Across the livestock sector, one part of farm greenhouse gas footprints has traditionally been left out: the emissions embedded in purchased animals. These “upstream” emissions, produced while an animal is raised on another farm, are a real part of supply‑chain climate impact, yet they’ve been inconsistently accounted for across tools and standards.

At Cool Farm, we’ve worked with Agrecalc, Farm Carbon Toolkit, and Eggbase and introduced a practical, robust, and internationally aligned method to include embedded emissions from purchased livestock in the Cool Farm Platform. This brings us in line with the GHG Protocol, IDF and PEF guidance, and helps close a long‑standing transparency gap in livestock footprints.

Why this matters

Farms that raise their own replacements and farms that buy them in should be assessed on a level playing field. Omitting embedded emissions can underestimate footprints for some systems and distort comparisons. By including them, we create a fairer, clearer picture of climate impact, and highlight real opportunities for improvement across the supply chain.

How the new Cool Farm method works

Our approach has been live since Nov 2025 in Cool Farm Platform 3.0 (https://cfp.coolfarm.org/) and is intentionally simple and consistent with the rest of the Cool Farm cattle logic:

Uses internationally recognised FAO GLEAM emission factors
Mapped to global regions and expressed per kg liveweight, these factors already include all relevant animal emissions (enteric, manure, feed, energy, land‑use change) using AR6 GWP values.

Applies emissions to each purchased animal based on user‑entered weight and numbers
The calculation follows the method described in our technical documentation:
Purchased livestock emissions = emission factor × liveweight × number of animals.

Fits easily within existing Cool Farm workflows
Users only need to enter the cattle they bought in that year; they can add purchase weights if known, or rely on our defaults; the tool handles the rest.

What this means for farmers and supply chains

Including embedded emissions won’t change management on the ground overnight, but it will:

• Improve the completeness of farm footprints
• Provide clearer comparisons between different livestock systems
• Support more credible reporting for supply-chain climate commitments
• Help spotlight where emissions reductions can happen upstream, and encourage custom emission factors for purchased animals.

The effect varies by enterprise. In some systems the change is small (e.g., day‑old poultry example in Farm Carbon Toolkit), while in others, such as dairy or beef farms purchasing replacements, the improvement in boundary coverage and overall completeness is more significant.

Looking ahead

This update is just the first step. As more suppliers begin reporting verified emissions for their youngstock, we would like to support custom factors and greater data transparency over time.

For now, we’re pleased to bring a well‑grounded, harmonised approach into the Cool Farm Platform—one that helps the whole sector move toward clearer, more complete climate reporting.

If you want to explore the details, you can find the technical description of the new method in our documentation under Purchased Livestock: https://app.coolfarmtool.org/documentation/technical-description/CFP-dairy/purchased-livestock.html

The post Aligning Purchased Livestock Emissions Across Leading Calculators appeared first on Cool Farm Tool | An online greenhouse gas, water, and biodiversity calculator.

In this series, we’ll dive into their roles, daily work, inspirations, and the ways they contribute to building tools that help farmers, supply chains, and sustainability teams measure and reduce environmental impacts. First up, we’re chatting with Timi Odubola, a software engineer whose work is helping make the Cool Farm Tool faster, smarter, and more accessible to users around the globe.

Hi Timi! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role?

Hi, I’m Timi Odubola, a software engineer at Cool Farm. My role centers on building, refining, and scaling the systems that power the Cool Farm Tool a platform used by farmers, supply chains, and sustainability teams worldwide to measure greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, and water impacts.

On a typical day, I might:

• Develop and optimise core components of the tool to make calculations faster and more reliable
  
• Work with scientists and method experts to translate complex climate and agricultural models into usable software features
  
• Enhance the user experience so that farmers and supply chain partners can interact with the tool more easily
  
• Ensure the platform integrates smoothly with partner systems, making data more accessible and actionable
  
• Contribute to testing, refining, and scaling new modules that reflect the latest science

No two days look the same, but the common thread is building systems that turn data and science into practical tools for global climate action.

What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned in your first year?

I’ve learned how important it is to balance scientific rigor with usability. A model can be mathematically sound, but if it isn’t accessible or practical for the people using it, farmers in the field, or sustainability leads managing supply chains  it won’t have an impact. Building systems that are both robust and user-friendly has been a key lesson.

Has anything surprised you about working here?

Yes,  the level of collaboration across disciplines. I work closely not just with other engineers, but with scientists and sustainability experts. I was surprised by how open the team is to co-creating solutions across these boundaries, and how much value comes from that exchange.

What project or piece of work are you most proud of from the past year?

One highlight was developing system optimisations for core calculations in the Cool Farm Tool. This work significantly improved speed and scalability, allowing more complex datasets and larger user groups to run assessments seamlessly. It was rewarding to see my contributions directly improve the experience for both farmers and supply chain partners.

I’m also proud of supporting integrations that allow organizations to connect their sustainability reporting systems with Cool Farm outputs — making it easier for global companies to track progress toward climate and biodiversity goals.

How has your role developed or changed since you started?

When I joined, I focused on smaller bug fixes and technical refinements. Over time, I’ve moved into designing new platform modules and leading feature development. I’ve grown into a role that bridges engineering and impact, ensuring the systems we build are scalable, accurate, and future-ready.

In what ways have you grown since joining?

• Technically: I’ve deepened my expertise in building scalable, resilient systems for scientific applications.
  
• Interdisciplinarity: I’ve learned to translate between engineering and science — taking complex models and making them work in real software.
  
• Leadership: I’ve become more confident in proposing technical solutions and guiding conversations on how to future-proof our systems.
  

What advice would you give to someone thinking of joining the team?

Be ready to embrace complexity and impact. You’ll be working on problems where the science is evolving, the stakes are high, and the users range from farmers in the field to multinational companies. If you’re curious, collaborative, and motivated by climate action, it’s an incredibly rewarding place to contribute your skills. You can always keep an eye on our latest jobs on Flexa Cool Farm | Verified Employers | Flexa Careers.

And finally, what do you love doing outside of work?

Outside of work, I have a strong passion for photography, which allows me to explore creativity from a different perspective. I enjoy traveling and discovering new environments, drawing inspiration from the diverse places and cultures I encounter and capturing them through my lens.

Want to meet more of the amazing people behind Cool Farm?

Stay tuned for the next edition of Cool Conversations, where we’ll share stories, insights, and inspirations from the team powering our mission to turn data into real-world climate impact.

Curious, inspired, or have questions for the team? Drop us a note — we’d love to hear from you!

Or check out our flexible approach to work here.

The post Cool Conversations: with Timi Odubola, Software Engineer appeared first on Cool Farm Tool | An online greenhouse gas, water, and biodiversity calculator.

Introducing the Soil Organic Carbon Model (SOC) Created for Perennial Systems

Measuring soil carbon is complex, especially in perennial systems like coffee, cocoa or nuts, in which roots, leaf litter and ground cover build organic matter over time. Existing models were mainly developed for annual crops, and are therefore unable to reflect the carbon content of perennial crops with permanent soil cover and complex plant growth.

Solidaridad recently tested the new Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) model within the Perennial Pathway on the new Cool Farm Platform, to explore how digital solutions can help both businesses and farmers get a grip on Scope 3 emissions. The SOC model enables more accurate Scope 3 calculations for businesses and empowers farmers to access sustainability incentives and emission-reduction projects within supply chains, also known as insetting.

Most traditional models rely on averages, assuming, for example, that all farmland emits or stores the same amount of carbon each year. But in reality, soil carbon content is influenced by:

• Crop type (e.g. cocoa vs. banana trees)
• Crop management (e.g. compost, cover crops, residue use)
• Weather (using monthly satellite-based data)

In contrast, the SOC model simulates how carbon moves into and out of the soil in real-world scenarios, allowing the user greater flexibility in options. Developed through a science-driven process, it’s designed to be both accurate and user-friendly, especially for smallholder perennial systems.

Field-Tested in the Climate Heroes Programme

Solidaridad tested the SOC model in the Climate Heroes programme, working with smallholder coffee and cocoa farmers in East & Central Africa. Our teams supported the field testing, Solidaridad provided financial contributions to the model development and trained local teams. The staff helped farmers to collect, maintain and validate the required data, making MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, Verification) accessible and scalable for smallholders. 

The goal of this work is to adapt the tool to local conditions – a crucial step in turning complex data into actionable strategies for both farms and organisations. To make this possible, our staff receive ongoing training in the use of the Cool Farm Platform – as seen here in Central America in May 2025. 

“We knew that to meet the needs of both farmers and businesses, we had to move beyond static emission factors. The SOC model allows users to see the carbon impact of real management choices – and that’s powerful.” Emily Durrant-Munro, Project Lead, Cool Farm.

What It Means for Farmers

For farmers, especially smallholders growing cocoa and coffee, this is a game-changer. By accurately modeling carbon gains from improved practices, they can:

• Improve soil health, productivity and farm resilience
• Access sustainability premiums and climate finance
• Participate in carbon markets or insetting initiatives

Better soil carbon data empowers farmers by linking their day-to-day management decisions directly to measurable climate impact, such as adopting regenerative practices like using organic inputs.

Why This Matters for Companies with Scope 3 Emissions

Companies in agricultural supply chains, including traders and roasters,  are under increasing pressure to report and reduce Scope 3 emissions as part of their climate commitments.

The SOC model helps by:

• Facilitating transparent carbon footprint tracking
• Improving GHG inventories with better representation of perennial systems
• Supporting insetting projects and investments in regenerative practices
• Providing data integrity with peer-reviewed science and uncertainty analysis
• Standardising metrics to meet regulations and market demands

This enhanced digital platform helps farmers and agribusinesses to make data-driven decisions for crops like coffee, while enabling traders and roasters to measure, monitor, and reduce emissions across their supply chains. Ultimately, this helps all actors to align directly with the demands of sustainable markets. 

Beyond sharpening technical expertise in the region, this training cemented Solidaridad’s role as a trusted advisor in carbon footprint management, a critical resource for companies decarbonizing their supply chains and buyers decarbonizing their operations.

Next Steps: From Root to Reporting

Solidaridad integrates cutting-edge science, digital tools and grassroots experience to offer technological answers to current challenges. Using our global tools and local expertise will provide companies actionable and measurable results. 

Through the SOC model, Solidaridad, Cool Farm and other sustainability-driven companies are able to collaborate more effectively and engage more directly with farmers. By fostering trusted partnerships with farming communities, Solidaridad supports on-the-ground implementation and fieldwork. The SOC model is now available to Cool Farm Members – and the wider public – as part of Cool Farm Platform 3.0.

It’s time to rethink agriculture – from root to reporting.

• Contact Martine Krabben at  martine.krabben@solidaridadnetwork.org at Solidaridad to start a pilot project. 
• Learn more about this partnership from Emily Durrant-Munro at  emily@coolfarmtool.org.
• Get in-depth details about the model from Dr. Megan McKerchar at support@coolfarmtool.org.

The post Making the Invisible, Visible: Modeling Carbon in Soil appeared first on Cool Farm Tool | An online greenhouse gas, water, and biodiversity calculator.

If there was one word that kept cropping up at the Cool Farm Alliance Member Event — over coffee, during breakout sessions, or out on a farm walk — it was trust.

Held at Watercress Farm on the Belmont Estate, this annual gathering brought together the diverse community of Cool Farm Alliance members from across the food and farming supply chain for two packed days of inspiration, thought-provoking conversations, and meaningful connections.

With the theme From Isolated Adaptation to Impactful Collaboration, it set out to explore how we move regenerative agriculture from pilots to space.  It related to trusting project stakeholders, data, and above all, building trust in farmers, which featured in just about every session.

Other issues were, of course, discussed, debated, and dissected.

The challenge of scaling pilots was a key concern for many delegates, as were how to achieve cross-sector collaboration and getting buy-in for projects from corporate managers.

But so pervasive was the idea of trust that many of these topics were viewed through this prism and how establishing it with farmers and wider stakeholders was a panacea to the issues the regenerative eco-system is currently working to overcome.

Trust, data and the role of farmers

One of the main areas of debate was the use of data harvested from farmers taking part in trials. Discussions around access, ownership, and value all took place, sparking some lively debate about how best to engage with farmers and take them along on a regen journey.

Speaking in Thursday’s panel event, experts agreed a nuanced approach to collecting and sharing farm data was needed to inspire trust in farmers, whose buy-in is integral to the entire regenerative movement.

One panelist remarked: “A big part of trust is having control over data; the farmer knowing where the data will go and getting something valuable back for it.”

Other panellists – many of whom have direct experience of running or being part of large regenerative pilot schemes – agreed, with one adding: “If it doesn’t benefit the (farming) business, it’s hard for them to get involved.”

But it’s not just concerns around how and where data will be used that can put farmers off. What the data actually says can also be a barrier, especially when it comes to comparisons with other farmers.

“No farmer wants to come out worst compared to other farmers. This is another suspicion around data.

“Many are not joining projects because they are afraid, they’ll be worse than other farmers in a group. It’s a real problem.”

Breakout sessions with breakthrough ideas

The panel discussions were a great opportunity for experienced industry experts to debate the challenges in delivering regenerative projects and pilots, and answer questions from an engaged audience.

The breakout sessions, however, were all about unearthing solutions.

The Cool Farm Event adopted the Scan, Focus, Act approach to problem solving, with delegates encouraged not just to discuss and understand barriers within the industry, but to debate real-world solutions they could take away and feed into their existing and future projects.

The sessions covered a range of topics including clarity, trust, and value in data sharing; getting started in a project and sharing learnings; moving from pilots to large-scale action; unlocking impact; integrating datasets from different sources into supply chain systems; and fostering biodiversity, with delegates signing up to take part in the sessions they were most interested in.

But in a spirit of sharing and collaboration that defined the conference, delegates had the opportunity to engage with other breakout groups to hear how they had tackled the issues most pertinent to them.

Here the theme of trust once again came to the fore, including how a lack of incentives offered to farmers could arouse suspicion.

As one delegate explained: “Motivations are not always aligned and that’s a problem.

“We’re asking XYZ from farmers but we’re not incentivising them.

“I think there is an assumption farmers naturally want to get involved in this type of activity, but the reality is it needs to be valuable to them. If it’s not, it feels like it’s all one way and that erodes trust.”

Other solutions highlighted included:

• Spending an hour a week evangelising about the possibilities of regenerative farming to colleagues to address the lack of knowledge in large corporates.
• Taking senior personnel along to farm visits to engage them at ground level and show them what is possible.
• Connecting downstream to upstream stakeholders more effectively to promote a greater understanding of the different roles within a project.

On being challenged to describe what success looks like, one breakout session agreed it is when … “From farmers and everyone else, there would be no more questioning it (regenerative farming), no more discussions incentivising regenerative, consumers no longer needing to choose. Everyone in the system, from ag schools to financiers, are bought into it,” adding success will not be reached until ‘not being regenerative is the more costly option.’

Scaling projects, without leaving anyone behind

Whereas there is a huge amount of insight that can be gathered from pilots and trials, it was generally agreed real change can only be achieved by scaling regenerative practices.

Unsurprisingly, therefore, the barriers to scaling up were widely discussed, leading to a number of differing viewpoints on what scaling means and how different stakeholders view it.

One farmer, who took part in Thursday’s discussion panel event, encouraged corporates to avoid ‘getting lost in spreadsheets’.

He said: “You need to get out on a farm and you need to feel the soil, remember the basics of what we’re trying to do in the field.”

The same speaker added the regenerative community had been great at speaking to the top 10% of farmers who were happy to get involved with pilots, but real scale requires the mass adoption of regen principals across the agricultural industry.

Collective investment by all interested stakeholders was suggested as one route to achieving this. Delegates felt supermarkets and retailers should take more responsibility in informing consumers about sustainable food production and insurers should offer climate-related products to protect producers against extreme weather events.

Governments, NGOs, universities, banks, and even waste removal companies also came under the spotlight in relation to their responsibilities in helping scale sustainable farming.

Impactful Collaboration

Of course, scaling can only be achieved through effective collaboration and with a conference theme of ‘From Isolated Adaptation to Impactful Collaboration’, it is no surprise how to successfully work together was subject to much debate.

Trust, naturally, featured highly in these discussions, along with the alignment of risk among the stakeholders, convincing corporate colleagues of the value of pilots, and access to funding.

Another area of debate was target setting and KPIs. Often, it was pointed out, corporates struggle to take projects forward without KPIs in place, but where projects have never been carried out before, target setting can be pointless at best and in many cases impossible.

Suggested solutions to these critical issues were better communication, realistic expectation setting, and defining the roles of all parties within the partner organisations.

Lobbying for change

Finally, a rallying cry came out of one of the breakout sessions – a call for Cool Farm members to campaign for global change.

As many of our members are among the largest businesses in the world – and because they represent so many different countries – their collective power to lobby governments is almost unparalleled.

A shared mood of optimism

Despite the clear and obvious challenges within the regenerative sector, the mood at the Cool Farm Event was one of optimism – optimism that collaboration will improve and get stronger; that all stakeholders along the supply chain share the objectives of creating a more sustainable food industry; and that the incoming generation of farmers and producers are more keen to embrace sustainable practices than their predecessors.

Perhaps the most telling comment came from Patrick Holden CBE, founder and CEO of the Sustainable Food Trust.

In Wednesday’s panel event, he was asked about collaboration and what people can do to create win-win partnerships.

His answer was as simple as it was clear …

“Being here today, it’s happening now.”

Moments like that are the reason we hold this event – not just to debate but to act, to bring our fantastic members together to find practical solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems.

That is our “why”

Why we Gathered

With the Cool Farm Annual Event 2025, we set out to explore ways to optimise collaboration within the regenerative farming space. By doing so, we inspired two full days of immersive, energising collaboration and shared lessons that make us all stronger.

It is in these shared connections and experiences that the greatest optimism can be found.

Be part of the Cool Farm Alliance Community

The Col Farm Annual event is more than just a conference, it’s our annual gathering of members across the food and farming supply chain to connect, collaborate and drive progress, together. If you’re interested in finding out more about the Cool Farm Alliance, please fill out this short form to get started.

The post Cool Farm Annual Event Recap: Inspiring Collaboration and Breakthrough Ideas in Regenerative Agriculture appeared first on Cool Farm Tool | An online greenhouse gas, water, and biodiversity calculator.

Agraves Sp. z o.o., a leading Polish advisory and technology company for agriculture, announces two key strategic moves: joining the Cool Farm Alliance (CFA) and integrating its farm management platform Elvio with the Cool Farm Tool. This decision highlights Agraves’ commitment to supporting Polish farmers in the transition towards sustainable and low-emission agriculture.

Cool Farm is a global non-profit  membership organisation that brings together over 160 entities from the agri-food sector, including the world’s largest companies, non-governmental organisations, scientific institutions, and farmer groups. Cool Farm  owns and manages the Cool Farm Tool (CFT). CFT is a scientifically grounded greenhouse gas (GHG) calculator at the farm level, used by tens of thousands of users in over 160 countries to measure and report the impact of agricultural activities on the environment, including GHG emissions, water consumption, biodiversity, and food loss. The tool is based on peer-reviewed research, a wide range of published data, and IPCC methodologies, ensuring the accuracy of calculations.

Agraves joined the Cool Farm Alliance in 2024, thereby joining a global community working towards sustainable agriculture.

The integration of the Elvio platform with the Cool Farm Tool was achieved through an API. As a result, Elvio users – Polish farmers and advisors – gain direct access to the advanced calculation functions of the Cool Farm Tool within their familiar platform. This connection enables precise calculation of farm environmental indicators, in particular the carbon footprint and other sustainability indicators, based on data already collected in Elvio. These results can then be used for analysis, planning emission reduction and carbon sequestration activities, as well as for reporting, e.g., for supply chain needs or new agricultural support programmes.

Mikołaj Baum, CEO of Agraves, comments: “Joining the Cool Farm Alliance and integrating Elvio with the Cool Farm Tool is a groundbreaking step for Polish agriculture. Our goal is to provide farmers with the most modern digital tools that truly support them in their daily work and the transition towards sustainable production. We are proud that as a Polish advisory team, with our over 20 years of experience in advising Polish farms, we can contribute to global efforts to decarbonise agriculture, using world-class tools like the Cool Farm Tool. We believe that this integration will make it easier for Polish farmers to switch to regenerative practices and allow them to better document and leverage their environmental achievements.”

Elvio is software created for the comprehensive management of modern farms. The platform facilitates data collection from various sources and offers integration with external systems, including now the Cool Farm Tool. Agraves, with over 20 years of experience, is a recognised leader in advising the agricultural sector in Poland, supporting farmers in business, financial, legal, and sustainable production and digitalisation areas.

As Roman Zapała, Head of R&D at Agraves, adds: “Thanks to this integration, Elvio becomes an even more powerful tool, allowing farmers not only to manage their farms effectively but also to precisely measure their environmental impact and identify potential areas for reducing GHG emissions and increasing carbon sequestration. This is crucial in the context of environmental requirements throughout the food supply chain.”

The connection of Elvio with the Cool Farm Tool is an important element in the digitalisation of Polish agriculture and enables Polish farms to participate in global processes of measuring and reducing environmental impact. Thanks to access to scientifically grounded CFT methodologies within the Polish platform, Agraves supports farmers in making informed decisions regarding agronomic practices and farm management to improve environmental performance.

About Agraves: Agraves Sp. z o.o. is the largest and longest-operating private advisory company for agriculture in Poland, with over 20 years of experience and a team of over 50 experts. The company specialises in comprehensive business, financial, legal support, and support in sustainable agricultural production, renewable energy sources, and digitalisation. Agraves is the creator of the proprietary Elvio farm management platform. The company is a recipient of prestigious awards such as Gazele Biznesu, Diamenty Forbesa, and Orły Rachunkowości.

About Cool Farm

Cool Farm is a science-led, not-for-profit membership organisation (community interest company) that owns, manages, and improves the Cool Farm Tool and Cool Farm Platform and cultivates the leadership network to advance regenerative agriculture at scale.

For over fifteen years, the Cool Farm Alliance – our membership arm – has brough the world’s leading food and beverage companies with NGOs, academics, institutions, farmer groups and academics, to put knowledge in the hands of farmers. Together, they empower the full supply chain to understand and support agro-ecological restoration by providing a respected, standardised calculation engine to measure and report on agriculture’s impact on the environment.

Cool Farm currently offers two digital products: the Cool Farm Tool and the Cool Farm Platform.

The Cool Farm Tool, our trusted legacy product, has served the industry for over a decade. Widely used by farmers and trusted by the world’s largest food and beverage companies, it offers a standardised, independent engine for measuring and reporting on agriculture’s environmental impact across the world.

The Cool Farm Platform represents a significant evolution from the Cool Farm Tool, offering enhanced scalability, performance, and flexibility through its AWS Cloud-based infrastructure. It is designed to meet the evolving needs of users and align with industry standards Cool Farm Alliance members share the need for a respected, consistent, standardised, independent calculation engine and have joined the Alliance to ensure the Cool Farm Tool meets this need, now and in the future.  To find out more visit https://coolfarm.org/

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Today’s success isn’t measured solely by statistics, It’s about transforming insights into action. Our members are at the forefront of this movement, pioneering innovative solutions that challenge conventional practices and drive tangible progress in their respective industries.

The Annual Report paints a comprehensive picture of this journey. As it highlights a snapshot of member-driven impact, showcasing the many ways in which the Cool Farm tool and Cool Farm Platform are being used to inform decisions, engage supply chains, and accelerate climate action. More than just a record of achievements, it captures the challenges, the learnings, and the shared commitment to continuous improvement.

What does real impact look like? Find out in our Annual Report below.

The post Cool Farm Annual Report 2024: Impact Beyond Numbers appeared first on Cool Farm Tool | An online greenhouse gas, water, and biodiversity calculator.

The webinar opened with a warm welcome to members across the globe and a brief overview of the community ethos that underpins Cool Farm’s direction in 2025. The core message was clear: radical collaboration is at the heart of this next chapter, and CFP 3.0 is designed to support and scale this ambition. 

NEW PLATFORM, PROCESSES AND TECH STACK 

One of the central focuses of the session was the shift from the original Cool Farm Tool (CFT) to the more robust and modernised Cool Farm Platform (CFP). CFP 3.0 introduces a completely re-architected system, built on cloud infrastructure (AWS) to ensure improved performance, scalability, and security. The platform has a redesigned interface that is more intuitive and flexible for a wide range of users—from farmers to sustainability professionals—while also being underpinned by a new, API-first design that supports seamless integration with third-party tools and systems. 

Crucially, all models and methods in CFP 3.0 have been developed and are maintained in-house by the Cool Farm team. This ensures greater transparency, quality control, and the ability to quickly respond to feedback and scientific developments. The platform’s enhanced model structure allows for better validation, error detection, and overall data accuracy; factors that are essential for both individual assessments and broader reporting obligations. 

WHAT USERS CAN EXPECT IN THE NEW COOL FARM PLATFORM 

The session highlighted key pathway updates as part of their migration to CFP, including those for annual crops, perennial crops, rice, potatoes, beef, and dairy. These updates incorporate refined emissions factors and methodological improvements aligned with leading sustainability frameworks, such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGp) and Land Sector and Removals Guidance (LSRG). These alignments ensure that assessments produced within the platform are both scientifically credible and operationally useful. Special attention was given to the new process-based Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) model which will be further explored during a dedicated webinar scheduled for June 2025. 

For users managing existing assessments, the platform offers thoughtful migration support. All historical data and assessments from CFT will be migrated into CFP, with steps in place to ensure data integrity throughout the process. The migration is expected to begin in early 2026, with preparatory work underway through the end of 2025. 

Technical users and partners also received an important update on upcoming changes to the API. A revised JSON schema will be introduced in June 2025, impacting how perennials assessments are processed through the API. While no immediate action is required, full technical documentation and transition support will be provided to ensure a smooth changeover. 

TIMELINE 

The webinar also laid out a clear timeline for the rollout of new features. The beta phase for annual and perennial crop assessments is currently underway, with full releases expected by June 2025. Dairy and cattle assessments will follow a similar pattern, with live versions due later in the year. By December, the platform aims to introduce enhanced features that support formal sustainability reporting and undergo external verification. 

MEMBER SUPPORT AND TRAINING AT EVERY STEP 

To ensure members are well-equipped for the transition, Cool Farm has designed comprehensive support and training offerings to empower members at every stage of their journey towards CFP 3.0. These include:

• Free learning resources that cover the basic topics of how to get started in the platform
• Data needs and assessment completion
• As well as more details on models and new aggregation reporting.

Where members need more personalised support for their teams, Cool Farm training offers from beginner to certified advisor come in. A special V3 add-on focussing on method updates can complement the basic training offerings.

Members also have access to the most updated FAQs in the Cool Farm Knowledge Base as well as peer-to-peer learning during monthly member drop-in sessions (every 3^rd Tuesday 4-5pm GMT), working groups and webinars. 

FUTURE OF COOL FARM 

Importantly, while the long-term goal is to retire the older Cool Farm Tool, it will remain available to members for the foreseeable future. Cool Farm is committed to giving users ample notice and robust support throughout the transition. 

Overall, the CFP 3.0 launch represents more than a technological upgrade—it’s a strategic foundation for building a more interconnected, informed, and regenerative agriculture movement that positions the Cool Farm Alliance—and its members—for impact at scale. 

The post From Tool to Platform – The Evolution of Cool Farm’s Digital Ecosystem appeared first on Cool Farm Tool | An online greenhouse gas, water, and biodiversity calculator.

In this article we will look at what low carbon agriculture is and why it is so important. We will also cover steps the agricultural industry can take to move towards a more sustainable future.  

Why is Low Carbon Agriculture Important?

Low carbon agriculture plays a vital role in reducing climate change and encouraging environmental sustainability. The goal is to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that the agriculture industry produces.

Farming and agriculture are significant contributors to rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Globally , the sector accounts for over a quarter of total emissions, with methane (CH₄), primarily from livestock, being the predominant gas. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is released from fuel used in machinery, while nitrous oxide (N₂O) originates from fertilisers and manure management. Together, these emissions have a considerable impact on climate change.

Switching to low carbon agriculture will play a large part in ensuring improved soil health, reduce water waste and food security for future generations to come. With the increasing population and the effects of climate change intensifying, the agriculture industry is responsible for making a change to more sustainable practices to reduce their emissions and protect our planet.

Steps to Low Carbon Agriculture

1. Reduce Tillage Impact

Ploughing and deep tillage bring soil to the surface, releasing carbon into the air. It also requires fossil fuel burning agricultural equipment which is harmful for the environment. Reducing the amount of tillage can help the soil retain nutrients.

2. Bare Soil

When there are no crops or cover plants in the ground, the microbes that keep soil healthy begin to die off, releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere. Keeping soil covered year-round with crops or cover crops feeds these microbes, improves soil structure, and helps lock carbon in the ground. It’s a simple shift that turns farmland into a natural carbon sink

3. Increase Biodiversity

Biodiversity plays a key role in soil health. Land should be managed to encourage a diverse range of life to inhabit it. A healthy ecosystem is full of a variety of different species which help with soil health, providing nutrient rich soil for crops to grow. 

Take a look at our blog on How to Increase the Biodiversity on Your Farm for ideas you can use on your farm. 

4. Increase Water Efficiency 

Agriculture consumes 70% of the world’s freshwater and 40% of this is wasted due to poor irrigation systems. Low-carbon agriculture encourages practices like storing rainwater, improving drip irrigation and scheduling crop watering for optimal times. Improved water management also reduces energy consumption that is used on excessive irrigation. 

5. Choose the Right Crops for the Environment 

Growing crops that will flourish in their environment can help farming move towards low carbon agriculture. Crops that are more resilient in hot and dry locations will ensure excessive irrigation is not needed.  

6. Reduce Harmful Practices 

Reducing practices like excessive fertiliser and pesticide spraying, and over-cultivating land can have a huge impact on reducing carbon emissions. Using a slower release nitrogen will help minimize nutrient loss and improve overall crop health and yield which can also have less of an impact on the environment.

7. Holistic grazing 

Holistic grazing is where animals are moved to paddocks on a rotation to graze. This is done every 24-72 hours and creates a symbiotic relationship between the animal’s grazing, their digestion and the waste they produce, which helps provide the soil with key nutrients and bacteria.  

Doing this on a cycle allows the plants and grass on the paddock to regrow and increases the carbon sequestration in the soil.

8. Agroforestry

This technique is when trees and shrubs are integrated into agricultural landscapes alongside crops and/or livestock. Combining these practices can benefit biodiversity and promote environmental conservation whilst absorbing carbon dioxide.

Agroforestry is especially effective with coffee and cocoa crops that grow best when they are shaded under trees. 

How Can the Cool Farm Tool Help? 

The Cool Farm Tool measures greenhouse gas emissions and can be used to help farmers move toward low carbon agriculture. 

Conclusion

With the planet’s growing population, the increased need for food production must be done in a sustainable way. Low-carbon agriculture is vital for reducing its environmental impact, mitigating climate change and ensuring sustainable food production for future generations. 

Reducing tillage and lowering fertiliser and pesticide use are essential practices in sustainable and low carbon agriculture that can help to reduce the impact on the environment by reducing CO₂ emissions. Take a look at our other blog to learn what else you can do to reduce your carbon footprint on farm.

Members of The Cool Farm Alliance are committed to low carbon agricultural practices. They work together sharing knowledge and ideas in order to have a positive impact on our environment. Members are. Get in touch to find out more or check out the Cool Farm Tool to calculate your carbon footprint and see what you can do to lower your greenhouse emissions. 

The post What is Low Carbon Agriculture and Why Does it Matter? appeared first on Cool Farm Tool | An online greenhouse gas, water, and biodiversity calculator.

Q. Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your role at Cool Farm? 

I have over six years of academic experience in sustainable agriculture, recently completing my PhD research in agroforestry—integrating trees into farming systems. I’ve joined Cool Farm as part of the Engagement Hub, contributing to the Land Use to Net Zero Greenhouse Gas Accounting (LUNZ-footprint) project. 

LUNZ-footprint is a three-year project led by the University of Gloucestershire and Cranfield University. Its goal is to drive effective and informed use of greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting tools to shape policy and help achieve a net-zero transition. The project focuses on building capacity, improving net-zero literacy, testing sequestration predictions, assessing validation methods, and exploring the governance and equitability of scaling GHG assessments in the UK. 

Q. What attracted you to Cool Farm initially? 

I first came across Cool Farm during my work in sustainable agriculture and was impressed by their project with Cooperative Coffees and partners to measure the carbon performance of smallholder producers in Latin America. Since most of my work has been with smallholder farmers, I admired how Cool Farm’s tools could support and improve their farming systems. I knew I wanted to work for an organization that prioritizes the interests of farmers. 

Q. Why did you decide to join Cool Farm over other companies? 

While I loved my work in Tanzania, Cool Farm’s mix of UK focus, global impact, and diverse membership drew me in. The LUNZ-footprint project offered me the chance to transition out of academia into a role where scientific research could have real-world impact—a shift I find incredibly exciting. 

Q. What were your first impressions of Cool Farm when you started? 

I was lucky to join just before our annual staff retreat, where I experienced firsthand how welcoming and dedicated the team is. I was struck by their openness to new ideas and their willingness to explore different ways of working. 

Q. How has your perception of the company evolved since you joined? 

My appreciation and respect and awe for the work that goes into our software has grown significantly Before joining, I had a general understanding of the accounting process and had done a few assessments. But now, I see how much expertise, complexity, and effort go into developing our models. I’m constantly amazed by my colleagues’ deep knowledge and their dedication to helping users. 

Q. How would you describe the company culture at Cool Farm? 

It’s a culture of learning and collaboration. We’re always looking for ways to improve both as a team and as a company. Everyone is supportive and willing to share knowledge. 

Q. What aspects of Cool Farm’s culture do you appreciate the most? 

I value the diversity of perspectives within the team. Coming from academia, I was used to people thinking in similar ways, but here, different approaches offer fresh learning opportunities. I also appreciate the independence and responsibility I’ve been given—my ideas were welcomed from day one. 

Q. How does Cool Farm support work-life balance for its employees? 

As a fully remote company, Cool Farm offers great flexibility. For instance, I can take a break to walk my dog during daylight hours in winter and make up for it later. There’s no expectation to work outside contracted hours, and regular check-ins with my manager ensure my workload is manageable. 

Q. What do you enjoy most about your job at Cool Farm? 

I love collaborating with my colleagues—it’s helped me learn so much and achieve great outcomes as a team. Being part of the capacity-building side of a collaborative research project is particularly exciting. I have input into the research process but can leave the actual research to others! 

Q. What has been the most rewarding project or experience you’ve had so far? 

Working on the LUNZ-footprint project has been incredibly rewarding. Collaborating with academics, industry leaders, and colleagues in an environment where everyone is eager to learn and support one another has been inspiring. 

Q. How do you and your colleagues collaborate to achieve goals? 

Communication is important with remote teams as you can’t just walk over to someone’s desk or chat with them at lunch. We have regular meetings to decide upon objectives and tasks and often work on collaborative documents where we can all contribute, review and give feedback. We also divide tasks by people’s strengths, interests and workload.  

Q. Can you share a memorable team moment or achievement? 

The annual staff retreat was a highlight for me. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with colleagues, learn about their roles, and get excited about Cool Farm’s future plans. 

Q. What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

I love being active, walking my dog or going to the gym with friends. I also love anything to do with food – I am always looking at new recipes and ingredients to cook or restaurants to try. 

Welcome aboard, Eleanor! We are excited to see the great impact you will make with us at Cool Farm!

For more information, contact us recruitment@coolfarmtool.org.

The post Excited to introduce our new team member at Cool Farm appeared first on Cool Farm Tool | An online greenhouse gas, water, and biodiversity calculator.

Q: As someone who is clearly very passionate about sustainable agriculture and helping businesses make the change to more sustainable processes, why, in your view, is third-party verification important for CFP?

A: I feel it is all about maximising the credibility of the tool. Cool Farm is underpinned by rigorous science and a fully transparent methodology, which is integral to its credibility. External verification can only strengthen this and add an extra layer of trust to the platform.

Essentially, it reassures users that the high standards of accuracy, reliability, and transparency that we claim for the tool have been tested and verified by a credible third party.

Q: During your time with Cool Farm, you’ve been clear that external verification is one of the most important things that needs to be achieved. What motivates you personally about the verification process?

A: For me, it is about empowering producers and businesses in the food supply chain to be able to make tangible, measurable change. Obviously, to achieve this, they need accurate and reliable tools, but in an increasingly packed space, how can people identify which platform will provide that?

External verification is a useful way to demonstrate this. It goes back to the credibility issue we spoke about earlier. It is not just Cool Farm saying the Cool Farm Platform is accurate and transparent, but an independent third party. That is why I am so passionate about this journey.

Q: Without mentioning specific deliverables, what does the verification process generally involve?

A: The process began with the 3Keel review back in 2023, which was then followed with a review stage that was completed last year. The formal verification to ensure consistency should take place this year.

During the review, our methodology, user interface, and guidance were assessed, with recommendations provided for verification.

Evaluation was conducted on the platform’s consistency with key standards including the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard), ISO 14067 (carbon footprint of products), Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) FLAG requirements, and WRI Land Sector and Removals Guidance (LSRG), and feedback focused on improvements to enhance credibility and practical usability for users.

It is an in-depth process that takes time to complete. But that is what makes it valuable and gives verification its integrity.

Q: What will this verification mean for our members and users of CFP?

A: Verification is a very positive step for our members and users. It proves that Cool Farm Platform is a credible and accurate tool for on-farm GHG assessments, helping members report emissions and removals confidently to support their sustainability goals.

Ultimately, it provides is peace of mind. Members can be assured that the methodology aligns with the guidelines they report to and base their decisions on. This ensures clarity on the impact of their choices on both their business and the environment.

Q: What would you say to members who need more information about the significance of this verification?

A: Verification is a step forward in ensuring trust and transparency. It demonstrates that Cool Farm is not only committed to providing scientifically robust tools but also to aligning with the highest international standards.

However, we understand that members might want a deeper understanding of the process and what it entails as we move forward. To help keep all of our stakeholders up to date, we will be updating our website as the process continues. We invite any members who want a more in-depth understanding of how verification will benefit them to join our standards Working Group.

Q: What are the broader implications for the agricultural sector if more tools are verified for accuracy and reliability?

A: The implications of demonstrably accurate sustainability reporting tools on agriculture are profound. It has the potential to drive meaningful change in sustainability and climate action on a global scale.

Of course, there needs to be widespread adoption of such tools for this to happen, but I believe that as everyone in the food supply chain gains a greater understanding of both the issue and how agriculture could be one of the biggest drivers of climate mitigation, adoption, measurement, and most importantly meaningful decision making, will become the norm.

The post From Vision to Verification – Why Verification Matters to Cool Farm Platform appeared first on Cool Farm Tool | An online greenhouse gas, water, and biodiversity calculator.