Press Releases

Field to Market Opens Public Comment for Proposed Revisions to Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Metrics

November 28, 2017

Feedback Solicited on Proposed Revisions to Field to Market’s Energy Use Metric and the Rice Methane Emissions Component of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Metric

Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture announced today the release for public comment of proposed revisions to the Energy Use Metric and the rice methane (CH4) emissions component of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Metric in the Fieldprint® Platform.  All metrics can be accessed either through the online Fieldprint® Calculator or through associated farm management software that integrates Field to Market’s sustainability metrics and algorithms. The metrics are two of eight sustainability indicators assessed in Field to Market’s Supply Chain Sustainability Program, an unparalleled framework that helps the food and agricultural supply chain benchmark sustainability performance, catalyze continuous improvement and enables brands and retailers to characterize the sustainability of key sourcing regions.

Summary of Changes to the Energy Use Metric
The Energy Use Metric was originally developed and adopted in 2009. The metric is designed to account for all emissions related to the annual production of a given crop and includes energy used in all activities from pre-planting to the first point of sale and energy embedded in seed, fertilizer and crop protectants. The revision does not change the scope or approach; rather, it updates several underlying data sets that have been updated by government agencies over the past eight years. This revision is being considered as a more robust and well-documented accounting of the assumptions and data sets underlying the Energy Use Metric, to better account for the relative proportion of energy used in different activities on farm.

Summary of Proposed Revision to Rice Methane Emissions
Rice was added to the Field to Market program as a crop in 2014; at the time, a very simple approach was taken to estimate methane emissions as proportional to USDA inventory accounting. The revision proposed here would introduce an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 2 approach using region specific emissions factors, and several scaling factors based on production practices. The emissions and scaling factors were developed by a group of scientists, led out of University of California-Davis, and in collaboration with Field to Market. They are based on a literature review and meta-analysis of data from field studies of rice methane emissions in the United States. The companion document describes the scientific justification, background literature, research and data that support this approach.

This revision is being considered for two primary advantages over Field to Market’s current approach. First, it improves the accuracy of the field-level methane emissions estimate by integrating a more specific emissions factor based on the meta-analysis. Second, it provides greater opportunity for growers to use their Fieldprint® Analysis to identify possible improvements in field management practices that can reduce their Greenhouse Gas Emissions Metric score over time.

Process and Timeline
As an ISEAL subscriber, any changes to Field to Market’s metric calculations undergo a multi-step review process, followed by a public comment period, prior to implementation in the Fieldprint Platform.

The work for both revisions was conducted in 2017. In August and September of 2017, an internal review by Field to Market’s membership was conducted concurrent with independent peer-reviews by two external scientific experts selected by Field to Market. After revisions based on comments received, the revisions were approved by Field to Market’s Metrics Committee, an elected, multi-stakeholder governance body comprised of equal representation from Field to Market’s grower, agribusiness, brands and retail, civil society and affiliate (public sector and academia) membership sectors.

These proposed revisions are now open for public comment through January 3, 2018. Following this period of public comment, the proposed revision will be presented for final approval by Field to Market’s Board of Directors for implementation into the Fieldprint Platform.

Download the proposed revisions and accompanying documentation for updating the Energy Use Metric and the Rice Methane Emissions Component of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Metric.

Please send any feedback to comments@fieldtomarket.org  by January 3, 2018.

 

ABOUT FIELD TO MARKET

Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture® brings together a diverse group of grower organizations; agribusinesses; food, feed, beverage, restaurant, and retail companies; conservation groups; universities and public sector partners to focus on defining, measuring, and advancing the sustainability of food, feed, fiber, and fuel production. Field to Market comprises around 200 members representing all facets of the U.S. agricultural supply chain, with members employing more than 5 million people and representing combined revenues totaling over $1.5 trillion. 

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