Development of a carbon footprint for a farm

Introduction

The carbon footprint can be defined as, a person, family, building, organization, or company's

total annual greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere according to the Environmental

Protection Agency of United States of America. A person's carbon footprint comprises

greenhouse gas emissions from direct fuel combustion, such as when heating a home or driving a

car. It also includes greenhouse gases produced in the production of the commodities or services

that an individual consumes, such as emissions from power plants that generate electricity,

companies that produce items, and landfills where litter is deposited.

Long-term variations in temperature on and around the Earth's surface, which produce long-term

alterations in weather patterns, are referred to as climate change (also known as global warming).

Carbon dioxide, Nitrous oxide, Methane, Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)

and Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) are six greenhouse gases which are identified by the Kyoto

Protocol. Carbon dioxide, Nitrous oxide and Methane are the major greenhouse gases which are

emitted by the agriculture sector.

Anthropogenic climate change is caused by multiple climate pollutants, with CO2, CH4, and

N2O the three largest individual contributors to global warming (Myhre et al., 2013). Agriculture

and food production are linked to all three gases, but direct agricultural emissions are exceptional

in that CH4 and N2O are the most prevalent.

According to the 100-year Global Warming Potential, the global food system is responsible for

21–37 percent of annual emissions (Mbow et al., in press) (more on this later). The composition
of gases emitted by the food system, on the other hand, does not mirror the general world

emissions balance, with agricultural activity accounting for almost half of all anthropogenic
methane emissions and three-quarters of all anthropogenic N2O emissions (Mbow et al., in

press).

According to the above facts it is important to calculate carbon footprint for a farm based on

specific scenarios to identify the sources of GHG emitted and to make adaptations as well as

strategies to reduce those emissions.