YEN Zero is a recently established network in the ADAS YEN Family, with the overarching aim of creating a net-zero community, bringing key players from across the agricultural industry together to meet the industry’s target of achieving net zero emissions by 2040.
YEN Zero creates a space where:
- Growers can benchmark their crop carbon footprints against their peers
- Knowledge can be shared around key net-zero topics
- Metrics for calculating crop carbon footprints can be agreed upon to create consensus across the industry
- Mitigation strategies can be communicated and tested on farm to find out which has the best potential to reduce emissions from crop production
YEN Zero focuses on the analysis and benchmarking of combinable and forage crop carbon footprints on a per-field basis. In the near future, we aspire to grow this into carbon accounting on a whole farm scale. The benchmarking of crop greenhouse gas intensities enables fair and easy comparison of emissions between farms, fields, and crops. From here, growers can learn about which mitigation strategies have the most potential to reduce the environmental impact of their crop management systems.
In addition to analysing and benchmarking crop C footprints, YEN Zero hosts discussion workshops on key topics within the subject of net-zero. These discussion workshops provide an open forum for YEN Zero members to gain and share knowledge regarding key net-zero issues, such as soil carbon sequestration.
YEN Zero was launched in July 2021 and is now entering its second year in the summer of 2022.
YEN Zero activities
Activities undertaken within the network include:
- Analysis and benchmarking of cropping greenhouse gas emissions. Presented as a total carbon footprint on a per hectare and per tonne of yield basis; and separated into emissions from different agronomic practices.
- A Benchmark report, delivered to each grower entrant. The report will present cropping carbon footprint data and compare grower results against others in the network. It will also include tailored proposals on suitable mitigation strategies.
- Creation of a valuable dataset to better understand the factors driving variation in greenhouse gas emissions.
- End of year results meeting to discuss the main findings of the benchmark analysis and highlight successful practices in action.
- Discussion workshops hosted throughout the year.
- Production of a YEN Zero webpage and newsletters which will share the current net-zero activities, research, and related policy.
YEN Zero Sponsors
YEN Zero is supported by several organisations from across the agricultural industry who act as YEN Zero Sponsors, contributing to and steering the development of this network and supporting grower entries.
Get involved
If you are interested in joining the YEN Zero network as a sponsor or grower entrant, then please contact yenzero@adas.co.uk.
