCC Tiers 1 and 2) are the easiest and least resource-intensive approaches to use. But
they are not very effective in capturing the geographical variation in the biophysical
processes that underpin GHG fluxes and they may not be sensitive to many changes in
farm management practices. As a result, they tend to become less accurate as spatial
resolution increases from a regional or national level to a local or farm-level. And their
use may mask much of the variation in performance that exists amongst farms.
Emission factors and empirical models also tend to focus on individual emission sources
and management practices one at a time. This is a problem because non-mechanical
sources are often connected by complex flows of N and C through farms, such that
management activities have non-additive GHG effects. For example, soil N2O emissions
are affected not only by fertilizer application regimes, but also by tillage, soil pH
management, irrigation, and drainage practices. As a result, the GHG impact of different
agricultural practices is best evaluated simultaneously and at the whole farm-level.
53
In contrast to emission factors and empirical models, field measurements (Tier 3) and
process models (IPCC Tiers 2 and 3) integrate and link multiple sources, allowing a
whole farm analysis of GHG fluxes. They are therefore particularly suited to
understanding trade-offs in the emissions of different GHGs (see Box 7-2). However, the
use of field measurements and process models can require expertise, data and time that
will often not be available.
Companies may choose to use different approaches for different activities.
Box 7-1. IPCC Methodologies for National GHG Emissions Inventories

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has developed a comprehensive
set of methodologies - the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas
Inventories* - to guide the preparation of national inventories. Many of the tools listed in
Appendix III rely on some portion of these Guidelines, especially the default emission
factors and calculation formulae.
The Guidelines define three general tiers of methodologies based on their complexity and
data requirements. The choice of tier depends, in part, on the significance of the
emissions sources under consideration.
 Tier 1: Simple, emission factor-based approach. Tier 1 emission factors are
international defaults, although they will often have been based on studies conducted
in a select few (mostly temperate) countries.
 Tier 2: More region-specific emission factors or more refined empirical estimation
methodologies.
 Tier 3: Dynamic bio-geophysical simulation models using multi-year time series and
context-specific parameterization.
These tiers provide a useful means for categorizing and understanding the likely accuracy
of the different calculation methods that are available. In general, Tier 3 methods are
considered most accurate and Tier 1 methods least accurate.
* http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/
54
Table 7-4. Summary of approaches for calculating the GHG fluxes to / from non-mechanical sources
Approach Advantages Disadvantages

Field measurements. This  Potentially highly accurate, but depends on  High capacity requirements for technical know-how and equipment
category includes lab sampling intensity  Limited to measurable variables
measurements of soil C  Implicitly capture the impacts of multiple,  Time-consuming
simultaneous farming practices (assuming multiple  Expensive, even if the measurement technologies are relatively low
sources are measured) cost, because of need for many samples
 Do not by themselves distinguish between the effects of anthropogenic
factors and environmental factors
Emission factors. Quantify  Inexpensive  Low accuracy, but depends on specificity of the emission factor to
the GHG flux as a function  Easy to use field conditions
of farming activity (e.g.,  May not be sensitive to many changes in environment or management
tonnes CO2 emitted per ha regimes (e.g., new animal genotype, different method of applying
of farmland) fertilizer, different animal feed composition, etc.)
 Do not capture the GHG impacts of multiple, simultaneous farming
practices
Empirical models.  Inexpensive  May not be sensitive to changes in environment or management
Constructed from statistical  Low to medium accuracy regimes, especially at finer spatial scales
relationships between  Easy to use  Do not capture the GHG impacts of multiple, simultaneous farming
empirical GHG data (e.g., practices
existing inventory data or
yield curves) and
management factors
Process-oriented models.  Medium to high accuracy, depending on the realism  Require vast background datasets (e.g., multi-decadal weather series,
Mathematical of the model and the availability of calibrating data biomass partitioning parameters, etc.) that may not be available for
representations of the  Can represent many different combinations of specific regions. Also require extensive farm-level data (e.g., on
biogeochemical processes management practices and environmental seeding and harvesting dates).
that drive GHG fluxes conditions, and so may allow the GHG effects of  High capacity requirements for technical know-how
relatively subtle changes in management practices  Time-consuming and expensive to run and develop/calibrate
to be quantified
 Designed for use at fine spatial scales
 Can be run at coarser spatial scales to help average
out uncertainty, if calibrating background data are
not available at the farm level (as is the case in
many developing countries)
55
Box 7-2. GHG trade-offs and the value of a whole-farm approach to calculating GHG
fluxes
Mitigation options or best management practices (BMPs) introduced to reduce the
emissions of one GHG can sometimes increase those of others. Some examples include:
 Measures taken to enhance soil C sequestration (e.g., no till-practices, the
recovery of degraded pasture, or increased irrigation) can increase soil N2O
emissions because of increased soil moisture content, a supply of easily
mineralizable N, and/or reduced soil aeration.
 Wooded riparian buffer zones can increase C sequestration but lead to increased
soil N2O emissions, compared to field margins.
 Constructed wetlands can sequester C over long time periods, but can also emit
CH4.
 Aerating a manure lagoon to reduce CH4 emissions will increase N2O emissions.
 Removal of straw from flooded rice paddies to reduce CH4 emissions can lead to
the requirement for more fertilizer and increased N2O emissions.
 Leaving sugarcane residue on fields can increase soil C sequestration but also
increase CH4 emissions.
 The winter use of restricted grazing systems and stand-off pads – purpose built,
drained resting surfaces to hold livestock over wet periods – to reduce soil N2O
emissions and N leaching can increase CH4 emissions.
 The application of N-transformation inhibitors to soils to reduce the leaching of
some N2O precursors may increase that of others.
These examples demonstrate the need to identify trade-offs and consider multiple
emissions sources and GHGs in tandem when evaluating possible mitigation measures. A
whole-systems approach avoids potentially ill-advised practices based on preoccupation
with one individual GHG or practice.
What tools are available for calculating GHG fluxes?

There are an increasing number of publicly available tools - spreadsheets, software and
protocols - for calculating GHG fluxes based on emission factors, models or a
combination of these approaches. Appendix III provides a non-exhaustive list of such
tools. Most of the more accessible and user-friendly tools that would be most amenable to
use by farm managers tend to implement Tier 1 or Tier 2 approaches. Unfortunately,
process-oriented models are often unwieldy to use, although more user-friendly interfaces
are available or under construction for some process models and specifically intended for
use by farm managers, extension agents, and consultants. These offer the most potential
for accurately calculating farm-level GHG fluxes, at least in regions for which
background, calibrating datasets are available.
Tools should be evaluated against a range of criteria

This Guidance does not recommend specific tools for calculating GHG fluxes –
companies should instead select tools that best allow them to meet their objectives for
56
compiling an inventory and the GHG accounting and reporting principles. In evaluating
individual tools, companies should consider a range of questions, including:
 Is the tool comprehensive in terms of its coverage of different emission sources,
GHGs and management activities, particularly those that are practiced or planned on
the farm? And does it integrate the effects of multiple management activities across
the farm?
 What input data are required and will farm managers be able to provide these data?
 How much labor and technical expertise is required to use the tool?
 Is the tool transparent about its methodology, including limitations and assumptions?
 Is the tool geographically representative? Is it tailored to the region/area of interest?
 Is the tool accurate enough to help meet the business objectives for compiling an
inventory?
 Is the tool up-to-date (e.g., are emissions factors updated on an annual basis)?
 Does the tool provide estimates of uncertainty?
 Does the tool have verifications functions (e.g., are ranges enforced for the values of
activity data)?
 Can the tool quantify environmental impacts other than GHG fluxes (e.g., nitrate or
phosphorus pollution)?
 Can the tool quantify GHG performance metrics?
 Is the tool otherwise consistent with the GHG accounting principles?
Figure 7-2 outlines a decision tree for choosing a tool based on core questions.
57
Figure 7-2. Decision tree for choosing a GHG emissions calculation tool.
7.4 Uncertainty in activity and GHG flux data
The GHG fluxes to/from agricultural sources – and especially non-mechanical sources -
are inevitably estimated with some degree of uncertainty. Identifying sources of
uncertainty can help companies understand the steps required to improve the inventory
quality and the level of confidence users should have in both the inventory results and
any estimates of emissions reductions from changes in farming practices.
Two types of uncertainty affect GHG flux estimations

1.Model uncertainty. This refers to intrinsic limitations in the ability of the calculation
approach to reflect real world conditions. Such uncertainty is particularly important for
non-mechanical sources whose GHG fluxes are often determined by complex
interactions between biological processes (e.g., nitrification and decomposition),
environmental factors (e.g., temperature, rainfall, soil pH), and management practices.
Failure to reflect these interactions accurately in the calculation approach can lead to
significant divergence between actual and calculated values. For some sources it may
not be possible to improve accuracy until science has refined the calculation approach
(i.e. until the model uncertainty has been reduced to an acceptable level).
58
2.Parameter uncertainty. This is a measure of how close the data used to calculate the
inventory results (e.g., activity data and emission factors) are to the true (though
unknown) actual data and GHG fluxes. Parameter uncertainties can be evaluated
through statistical analysis, measurement equipment, precision determinations, and
expert judgment.
Together, these sources of uncertainty affect whether GHG data are accurate enough to
meet the business goals that are driving inventory development or to determine if changes
in GHG fluxes are the result of management changes.
Companies should focus on parameter uncertainty

In general, understanding parameter uncertainty will be the primary focus of companies
in managing inventory quality. This is because most companies will lack the technical
capacity to estimate model uncertainty, while most companies should be able to estimate
parameter uncertainty. As far as is possible, companies should identify and track key
uncertainty sources throughout the inventory process and iteratively check whether the
uncertainty of the results is adequate for the company’s business goals. The GHG
Protocol does not define acceptable uncertainty levels. However, if the uncertainty
bounds are asymmetrical, the larger uncertainty should be used to remain conservative.
Parameter uncertainty can be quantified based on one or more the following:

• Measured uncertainty (represented by standard deviations)
• The pedigree matrix approach, based on data quality indicators (DQIs)8
• Default uncertainties for specific activities or sector data (reported in various
literature)
• Probability distributions from commercial databases
• Uncertainty factors reported in literature
• Other approaches reported by literature
Uncertainty data for emission factors will often be available. For instance, the IPCC
typically provides uncertainty bounds for its Tier 1 emission factors.
The GHG Protocol’s Quantitative Inventory Uncertainty tool9 provides more information
on assessing the overall uncertainty of an inventory and the contribution of each data
element to this uncertainty.
Information on uncertainty should be reported

Uncertainty can be reported in many ways, including through qualitative descriptions of
uncertainty sources, and quantitative representations, such as error bars, histograms,
probability density functions, etc. It is useful to provide as complete a disclosure of
uncertainty information as is possible. Users of the information may then weigh the total
set of information provided in judging their confidence in the information.
8
The use of DQIs involves rating individual data points against a range of quality criteria, such as precision
and geographical representativeness.
9
http://www.ghgprotocol.org/calculation-tools/all-tools
59
Chapter 8: Accounting for Carbon Stocks

Agricultural systems contain C in above-ground and below-ground biomass, dead organic
matter (DOM), soil organic matter, and harvested products (Chapter 4.2). These C stocks
are reversible - any C sequestered in C stocks will eventually be emitted to the
atmosphere. Also, changes in C stocks can take decades to reach equilibrium following a
change in farm management or land use. These special features of agriculture have
important implications for whether and how C stocks should be included within GHG
inventories.
This chapter:
 Describes how changes in C stocks should be reported in terms of CO2 fluxes.
 Describes the types of CO2 fluxes that should / should not be included in
inventories.
 Describes how the CO2 fluxes from long-term changes in C stocks can be spread
over multiple reporting periods.

 Companies should report the net CO2 fluxes (in tonnes CO2) to/from organic C
stocks in mineral/organic soils and above-ground and below-ground woody
biomass, as well as the CO2 emissions from DOM and biomass combustion.
 Natural disturbances, Payments for Environmental Services (PESs), and
conservation areas should be accounted for equivalently to other agricultural
activities.
 Companies should use peer-reviewed methods for CO2 flux calculations.
 When relevant, companies should amortize changes in C stocks evenly over time
using a fixed-rate approach.
 Companies should account for historical changes in land use or management
occurring on or after the base period.
8.1 Including flux and stock data in inventories
Companies should report net CO2 flux data

Because of the reversibility of C stocks, changes to C stocks can be quantified using data
on:
 Stock size, when measured in units of mass of C (e.g., metric tonnes C/ha) at two
points in time; or
 The net balance of CO2 emissions and CO2 removals (‘net fluxes’) to or from a
stock, measured in units of mass of CO2.
Both approaches are equally valid. Under either, companies should take care to use
methods that treat soil depth consistently, particularly in the context of LUC. For
instance, reference stock values might be available for soil C stocks in forest and
60
cropland - if these are not defined to a consistent depth10, some of the estimated stock
difference will reflect methodological differences rather than actual variation.
While companies should report net CO2 flux data, they may also report data on stock size
(when available) to provide useful context for interpreting inventory results. Stock size
data can be converted to net flux data by multiplying the mass of stock change by ,
which is the ratio of the molecular weights of CO2 and elemental carbon.
Companies should use peer-reviewed methods for CO2 flux calculations

This Guidance does not prescribe specific methodologies for calculating the CO2 fluxes
to/from C stocks. Any of the general approaches detailed in Chapter 7.3 may be used, as
long as the underlying methodology has been scientifically vetted (i.e., has undergone
peer review). Appendix III lists many, scientifically published and well established
calculation tools for estimating CO2 fluxes.
8.2 Reporting recommendations for different C stocks
Recommended CO2 fluxes

The following CO2 fluxes should be included in inventories:
1. CO2 emissions from, and atmospheric removals by, organic C stocks in mineral and
organic soils
2. CO2 emissions from, and atmospheric removals by, below-ground and above-ground
woody biomass (e.g., woody vegetation in orchards, vineyards and agroforestry
systems)
3. CO2 emissions from the combustion of herbaceous biomass (e.g., open burning of
crop residues)
4. CO2 emissions from DOM
These fluxes should be reported within a special ‘Biogenic Carbon’ category that is
outside of the scopes. The one exception concerns the CO2 emissions from soils and
woody biomass that result from LUC. These LUC CO2 emissions should be reported
within the scopes because they effectively constitute permanent losses of C to the
atmosphere (see Chapter 9.1).
The CH4 and N2O emissions from all C stocks (e.g., from biomass or DOM combustion)
shall always be reported in the scopes.
Additional CO2 fluxes that may be reported
1. Fluxes to/from inorganic soil carbon stocks

10
This Guidance does not recommend a minimum soil depth for measuring soil C stocks.
61
In contrast to soil organic C stocks, inorganic C stocks are slow to respond to

management changes and often will not exhibit significant changes. Moreover,
quantifying such changes requires a detailed understanding of site hydrology and
mineralogy. For instance, it may require following the fate of discharged dissolved
inorganic C and base cations (e.g., Ca and Mg) from the managed land, at least until they
are fully captured in the oceanic inorganic C cycle. Such analyses are highly complicated.
For these reasons, companies can exclude the net fluxes to/from inorganic soil C stocks.
However, certain management practices can be expected to significantly affect inorganic

C stocks by changing soil chemistry and inducing the breakdown of carbonates, leading
to CO2 emissions. For instance, use of ammonium sulfate fertilizer to lower soil pH will
tend to promote CO2 emissions from inorganic C. In such cases, companies should
consider quantifying the CO2 emissions.
2. Sequestration in organic soils.

In wetland environments with organic soils, the rates of C sequestration are relatively
slow and can be assumed to be negligible. They therefore can be excluded.
CO2 fluxes that should not be reported
1. Sequestration in harvested woody products (HWPs) and herbaceous vegetation

The C contained in HWPs should not be included in any reported values for the amount
of sequestration in above-ground woody biomass stocks. Depending on how these values
have been calculated, this may mean that the amount of C in HWPs will have to be
subtracted from estimates of the total amount of sequestration. This subtraction is
necessary to ensure that inventories do not over-estimate the net GHG benefits of woody
crop production.
The biomass associated with annual and perennial herbaceous vegetation is relatively
ephemeral - reductions in these biomass stocks from harvesting, the burning of the crop
residues, or the integration of crop residues into soils, are balanced by stock increases
from plant re-growth over a period of only one to a few years. Consequently, companies
should also not report any sequestration in herbaceous biomass stocks.
2. CO2 fluxes to/from livestock

The carbon incorporated into animal tissues or lost through animal respiration should not
be reported in an inventory.
Special note: Accounting for natural disturbances, conservation

areas, and payments for environmental services
Natural disturbances are varied and include fires, windstorms, landslides, droughts, and
pest outbreaks. Conservation areas are lands where agricultural production has been
limited or halted so as to provide environmental benefits, such as maintaining or
62
improving water quality or wildlife habitat. Such areas may be established mandatorily,
to meet legal requirements for resource protection, or voluntarily, to contribute to the
public good and/or take advantage of financial incentives. Payments for Environmental
Services (PESs) are incentives offered to farmers or landowners in exchange for
managing their land to provide some sort of ecological service. Box 8-1 shows some
examples of conservation areas and PESs.
Box 8-1. Examples of

conservation areas and
PESs in agriculture
Conservation easements:
A legal agreement
voluntarily entered into by
a property owner and a
qualified conservation
organization such as a
Natural disturbances, conservation areas, and PESs are treated identically to other
sources and activities
The CO2 fluxes associated with natural disturbances, conservation areas and PESs should
be treated the same way as other CO2 fluxes, following the recommendations outlined
above. The reason is that companies often have some measure of control over these
fluxes - they are often be able to influence the frequency or intensity of disturbances and
the corresponding amount of emissions, while operational decisions frequently lead
directly to the formation of conservation areas. For instance, many forest management
practices can reduce the risk of disturbances - forest thinning can increase resilience to
63
droughts and insect/diseases outbreaks, while fuel hazard reduction and the use of
prescribed fires can reduce the risk of uncontrolled fires. Another reason for not
excluding natural disturbances is that it is often challenging to identify whether an event
actually constitutes a disturbance. For instance, there are no universally accepted criteria
for defining droughts.

GHG fluxes attributable to disturbances may also be reported in a separate line
item
Companies may separately estimate the amount of GHG fluxes that they consider
attributable to natural disturbances and report this amount outside of the scopes in a line
item that is separate from the scopes and the Biogenic Carbon category. This reporting is
additional to the reporting of these same fluxes within the scopes or the Biogenic Carbon
category. Estimating the specific GHG effects of individual disturbances is challenging
because:
1. Ambiguity often exists around whether an event is a ‘disturbance’ or simply
within the bounds of ‘normal’ environmental variation. Companies might
therefore have to establish criteria for consistently recognizing disturbances.
2. Natural disturbances may be rare events, in which case the effects on estimated
CO2 fluxes may be small when averaged over large areas or long periods of time
and therefore difficult to accurately quantify. For instance, the effects of a one-
year period of insect defoliation might be difficult to distinguish from background
fluxes over a three-year period. In contrast, catastrophic disturbances such as
wind storms may cause obvious and easily estimated changes in C stocks.
Because of these challenges, companies should evaluate the likely size of a disturbance
before committing the resources to quantifying it. For the sake of practicality, if
companies do choose to report disturbance emissions, they may assume that all post-
disturbance emissions occur in the year of the disturbance event. That is, the CO2
emissions from the long-term decay of DOM created during an event (e.g., downed trees
from a windstorm) can be reported in the year of the event. Alternatively, these emissions
can be amortized (see Chapter 8.3).
8.3 Amortizing changes in carbon stocks over time

What is ‘amortizing’ and when is it necessary?
Shifts in management practices during the reporting period will often have long-lasting
effects on C stocks that may persist for decades. For instance, following a change in
management practices (e.g., adoption of no-till practices) soil C stocks may take 15 - 60
years to reach equilibrium, depending on the type of tillage and crop rotation regimes.
Following LUC (e.g., conversion of cropland to grassland), the transition period will
often exceed 100 years (e.g., Figure 8-1). Also, as Figure 8-1 demonstrates, the rate of
change in C stocks will vary over time. Amortizing the CO2 fluxes from changes in C
stocks involves allocating these fluxes across time (and therefore multiple inventories) to
ensure the more consistent accounting of C stock impacts.
64
Figure 8-1. Illustration of land use change between grassland and cropland
Source: To be provided
Whether amortization is needed depends on the calculation approach

As discussed in Chapter 7.3, a variety of methods can be used to quantify CO2 fluxes. If a
method is used that directly estimates the amount of GHG flux (or stock change) within
the reporting period, amortization is not needed. Conversely, if the estimated data are
generated for the transition period as a whole, rather than just for the reporting period,
amortization is needed (Table 8-1).
Table 8-1. Examples of calculation approaches that will and will not require amortization
of the calculated CO2 fluxes.
Calculation approach Examples Is amortization
required?
Directly provides an estimate of • A process model that estimates the No
the amount of CO2 flux or stock cumulative net CO2 flux over the
change that occurred in the reporting period
reporting period, rather than in • An emission factor that has a time
the transition period as a whole dependence of only one year (e.g.,
tonnes C sequestered per hectare per
year of practice)
Estimates the total amount of Reference stock sizes for the amount of Yes
CO2 flux or stock change over carbon stored in the biomass of grassland
the entire transition period, under and woodland that are used to quantify
permanent adoption of the the stock change associated with LUC
practice concerned
65
Certain CO2 fluxes should never be amortized

Irrespective of the quantification approach, certain CO2 fluxes should never be amortized
and should always be reported in the year of the management practice. These are:
 The CO2 emissions from biomass and DOM combustion
 The CO2 emissions from the organic carbon stocks of organic soils.
Amortizing the CO2 emissions from DOM stocks is optional

Some management practices may move C to DOM stocks that is not then emitted in the
year of the intervention. For instance, much of the C in biomass killed in a fire is added to
dead wood, litter and soil pools from where the C will be emitted over years to decades,
as the DOM decomposes. Quantifying the emissions from these DOM stock changes can
be very challenging; for instance, DOM decay rates differ greatly between regions,
depending on temperature and moisture regimes. Consequently, companies may either
assume that the total CO2 emissions from DOM stocks occur in the year of the
intervention, or, should capacity and data exist, they may amortize these emissions over
time.
Table 8-2 summarizes when it is and is not appropriate to amortize CO2 fluxes.
Table 8-2. When CO2 fluxes can be amortized

CO2 flux Time reporting requirement
 Sequestration in woody biomass  Amortize if the time interval of the
stocks quantification approach exceeds one year
 Sequestration in organic C stocks  Otherwise, report all the estimated
of mineral soils sequestration in the reporting period
Emissions from woody biomass Biomass combustion emissions should be
stocks reported in the year of the intervention
Emissions from dead organic matter From the decomposition of DOM:
(DOM)  Amortize, should capacity and data exist;
or
 Report in the year of intervention
From the combustion of DOM:

 Report in the year of intervention
Emissions from organic C stocks of  Amortize if the time interval of the
mineral soils quantification approach exceeds one year
 Otherwise, report all the estimated
emissions in the year of the intervention
Emissions from organic soils Do not amortize – report losses as they occur
Sequestration in organic soils Do not amortize - report sequestration as it
occurs
66
How should CO2 fluxes be amortized?
Companies should amortize fluxes evenly over time

When amortization is necessary, companies should use a linear-rate approach, wherein
the total amount of CO2 flux is amortized evenly over multiple inventories. This involves
dividing the total flux by the number of years in the amortization period and then
reporting the quotient in each year of the amortization period. This approach is
recommended because it provides the most consistent way to distribute impacts for use in
a GHG inventory.
The length of the amortization period is context specific

The length of the amortization period may vary depending on the stock concerned and the
quantification approach. In general, the amortization period for any one stock should be:
 The length of the time dependence of the stock change factor or emission factor;
or
 For woody biomass stocks, the length of the nominal harvest/maturity cycle.
The second condition assumes that woody vegetation accumulates biomass for a finite
period until it is removed through harvest or reaches a steady state where there is no net
accumulation of C in biomass because growth rates have slowed and incremental gains
from growth are offset by losses from natural mortality, pruning or other losses.
In the absence of other information, companies may assume an amortization period of 20

years for DOM stocks and the organic C stocks in mineral soils. This 20-year value is the
default time horizon in national GHG inventories submitted to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 11. This value may be too long
for certain stocks (e.g., soil stock changes in tropical biomes) and too short for others
(soil stock changes in boreal biomes). Companies may alternatively assume more specific
values used by individual countries in their national inventories12.
Companies should account for historical LUC

Companies should account for historical changes in land use that occur within a certain
‘look back’ period prior to the base period. This look back period should be equal in
length to the amortization period for the stock concerned (e.g., 20 years if the default
IPCC amortization period for mineral soil organic stocks is used). Thus, if LUC
happened within the 5 years preceding the base period, it is considered best practice to
reflect it in the inventories for the base period and later reporting periods, as needed.
Equivalently, if the shift occurred more than 20 years before the base period, it should not
be reflected in the base period inventory.
As discussed in Chapter 6.2, the acquisition (or divestment) of business units that own
land can trigger base period recalculations. C stocks may be changing on the newly-
transferred land as a result of land use changes introduced by the prior land-owner.
11
2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Volume 4.
12
See http://unfccc.int/national_reports/annex_i_ghg_inventories/items/2715.php.
67
Therefore, when recalculating the base period inventory, new landowners should assess
whether these changes occurred within the relevant look back period from their base
periods. If so, the associated changes in C stocks should be included in the recalculated
base year inventory. For instance, if a company acquired land that had been deforested by
the prior land-owner five years before the new land-owner’s base period, the associated
changes in C stocks should be included in the recalculated base period inventory.
Appendix II provides an example.
Proxy data on historical LUC should be used in the absence of actual data
Companies, and especially new landowners, may find it difficult to obtain information on
historical LUC. What should they do in such cases? This Guidance recommends that
companies identify and estimate historical LUC using regional or local trends in, for
example, land clearance. Alternatively, remote sensing data may be available from
commercial or public databases, although the collection of such data can be time
consuming and complicated.
Additional reporting recommendations

1. To maintain the transparency of reported data, companies should report when they
have not been able to collect historical data and estimate historical effects.
2. Companies should carefully document all assumptions made in amortizing CO2
fluxes (see Chapter 9.1). This is because the amortization schedule chosen by a
company will not match actual patterns of change, and a given period’s inventory
will most likely under- or over-estimate the actual fluxes (for instance, see Fig. 8-
2).
3. If management shifts occur that would reverse any soil C sequestration that has
previously been amortized, companies should account for these losses in the
inventory period in which the shift occurred. For instance, if no till practices were
to cease at any point and be replaced by conventional till, C sequestration will be
rapidly lost, and companies should record the cumulative gains up to that point as
CO2 emissions in the inventory period in which conventional till started.
Appendix II provides simplified case studies that illustrate how amortization is carried
out, including for historical LUC.
68
Figure 8-2. Amortization schedules chosen by companies will not match actual patterns
of change. In this example C sequesters in soil at a non-linear rate following the adoption
of reduced-tillage. But the CO2 emissions are amortized at a fixed rate, causing actual
fluxes to be either under- or over-estimated in any one reporting period. Note that the
sequestration rates rise due to reduced soil disturbance but slow down as the C stock
becomes saturated due to inherent physiochemical processes.
69
Chapter 9: Reporting GHG Data

Fundamentally, a credible inventory provides information that is complete, accurate,
consistent and transparent, while meeting the decision-making needs of both internal
management and external stakeholders.
This chapter:
 Describes information that must be reported in an inventory.
 Outlines additional, sector-specific recommendations for reporting agricultural
GHG fluxes.
 Provides guidance on reporting offset and renewable energy projects on farms.

 Companies shall report descriptive information on inventory boundaries and base
periods.
 Companies shall report quantitative information on GHG fluxes following
requirements in the Corporate Standard (and repeated here).
 Companies should follow a set of additional ‘best practice’ recommendations for
reporting agricultural GHG fluxes.
 Any offset credits or renewable energy that are generated on farmland but sold
off-site shall not be reflected in inventory totals.
9.1 Required information

Companies shall publicly report the following information:
General information on inventory boundaries and base periods

 The approach used to set the organizational boundaries
 An outline of the operational boundaries chosen and, if scope 3 is included, a list
specifying which types of scope 3 activities are covered
 The reporting period covered
 Information on the base period, including:
o The period chosen as the base period
o The rationale for choosing this period
o The base period recalculation policy
o Base period inventory totals by category (see below and Figure 9-1)
o Appropriate context for any changes that trigger recalculation of the base period
inventory
 Any specific exclusion of sources and/or operations from the inventory
70
General GHG flux data

 Data for all seven GHGs (CO2, CH4, N2O, SF6, PFCs, HFCs and NF3), disaggregated
by GHG and reported in units of both metric tonnes and tonnes CO2-equivalent
(CO2e)
 Total scope 1 and 2 emissions without subtractions for trades in offsets
 Data disaggregated by scope
 A reference or link to the calculation methodologies used
9.2 Minimum, best practice, recommendations for reporting

agricultural GHG fluxes
Companies should publicly report the following information:

 For non-mechanical sources: A description of whether the calculation methodologies
are IPCC Tier 1, 2, or 3, and a description of how those methodologies were chosen
based on the quality criteria in Chapter 7.3
 Scope 1 emissions disaggregated by mechanical sources, LUC (biogenic CO2 only),
and all other non-mechanical sources
 Net CO2 flux data for the C stocks in above-ground and below-ground biomass,
DOM and soils (in tonnes CO2), to the extent relevant and required, as defined in
Chapter 8.2
 Where LUC results in a reduction in the size of C stocks, the CO2 emissions are
reported in Scope 1 (LUC is further defined in Box 9-1)
 Otherwise, all CO2 fluxes are reported outside of the scopes in a separate category
(‘Biogenic Carbon’) that has three components: (1) CO2 fluxes (emissions or
removals) during land use management; (2) Sequestration during LUC; and (3) CO2
emissions from biofuel combustion
 A description of the methodology used (where relevant) to amortize the CO2 fluxes
to/from C stocks
 Assumptions regarding any use of proxy data in calculating the impacts of historical
changes in management on C stocks
 Any exclusions of the impacts of historical management practices on C stocks
Figure 9-1 summarizes how GHG data should be separated within an inventory following
these requirements and best practice recommendations.
71
Fig. 9-1. Schematic illustrating the requirements and minimum, best practice
recommendations for disaggregating GHG flux data in inventories
Category of Subcategory Examples
source or sink
Scopes
Scope 1 Mechanical sources Mobile equipment, stationary combustion,
and refrigeration and air-conditioning
systems
Non-mechanical Enteric fermentation, soil N2O emissions,
sources and manure management.
CO2 emissions from CO2 emissions from the conversion of
land use change forests into ranchland or the conversion of
wetlands into croplands
Scope 2 Purchased energy Purchased electricity
Scope 3 All other indirect Production of agrichemicals and purchased

(optional) sources feed
Biogenic Land use management CO2 fluxes to/from C stocks in soils, above-
Carbon and below-ground woody biomass, and
DOM stocks, and the combustion of crop
residues for non-energy purposes
C sequestration due to CO2 removals by soils and biomass
land use change following afforestation or reforestation
Biofuel combustion Combustion of biodiesel in farm machinery
Additional  A reference or link to the calculation methodologies used

information  Description of whether these methodologies are IPCC Tier 1, 2, or
3
 Description of the methodology used to amortize the CO2 fluxes
 Assumptions regarding the use of proxy data in calculating the
impacts of historical LUC on C stocks
Box 9-1. Defining land-use change
To determine when LUC has occurred and to ensure LUC impacts are accounted for
consistently across inventories, companies should use a consistent set of definitions for
land use categories over time. Currently, there is no single internationally accepted
standard for land use classification – different countries and international organizations
have developed their own sets of definitions. Companies may find it simpler to use a
country-specific classification system should their operations occur within a single
country. Companies with agricultural operations in multiple countries may instead find it
72
easier to use internationally recognized classification systems (e.g., the EU’s CORINE
system). A simplified set of land use categories is shown below.
LUC occurs when land is converted from one land use category to another13; for instance,
when cropland is converted to grassland or when forests are converted to cropland. On
occasion, the same area of land might be used to support multiple agricultural activities
and so meet the definitions for different land-use categories. For instance, savannah
woodland might be used both to graze livestock and as a source of wood fuel. In such
cases, companies should categorize the land based on the agricultural activity that is
economically most important.
Land use Definition

category
Forest land An area of high concentration of woody biomass. Typically defined
on the basis of a minimum tree height and canopy cover. Forests
lands include plantations, primary forests, and naturally regenerated
forests with evidence of human intervention
Cropland Includes rice fields and agro-forestry systems.
Grassland Managed grasslands, rangelands, pasture land.
Wetland Areas of peat extraction and land that is covered or saturated by water
for all or part of the year (e.g., peatlands) and that does not fall into
other categories.
Settlements All developed land (e.g., roads, buildings, etc.).
9.3 Additional information that may be reported
Besides the required and best practice reporting elements, companies may wish to report
other information to enhance the transparency and relevance of their inventories. This
information includes:
 Data on the size of C stocks (in metric tonnes C per unit land area)
 Biogenic CO2 flux data further subdivided by the type of C stock (e.g., DOM versus
biomass stocks)
 Other GHG flux data further subdivided by the type of non-mechanical source (e.g.,
enteric fermentation versus manure management)
13
This Guidance follows the ‘land-based’ approach for recognizing LUC, as opposed to an ‘activities-
based’ approach. Land-based approaches assess the net emissions of select land-use categories while
activity-based approaches assess the net emissions of select land-use activities. Both approaches can be
used for developing national GHG inventories for the UNFCCC.
73
 Emissions of other GHGs (e.g., those of CFCs)

 Performance metrics and a description of any allocation approach used in deriving
these (see Appendix I)
 A description of performance measured against internal or external benchmarks
 An outline of current management practices and any GHG management strategies
 GHG flux data for relevant scope 3 sources for which reliable data can be obtained
 Information on the uncertainty of GHG flux data
The reporting of scope 3 sources is optional, but encouraged

Scope 3 sources are many and diverse. The Scope 3 Standard identifies 15 distinct
categories. These include the activities of the reporting company’s direct suppliers,
cradle-to-gate impacts further upstream, as well as downstream activities, such as the
customer use and disposal of products the company has manufactured and sold. Which
scope 3 sources should be included in an inventory? Companies may either:
1. Report scope 3 emissions in accordance with the Corporate Standard (i.e. scope 3
sources are optional)
2. Report scope 3 emissions in accordance with the Scope 3 Standard
For many companies, scope 3 emissions will represent a significant component of overall
GHG impacts. For instance, the manufacture of fertilizer and livestock feed will be
important scope 3 sources for crop and livestock operations, respectively. Moreover,
companies may undertake some actions that reduce their scope 1 and 2 emissions, but
that then increase their scope 3 emissions (e.g., the outsourcing of feed production). For
these reasons, specific scope 3 sources should be reported where those sources are
considered significant. Criteria for assessing significance can include amounts of
emissions, emissions reduction potential, contribution to risk exposure (e.g., regulatory or
reputational risks), and importance to stakeholders. In general, the scope 3 emissions
from fertilizer and feed production should be included in inventories, where possible.
9.4 Agricultural offset and renewable energy projects
Companies can generate renewable energy in many ways, including:

 Developing their own wind turbines or leasing land to wind power development
firms
 Growing trees, short rotation woodland and short rotation coppice as a source of
biomass fuel stock
 Installing anaerobic digesters to produce methane as fuel for electricity or heat
 Developing farm-scale micro hydroelectricity schemes (typically less than ~ 100kW)
 Using solar panels
Such projects are a potential source of offset credits. Other offset projects could be based
on the reforestation or restoration of degraded lands and changes in fertilizer
management.
74
Accounting for renewable energy projects

The impact of many of these projects on a company’s inventory will depend on whether
any of the energy that is generated is consumed on-site by the company or sent to the
grid. If the energy is consumed on-site, the project may reduce the amount of electricity
or fuel consumed, resulting in a reduction in scope 1 or scope 2 emissions that will be
evident when comparing inventories over time. On the other hand, if the energy is sent
off-site, it shall not be used to lower scope 1 or scope 2 emissions. This is necessary to
prevent double counting of the emissions benefits of that energy. This requirement
extends to the calculation of performance metrics, which should not include the
emissions benefits of sold energy. The GHG Protocol Guidelines for Grid-Connected
Electricity Projects – a supplement to the Project Protocol (Chapter 1.2) - provide
guidance on quantifying the emissions reductions from sold energy.
Accounting for ‘avoided’ emissions

Many renewable energy projects may have GHG impacts that extend beyond the farm
gate – they may help to displace (or ‘avoid’) the emissions from fossil fuel-based
electricity generation elsewhere on the grid that would have occurred in the absence of
the project. Importantly, renewable energy generation projects do not always result in a
physical reduction in emissions from fossil fuel consumption. For example:
 On-site renewable energy that is sold to the grid: the total emissions of a fossil-fuel
plant are affected by the aggregate demand of all consumers connected to the grid,
such that the sale of renewable energy may be balanced by an increased demand for
electricity amongst other grid consumers, with no net change in absolute emissions
from the fossil-fuel plant.
 Switching from residual fuel to wood waste produced on a farm: such switching may
lead to emissions reductions from crude oil refining and waste fuel disposal, but
whether these reductions are actually realized depends on the demand for fuel oil by
other organizations.
In these cases, the behavior of other consumers – which is outside of the control of the
reporting company – means avoided emissions do not necessarily occur. As a result,
avoided emissions shall not be reported within the scopes and they shall not be used to
‘net’ emissions14. However, estimates of avoided emissions may be reported as a memo
item, as long as the underlying assumptions and appropriate calculation methodologies
are also described. The Project Protocol provides guidance relevant for calculating
avoided emissions.
Accounting for transactions in offset credits

Should a company sell an offset that has been generated within its organizational
boundaries, it shall remove the associated emissions reductions from its corporate
inventory to prevent double counting. It should also disclose the protocol used to verify
the emissions reductions.
14
Avoided emissions are also not quantified as part of product life cycle inventories under the GHG
Protocol Product Standard.
75

Appendices
76
Appendix I: Performance metrics

The Corporate Standard and this Guidance only require the reporting of absolute GHG
flux data. GHG performance metrics do not have to be reported. However, they can
provide important insights into a company’s GHG performance and are generally
recommended as part of an effective GHG reporting and management system. For
instance, they can be used to:
 Evaluate performance over time (e.g., compare figures from different years, identify
trends in data, and show performance in relation to targets and base periods).
 Improve comparability between different sizes of operations by normalizing figures
(e.g., by assessing the impact of differently sized operations on the same scale).
This Appendix:
 Summarizes the various types of GHG performance metrics that exist.
 Provides general recommendations for the calculation, use, and reporting of metrics.
Types and usage of performance metrics
Many types of performance metrics exist

Some examples of performance metrics are:
Productivity and efficiency ratios: These express the value or achievement of a company
divided by its GHG impact. Increasing efficiency ratios therefore reflect a positive
performance improvement. Examples of productivity/efficiency ratios include resource
productivity ratios (e.g., sales per GHG) and process eco-efficiency ratios (e.g.,
production volume per amount of GHG).
Intensity ratios: Intensity (or ‘normalized’) ratios express GHG impact per unit of
physical activity or unit of economic output. A physical intensity ratio is suitable when
aggregating or comparing across businesses that have similar products. In turn, an
economic intensity ratio is suitable when aggregating or comparing across businesses that
produce different products. A declining intensity ratio reflects a positive performance
improvement. Examples of intensity ratios include product intensity (e.g., tonnes of
emissions per unit of sold livestock or crops generated) and sales intensity (e.g.,
emissions per sales). When calculating intensity ratios companies may have to allocate
GHG fluxes amongst different product streams (see below).
Percentages: A percentage indicator is a ratio between two similar variables (with the
same physical unit in the numerator and the denominator). Examples of percentages that
can be meaningful in performance reports include current GHG fluxes expressed as a
percentage of base year GHG fluxes.
In selecting a performance metric, companies should consider which metrics best capture
the benefits and impacts of their business (e.g., its operations, its products, and its effects
on the marketplace), as well as its intended application.
77
The use of multiple performance metrics is recommended

Companies might find it useful to track performance using more than one metric. This is
because individual metrics might exclude certain sources, such as those associated with
by-products or co-products (see below) or those not directly connected to the production
system. For the same reason, performance metrics should always be reported alongside
data on the absolute GHG fluxes to/from a farm. The following scenarios show the
importance of using additional ratio indicators (in addition to reporting absolute GHG
flux data) to track performance at the whole farm level:
 Production intensification (e.g., an increased use of fertilizers and/or feed) might
boost yields and result in a net reduction in GHG intensity per unit of agricultural
output (provided the inputs are not excessive), but could also increase emissions on a
per hectare basis.
 Increasing the feed conversion efficiency of cattle can reduce emissions per product,
but can lead to greater overall emissions (and emissions per ha) if any spare feed is
diverted to new livestock.
Table I-1 describes various trade-offs associated with different types of metrics
commonly used in the agricultural sector.
Contextual information should be provided

Importantly, the inherent diversity of agricultural practices, as well as the influence of
environmental factors on GHG fluxes, will affect the comparability of metrics, both
within and across businesses. For example:
 Intensity ratios will often be higher for self-replacing livestock herds than non-
replacement herds. This is because self-replacing herds contain younger stock that
emit enteric CH4 and produce N2O from urine depositions for a longer period of time
before contributing to farm products.
 Adverse weather conditions can lower realized crop yields, causing inter-annual
variation in intensity ratios, independent of any changes in farming practices. (Note:
in such cases, companies may find it useful to normalize and report emissions by
expected yield, in addition to actual yield).
Without adequate context on the farming system, environmental effects, and the
emissions sources that have been studied, performance metrics are not useful for
assessing performance. Such context should be provided in reports to aid the reliable
interpretation of performance metrics.
78
Table I-1. Advantages and disadvantages of common performance metrics

Metric Advantages Disadvantages
GHG flux per  Useful to companies that define  Fails to consider efficiency of farm
unit land area policies or that manage large production
(e.g., flux / ha) amounts of land (e.g., government
agencies)
 Reflective of the overall level of
GHG fluxes on farms
GHG flux per  Better allows for comparisons within  Calculation may be complicated by the
unit product the same industry variety of products that come from
(e.g., flux /  Better able to represent the effects of farms and the different allocation
tonne beef) mitigation measures that have a methods used to assign GHG fluxes
relatively small GHG impact, but that (see below)
nonetheless improve productivity  Does not consider product value
 Performance data are frequently  Does not reflect the overall climate
sought by buyers on a per-product impact of farms (which would vary
basis depending on the volume of products
produced)
GHG flux per  Provides an understanding of the  Calculation may be complicated by the
unit of farm effects of feed type and amount on need to allocate GHG fluxes
input (e.g., flux animal systems, or of the efficiency
/ MJ of nutrient use in cropping systems
metabolisable
energy intake)
GHG flux per  Considers a fundamental objective of  Calculation may be complicated by the
unit of quality most agricultural production – to need to allocate GHG fluxes
content in final provide food energy
product (e.g.,
per unit of fat,
protein or
metabolisable
energy content)
Allocating GHG data for calculating performance metrics
Agricultural production frequently results in the generation of by-products or co-products,

especially if farms have on-site product processing facilities. In addition, certain agricultural
activities will contribute to multiple streams of products (and their co/by-products), especially on
mixed farms (Figure I-1). For instance, fertilizer application will support not only crop growth,
but also livestock production, if some of the primary output (the crop) is used as livestock feed.
Allocation is the process of partitioning GHG flux data from a farm to the different product
streams from that farm. Allocation may be needed when computing intensity ratios for individual
products. Allocation may also be needed when:
‐ Reporting GHG data to customers that are accounting for their scope 3 emissions and that
therefore only require information on the specific GHG fluxes attributable to the products
they purchased.
79
‐ Allocating GHG fluxes between scope 1 and scope 3.
Allocations will not be necessary when a farm produces only one output. They should not be
done to calculate the GHG fluxes that are to be reported in a corporate inventory, except to
allocate between scope 1 and scope 3. Also, this Guidance is not concerned with allocations for
product-level GHG accounting – for guidance on this topic, see the GHG Protocol Product
Standard, sectoral life cycle accounting guidance, or product category rules.
Should allocations be performed, note that co-products without economic value are considered
wastes and should have no GHG fluxes allocated to them. Also, if GHG fluxes are allocated,
they should sum to the total flux initially calculated.
Figure I-1. Illustration of a common process requiring allocation
Allocation should be avoided where possible

If possible, companies should avoid allocation because allocation adds uncertainty to
performance metrics. Companies may be able to avoid allocation in a number of ways:
 By dividing the common GHG emitting process into sub-processes that separately produce
the various products. This approach may be accomplished by subdividing the farm and
providing data on the quantities of inputs going to each farm enterprise. Mechanical sources
will often be the most difficult to allocate because farm records are often on a whole-farm
basis. One possible solution may be to set up energy use accounting on a per product basis
by, for example, sub-metering individual facilities and tracking fuel consumption or the
number of field passes by field and date.
 By redefining the scope of analysis for the performance metric so that the fluxes attributable
to the various products no longer have to be separated. For instance, by expressing GHG
emissions on a kg sheep-raised basis as opposed to a kg lamb meat basis, it is no longer
necessary to separate out the emissions attributable to wool production.
Different allocation approaches exist

Should allocation be unavoidable, the following approaches may be used:
80
Physical allocation: Allocations are based on an underlying physical relationship between the
multiple inputs/outputs and the GHG fluxes. For example, if mass is the main causal factor
driving differences between products, allocations can be based on the mass of farm outputs:
Mass of specific product produced

Allocated flux x Total flux
Total mass of all products produced
Alternatively, physical allocations could be made based on the number or dietary quality of the
products. The factor chosen should most accurately reflect the underlying physical relationship
between the products and GHG fluxes. For example, if the mass of the outputs determines the
amount of flux, choosing an energy content factor would not provide the most accurate
allocation.
Economic allocation: Allocations are based on the market value of each product leaving the
process, as follows:
Market Value of specific product produced

Allocated flux x Total flux
Total market value of all products produced
The market value of co-product(s) should be the value of the co-products as they leave the
common process (i.e. prior to any further processing). Also, if prices for the outputs vary over
the reporting period, it may be necessary to develop averages for the market values of the outputs
over this period.
Under either physical or economic allocation, co-products without economic value are
considered wastes and should have no GHG fluxes allocated to them.
Selecting an allocation approach

A single approach should be used to consistently allocate the GHG data for all of the products of
a farm. Otherwise, the use of multiple allocation methods might result in the over- or under-
counting of total farm-wide fluxes.
Different allocation methods can yield significantly different results. For example, in cheese
manufacturing, cheese is considered the main product, while whey powder, whey butter and
grated cheese are considered co-products. Under an economic allocation approach, the higher
value of cheese compared with the co-products results in most of the GHG fluxes being
attributed to the cheese. In contrast, under a physical allocation approach, the greater mass of the
co-products would result in most of the GHG fluxes being attributed to the co-products.
Companies should select the allocation approach that:

 Best reflects the causal relationship between the production of the outputs and the resulting
GHG fluxes;
 Results in the most accurate and credible flux estimates;
81
 Best supports effective decision-making and GHG reduction activities; and

 Otherwise adheres to the principles of relevance, accuracy, completeness, consistency and
transparency.
Broadly, physical allocation is preferred when:

 A physical relationship amongst the products can be established and this relationship drives
their relative GHG impacts.
 Prices change significantly or frequently over time. Example: fluctuation in commodity crop
prices (note: averaging prices over three to five years can help avoid this problem).
 Prices are not well-correlated with underlying physical properties and GHG fluxes.
 Companies pay different prices for the same product (due to different negotiated prices).
Economic allocation is preferred when:

 A physical relationship amongst the products cannot be established or does not adequately
reflect their GHG impacts.
 The co-products were a waste output that acquires value in the market place as a replacement
for another material input (e.g., manure as a replacement for fertilizer).
82
Appendix II: Amortizing CO2 Fluxes to / from Carbon Stocks
Introduction
Shifts in the management of farmland or the conversion of one land-use category into another
can change C stocks over long time periods. Chapter 8 describes methodologies for accounting
for the associated CO2 fluxes. Depending on how these fluxes have been calculated, they may
have to be amortized over a defined time period, with an equal amount of flux allocated to each
year over that period. Consistent with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
methodologies, the length of this period can be assumed to be 20 years, unless more specific
information is available (see Chapter 8.3).
The amortization approach is illustrated here using a common land use pattern in central Brazil -
the conversion of native vegetation (cerrado) into pasture and subsequently into an annual crop
rotation (soybean-corn). Two cases are presented:
 Case A: All soil stock changes are amortized before any further changes occur in the
ownership or management of stocks
 Case B:
 Case C: Purchase of land undergoing changes in C stocks
While these cases are hypothetical, they use representative data on soil C stocks that are derived
from published studies. To facilitate ease of understanding, only soil C stocks are considered,
while all fluxes are amortized before any further shifts occur in management practices. The
management practices and land-use types considered, along with the corresponding C stocks, are
shown in Table II-1.
Table II-1. Soil C stocks of different management practices and land use types.
83
Case A: All soil stock changes are amortized before any further changes
occur in the ownership or management of stocks
Cerrado is converted into a no-till crop system over the course of 75 years. While multiple shifts
in land use and farming practices occur over this period, the resulting CO2 fluxes are fully
amortized before any further shifts occur. Table II-2 describes the time series of shifts in land use
and management practices, as well as how the corresponding CO2 fluxes are amortized. GHG
emissions inventories are prepared annually. Figure II-1 shows how the C stocks change over
time with amortization.
Table II-2. The amortization schedule for case A
Figure II-1: Changes in C stocks are fully amortized before any further shifts in management
practices or management occur (Case A)
84
Case B: Not all soil stock changes are amortized before a further change
occurs in stock management
Same as Case A, except that the pasture is converted into a full-till crop system only 10 years
after the cerrado was first converted into pasture (i.e., when only half of the change in carbon
stocks has been amortized). Table II-3 describes the time series of shifts in land use and
management practices, as well as how the ensuing changes in carbon stocks are amortized.
85
Table II-3. The amortization schedule for case B.
Case C: Purchase of land undergoing changes in C stocks

Same as Case A, but the land is acquired by the reporting company (at year 28) after its
conversion into pasture (Figure II-2). The reporting company amortizes the CO2 fluxes from this
conversion over a 20 year period (ending year 25), but does not include all of these fluxes in its
inventories. Instead, it only revises its inventories to report the CO2 fluxes that occurred during
years 20–25. This is because year 20 was established as its base period. Table II-4 describes how
the changes in C stocks are amortized by the reporting company.
Figure II-2. The reporting company purchases land that is undergoing changes in C stocks
because of a shift in land use made by a prior owner (Case C)
86
Table II-4. The amortization schedule for Case C.
87
Appendix III: Tools for calculating agricultural GHG fluxes
Overview
This Appendix lists some of the most widely used tools (spreadsheets, software and protocols)
for calculating GHG fluxes in agriculture. Three broad classes of tools are covered:
 Tools suitable for farm managers. These are generally web- or Excel-based calculators that
can be used with commonly available types of activity data. They tend to implement a
variety of the calculation approaches described in Table 7-1; namely, emission factors,
empirical or process models, or some combination of these approaches.
 General catalogues of calculation methodologies. These describe formulae and default
emission factors that can be used to calculate flux data for an extensive range of emissions
sources. They do not provide an interface for performing calculations.
 Tools suitable for academic use. These are primarily process-based models intended for
academic research. They have extensive requirements in terms of data inputs, labor and
expertise, and would not be recommended for use by farm managers. They are described
here because they underpin many of the more accessible resources.
Table III-1 lists the GHGs and operations covered by each tool, while Table III-2 provides
further information on each tool, such as its geographic focus and type of interface.
Notes and Caveats

 These tools typically generate GHG flux data in a format that is not automatically in
conformance with this Guidance. Users will often therefore need to reformat these data
(e.g., to divide them by scopes) for the purpose of developing a corporate GHG inventory.
 This Appendix does not attempt to provide an exhaustive list of tools, but is merely
intended as an illustrative guide. The tools listed here may change over time and companies
are encouraged to check the corresponding websites for updated information.
 Many different combinations of environmental and management factors will affect
agricultural GHG fluxes. For example, even if a tool is relevant to, say, ‘cropland’ or
‘livestock’ operations, as indicated in Table III-1, it may not cover the specific
combinations of interest.
 The tools’ coverage of specialty crops and more complex livestock systems is less
comprehensive than that for commodity crops and relatively simple livestock systems.
 The tools may employ different definitions for the same management practices and land
use categories. Companies should ensure that consistent definitions are applied when using
multiple tools for a single inventory.
 This Appendix focuses on non-mechanical sources, although many of the tools listed will
also cover mechanical sources, mostly fuel use and fertilizer production.
 Tools for product-, project- and national-level assessments are excluded.
88
Table III-1. Publicly available tools for calculating agricultural GHG fluxes1
GHG Operation
Grazing land
Agroforestry
Horticulture
Wineyards /
Energy use
production
Grassland
Orchards
Cropland
Livestock
Wetlands
Land use
change
Forest
Tool
Rice
CO2
N2O
CH4
Tools suitable for farm managers
Brazil GHG Protocol
Program calculation
tool
Carbon Accounting for
Land Managers
(CALM)
Carbon calculator for
New Zealand
Agriculture and
Horticulture
Climate Friendly Food
(CFF) Carbon
Calculator
COLE-EZ 1605b
Forest Carbon
Reporting Tool
COMET-Farm:
CarbOn Management
Evaluation Tool for
whole FARM GHG
accounting
89
GHG Operation
Grazing land
Agroforestry
Horticulture
Wineyards /
Energy use
production
Grassland
Orchards
Cropland
Livestock
Wetlands
Land use
change
Forest
Tool
Rice
CO2
N2O
CH4
COMET-VR: CarbOn
Management
Evaluation Tool for
Voluntary Reporting of
greenhouse gases V2.0
Cool Farm Tool

C-PLAN
CQuest Lite
Dairy Greenhouse Gas
Model (DairyGHG)
Dia’terre
DNDC NUGGET
FarmGas
Farming enterprise
Greenhouse Gas
Emissions Calculator
Field to Market
Fieldprint Calculator
Full Carbon
Accounting Model
(FullCAM)
90
GHG Operation
Grazing land
Agroforestry
Horticulture
Wineyards /
Energy use
production
Grassland
Orchards
Cropland
Livestock
Wetlands
Land use
change
Forest
Tool
Rice
CO2
N2O
CH4
Greenhouse in
Agriculture tools for
Dairy, Sheep, Beef or
Grain Farms
Holos
Illinois Farm
Sustainability
Calculator
International Wine
Carbon Calculator
Live Swine Carbon

Footprint Calculator
Livestock Analysis
Model
Manure and Nutrient
Reduction Estimator
(MANURE) TOOL
OVERSEER
US Cropland
Greenhouse Gas
Calculator For Farm
Systems
General catalogues of calculation methodologies
91
GHG Operation
Grazing land
Agroforestry
Horticulture
Wineyards /
Energy use
production
Grassland
Orchards
Cropland
Livestock
Wetlands
Land use
change
Forest
Tool
Rice
CO2
N2O
CH4
1605(b). Technical
Guidelines for the
Greenhouse Gases
Program
IPCC. 2006
Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate
Change Guidelines on
National Inventories
Resources suitable for academic use
Agricultural
Policy/Environmental
eXtender (APEX)
CENTURY
CNCPS
CQESTR
DairyGEM
DairyGHG
DairyWise
DayCent
92
GHG Operation
Grazing land
Agroforestry
Horticulture
Wineyards /
Energy use
production
Grassland
Orchards
Cropland
Livestock
Wetlands
Land use
change
Forest
Tool
Rice
CO2
N2O
CH4
DeNitrification-
DeComposition
(DNDC)
FarmGHG
IFSM (Intrated Farm

System Model)
NASA-CASA
(Carnegie-Ames-
Stanford Approach)
model
RothC
SIMs Dairy
SOCRATES: Soil
Organic Carbon
Reserves And
Transformations in
Eco-systems
1, Based on Colomb et al. (2013), Denef et al. (2012) and additional research.
93
Table III-2. Additional features of emissions calculators1

Tool Geographic focus Methodology Interface Uncertainty
analysis
Tools suitable for farm managers
Brazil GHG Protocol Program Brazil Methodologies and emission factors from Brazils national Excel-based
calculation tool inventory and IPCC Tier 1 emission factors
Carbon Accounting for Land UK Emission factors from UK national inventory Web-based
Managers (CALM)
Carbon calculator for New New Zealand Methodologies and emission factors from New Zealand’s Web-based
Zealand Agriculture and national inventory
Horticulture
Climate Friendly Food (CFF) UK Uses methodologies from UK national inventory (Tiers 1 Web-based
Carbon Calculator and 2 methods), as well as methods and EFs from academic
literature
COLE-EZ 1605b Forest Carbon US Models and equations from academic literature Web-based
Reporting Tool
COLE-Lite US The results correspond to the entries needed to report under Web-based
US 1605(b)
COMET-Farm: CarbOn US Combination of process models (CENTURY/DAYCENT), Web-based
Management Evaluation Tool for empirical models and IPCC Tier 1 emission factors
whole FARM GHG accounting
COMET-VR: CarbOn Continental US Combination of process models (CENTURY/DAYCENT), Web-based
Management Evaluation Tool for empirical models and IPCC Tier 1 emission factors
greenhouse gases V2.0
Cool Farm Tool Global Combination of LCA emission factors, empirical models, Excel-based
Tier 1 and 2 methods and emission factors, and academic
literature
C-PLAN UK Above ground biomass is for forests. IPCC Tier 1 EFs Web-based
CQuest Lite Global Online interface to NASA-CASA model Web-based
Dairy Greenhouse Gas Model US Unknown Software

(DairyGHG) application
94
analysis
Dia’terre France Unknown Unknown Unknown
DNDC NUGGET US Online interface to DNDC model Web-based
FarmGas Australia Based on Australian national inventory - combination of Web-based

country-specific and IPCC methodologies and emission
factors.
Farming enterprise Greenhouse Australia Combination of SOCRATES, IPCC and Australia national Web-based
Gas Emissions Calculator inventory emission factors
Field to Market Fieldprint US Based on methodologies in academic literature. Only Web-based
Calculator outputs intensity metrics (per acre), so not useful for farm-
level accounting
Full Carbon Accounting Model Australa Based on Australian national inventory - combination of Software
(FullCAM) country-specific and IPCC methodologies and emission application
factors.
Greenhouse in Agriculture tools Australia Emission factors from Australia’s national inventory Excel-based
for Dairy, Sheep, Beef or Grain practices
Farms
Holos Canada Methodology is IPCC, but customized to Canada Software
application
Illinois Farm Sustainability US - Illinois Excel-based

Calculator
International Wine Carbon International Tier 1 emission factors and academic literature Excel-based
Calculator
Live Swine Carbon Footprint US Unknown Software
Calculator application
Livestock Analysis Model US Specific to cattle and buffalo Software

application
Manure and Nutrient Reduction US IPCC methodology and emission factors from IPCC, EPA, Web-based
Estimator (MANURE) TOOL and USDA
OVERSEER New Zealand Emission factors from New Zealand’s national inventory Web-based and
practices software
95
analysis
applications
US Cropland Greenhouse Gas US (but applicable to Limited to corn, soybean, switchgrass, alfalfa and corn Web-based
Calculator For Farm Systems temperate region silage. Based on SOCRATES (for soil carbon) and IPCC
soils worldwide) emission factors (for other sources)
General catalogues of calculation methodologies
1605(b). Technical Guidelines for US Combination of emission factors, process models, direct N/A
the Voluntary Reporting of measurement and hybrid approaches
Greenhouse Gases Program
IPCC. 2006 Intergovernmental Global Three tiers of methods outlined. Tier 1 emission factors
Panel on Climate Change provided for wide range of sources (see Box XX)
Guidelines on National
Inventories
1, Based on Colomb et al. (2013), Denef et al. (2012), and additional research.
2, The 2006 IPCC Guidelines are implemented in software available at: http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/software/index.html. This software is not
recommended for use by farm managers.
96
Abbreviations
C Carbon
CH4 Methane
CO2 Carbon dioxide
DOM Dead organic matter
GHG Greenhouse gas
HFCs Hydrofluorocarbons
HWPs Harvested woody products
LUC Land use change
N Nitrogen
N2O Nitrous oxide
SF6 Sulfur hexaflouride
PFCs Perfluorocarbons
97
Glossary
Accounting (GHG Quantification and organization of information about GHG fluxes
accounting) based on common procedures, and correct attribution of the same to
specific companies.
Agistment An arrangement between a stock owner and the owner of a short-term
supplier of feed to use that feed.
Agriculture The cultivation of animals, plants, fungi, and other life forms for food,
fiber, biofuel, drugs and other products used to sustain and enhance
human life
Agroforestry Integrated agricultural practices that exploit the interactive benefits
from combining trees and shrubs with crops and/or livestock.
Allocation The process of partitioning GHG flux data from a farming system to
the different product streams from that system
Amortization The allocation of CO2 fluxes from changes in carbon stocks over a
period of time.
Base period A historic period against which a company’s GHG fluxes are tracked
over time.
Biogenic CO2 CO2 emissions from biological sources or materials derived from
emissions biological matter.
By-product A by-product is an incidental output from an agricultural process with
a minor market value, rather than the primary product being produced
or a co-product.
Carbon pools Natural stores of carbon in biomass, dead organic matter, soils, or
harvested products. Carbon pools both take-up and release CO2.
Carbon stocks The total amount of carbon stored on a plot of land at any given time
in one or more carbon pools.
Carbon sequestration The net carbon accumulation (i.e., CO2 fixation minus CO2 emissions)
in carbon pools.
CO2-equivalent (CO2e) The universal unit for comparing emissions of different GHGs,
expressed in terms of the global warming potential (GWP) of one unit
of CO2.
CO2 fixation The addition of carbon to carbon pools through photosynthesis.
Conservation area Land where agricultural production has been limited or halted so as to
provide environmental benefits, such as maintaining or improving
water quality or wildlife habitat.
Co-operative A business that is owned and controlled by the people (members) who
use its services and whose benefits are shared by the members on the
basis of use.
Co-product A co-product is an output of an agricultural system with a significant
market value in another system.
Corporate GHG A quantified list of the GHG fluxes from across the entire operations of
emissions inventory the reporting company. Such inventories include the emissions of all
seven Kyoto GHGs (CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, SF6, and NF3).
98
Crop year The period of time between two harvests. For many crops, this period
approximates a calendar year, but for others several crop years may be
possible each calendar year.
Cultivar A cultivar is an assemblage of plants that (a) has been selected
for a particular character or combination of characters, (b) is
distinct, uniform and stable in those characters, and (c) when
propagated by appropriate means, retains those characters.
Custom farming A contract between a landowner and an operator that requires the
contract operator to supply all the labor and equipment needed to perform
tillage, planting, pest control, harvesting, crop storage, and other farm
functions. The custom operator receives a fixed payment per acre from
the landowner, or a fixed payment for each operation performed. In
turn, the landowner pays all other expenses and receives the entire
crop.
Dead organic matter A carbon pool that includes non-living biomass in: (1) dead wood that
is either standing, lying on the ground, or in the soil; and (2) litter
located on or within the mineral or organic soil.
Denitrification The process whereby nitrates are reduced by bacteria and become
N2O, which is then released into the atmosphere.
Direct GHG emissions Emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by the reporting
company.
Emission factor A factor allowing GHG fluxes to be estimated from a unit of available
activity data (e.g., tonnes of fuel consumed, tonnes of product
produced).
Enteric fermentation Fermentation that occurs in the digestive tracts of ruminant livestock
species (e.g., cattle and sheep) and that releases CH4.
Equity share approach An approach used to set organizational boundaries, wherein a
company accounts for the emissions from an operation according to its
share of equity (or percentage of economic interest) in that operation.
Financial control An approach used to set organizational boundaries, wherein a
company accounts for 100% of the emissions from an operation over
which it has the ability to direct financial and operating policies with a
view to gaining economic benefits.
Forestry The theory and practice of all that constitutes the creation,
conservation and scientific management of forests and the utilization
of their resources.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) A gas absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range in
the atmosphere.
GHG Flux Emissions to or removals from the atmosphere of GHGs.
Global warming The change in the climate system that would result from the emission
potential (GWP) of one unit of a given GHG compared to one unit of CO2.
Harvested wood A carbon pool that includes all wood material (including bark) that
products (HWPs) leaves the boundary of the reporting company.
Indirect GHG emissions Emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by another
company, but are nonetheless a consequence of the activities of the
reporting company.
99
Indirect N2O emissions Emissions of N2O from soils as a result of leaching and volatilization
from soils processes that lead to the emissions being physically displaced.
Indirect land use A pattern of land use wherein an existing crop is diverted for another
change (iLUC) purpose and replacement crops are then grown on formerly non-
agricultural lands.
Kyoto GHGs The GHGs that are mandatorily reported in national GHG inventories
to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, and SF6).
Land-use change The conversion of one category of land-use (e.g., forest) into another
(e.g., cropland) through fire, draining, clear felling or soil preparation.
Non-mechanical Either bacterial processes shaped by climatic and soil conditions (e.g.,
sources (on farms) decomposition) or the burning of crop residues. See also Mechanical
sources.
Manure Effluent and bedding material collected from housed animals.
Mechanical sources (on Equipment or machinery operated on farms, such as mobile machinery
farms) (e.g., harvesters), stationary equipment (e.g., boilers), and refrigeration
and air-conditioning equipment. See also Non-mechanical sources.
Natural disturbance An environmental and destructive event that disturbs landscape health,
structure, and/or changes resources at any given spatial or temporal
scale. Disturbance agents include pathogens, insects, fires, drought,
flooding, and acid rainfall.
Nitrification During nitrification, bacteria and other microorganisms oxidize the
nitrogen within ammonia (NH3) to create nitrites, which are further
oxidized into nitrates.
Nitrogen mineralization The process by which organic nitrogen is converted to inorganic forms
that are available to plants.
Offset credits Tradable commodities that typically represent one metric tonne of
CO2-equivalent emissions reductions or sequestration. In most cases,
offset credits are generated at specific projects (offset projects).
Organizational The boundaries that determine the operations owned or controlled by
boundaries the reporting company, depending on the consolidation approach taken
(equity or control approach).
Operational boundaries The boundaries that determine the direct and indirect emissions
associated with operations owned or controlled by the reporting
company.
Operational control An approach used to set organizational boundaries, wherein a company
accounts for 100% of the emissions from an operation over which it
has the authority to introduce and implement its own operating
policies.
Payments for Incentives offered to farmers or landowners in exchange for managing
Environmental Services their land to provide some sort of ecological service.
(PESs)
Product life cycle GHG A compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential
inventory GHG impacts of a product – whether it be a good or a service –
throughout its entire life cycle.
Product processing The treatment of an agricultural product to change its properties with
the intention of preserving it, improving its quality, or making it
100
functionally more useful. On-farm product processing is product

processing done on the farm with produce from the farm.
Rolling base period Base periods that move forward in time with each reporting period.
Ruminants Mammals that digest plant-based food by softening it within a first

stomach (the ‘rumen’), then regurgitating the semi-digested mass (the
‘cud’) for further chewing. Enteric fermentation results from the
microbial fermentation of food in the rumen. Examples of ruminants
include cattle, goats, sheep, bison, yaks, water buffalo, and deer.
Scope Defines the operational boundaries in relation to direct and indirect
GHG emissions.
Scope 1 Direct GHG emissions from sources owned or controlled by the
reporting company.
Scope 2 Emissions associated with the generation of electricity, heating/
cooling, or steam purchased for the reporting company’s own
consumption.
Scope 3 Indirect emissions other than those covered in scope 2.
Timberbelt Multiple row field windbreaks that are planted with commercially
valuable, fast-growing trees (such as hybrid poplar or hybrid willow)
to provide conservation benefits, improve adjacent crop yields,
diversify on-farm income sources, and produce commercially valuable
wood products.
Volatilization of soil The vaporization of soil NH3 and NOX and their subsequent release
nitrogen into the atmosphere.
101
References
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Denef, K., K. Paustian, S. Archibeque, S. Biggar, D. Pape, 2012. Report of Greenhouse Gas Acc
ounting Tools for Agriculture and Forestry Sectors. Interim report to USDA under Contract No.
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Accounting_Tools_v1.pdf.
Easterling, W.E., P.K. Aggarwal, P. Batima, K.M. Brander, L. Erda, S.M. Howden, A. Kirilenko,
J. Morton, J.-F. Soussana, J. Schmidhuber and F.N. Tubiello, 2007: Food, fibre and forest
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Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 273-313.
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GHG Protocol Agricultural Guidance

Interpreting the Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard

A note on terminology in GHG Protocol publications

1.1 Agriculture and climate change

Figure 1-1. Agricultural practices that emit GHGs.

Source: IPPC (2006), with permission.

1.2 What is the Greenhouse Gas Protocol?

The GHG Protocol is a multi-stakeholder partnership of businesses, non-governmental

Table 1-1. The GHG Protocol family of publications

1.3 Why an Agricultural Guidance?

The specific objectives of this Guidance are to:

What does this Guidance not do?

1.4 Who should use this Guidance?

Box 1-1. The concept of scopes

1.5 Relationship between this Guidance and the Corporate

Chapter in Corporate Standard Corresponding content in the Agricultural

Table 1-3. Summary of main recommendations in this Guidance for applying

inventory to reflect changes in

 Year chosen as base year, and

 Biogenic CO2 fluxes shall be reported

1.8 How was this Guidance developed?

 January, 2011: Publication of WRI Working Paper

Chapter 2: Business goals

2.1 Overview of business goals

Business Goal Description

3.1 Overview of principles

GHG accounting and reporting shall be based on the following principles:

Consistency: Companies shall use consistent methodologies to allow for meaningful

In practice, companies may encounter trade-offs between principles when completing an

Companies should balance tradeoffs between principles depending on their individual

Chapter 4: Overview of agricultural emission sources

4.1 Overview of agricultural sources

Mechanical sources are equipment or machinery operated on farms, such as mobile

Figure 4-1. Agricultural emissions sources

Relative importance of different agricultural sources

Figure 4-2. Relative contribution of different agricultural sources to global

4.2 Individual agricultural sources

Enteric fermentation (CH4)

Soil amendments and soil management (N2O)

Manure management (CH4 and N2O)

Box 4-1. Indirect and direct N2O emissions from soils

= Enhancement of denitrification and nitrification processes from increase in available N

Management of carbon pools

Soil carbon pools

Figure 4-4. Carbon pools in agriculture

The following categories of mechanical sources exist on farms:

4.3 Off-site emission sources beyond the farm gate

Part 2: DEVELOPING CORPORATE

Chapter 5: Setting Inventory Boundaries

Summary of requirements and main recommendations:

5.1 Setting organizational boundaries

This Guidance makes no recommendations about which consolidation approach should

Feature compared Individual Partnership Corporation

Table 5-2. Considerations for choosing an organizational boundary approach.

5.2 Setting operational boundaries

What factors affect how operational boundaries are set?

Figure 5-2. Primary sales routes for agricultural products

2. Other forms of agricultural contracting