Potato Review

20 POTATO REVIEW MAY/JUNE 2022 BAYER CONFERENCE ‘ How can I be rewarded for helping to tackle climate change?’ is a question that many farmers will be asking themselves. It is a question without an easy answer, but an initiative launched by Bayer is intent on developing a workable solution. Under the auspices of the Bayer ForwardFarmers concept, Marc Sneyders, Bayer sustainability lead, has been investigating the carbon footprint of a potato enterprise on Belgian farm. The intention is to produce carbon neutral potatoes while pursuing other activities that deliver a positive contribution that can then be converted to ‘carbon credits’ and traded with those further up the value chain. The ForwardFarmers concept is investigating several areas of crop production systems with the intention of identifying more sustainable systems that can be shared with others. Topics of interest include watercourse protection, soil erosion, improving biodiversity, and how precision farming technology can be used to deliver more output with less input. Marc said the first task was to understand the carbon footprint of the farm, howdoes it compare with others, and how can it be improved? “We are looking at research-led solutions based on facts and figures, not opinions,” he said. “The challenge was to collect data that Crop science conference Actions to sequester carbon gain market interest, while a tool for collating and analysing field data and the latest Alternaria findings are key issues at annual conference. would enable systems to be compared, not seasons.” The programme quickly identified fertiliser and fuel as the biggest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. “Over a 15-year period we reduced GHG emissions by 25% through reduced fertiliser applications and the adoption of more fuel- efficient machinery. The use of precision farming technology reduced inputs (crop protection, fertilisers and seeds) and fuel by 4% through reduced overlaps,” he said. These savings were welcome and contributed to an improved financial performance, but the biggest revelation came from the adoption of other measures. The amount of carbon sequestered into the soil was increased through the maximum allowed use of compost material together with the establishing of cover crops and the adoption of low-tillage cultivation systems. These measures were augmented by placing parcels of less productive land into environmental measures and the planting of more hedgerows. “Potatoes are an energy-intensive crop, but we were still able to sequester about 500kg Co2 equivalent per hectare. This is less than can be achieved in combinable crops, but still a positive result.” Identifying the extent to which changes in farming behaviours could improve sequestration performance was not without its challenges. Many carbon calculators are set up to assess individual crops whereas if growers are to trade credits in a market, calculations need to be at the farm level. “A great deal of thought and consideration went into which processes to employ. Until “Over a 15-year period we reduced GHG emissions by 25% through reduced fertiliser applications and the adoption of more fuel-efficient machinery. The use of precision farming technology reduced inputs (crop protection, fertilisers and seeds) and fuel by 4% through reduced overlaps.” ➜