Improved nitrogen management could reduce energy-related carbon emissions on English farms by up to 13%, according to Rothamsted Research. The study highlights the role of fertiliser production in agriculture’s carbon footprint and explores how green ammonia could support further emissions reductions.
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Research from Rothamsted Research suggests improved nitrogen management could reduce energy-related carbon emissions from English farms by up to 13%, while highlighting the potential of green ammonia to further lower agriculture’s environmental footprint.
Improving nitrogen management could significantly reduce the energy-related carbon footprint of farms across England, according to new research from Rothamsted Research.
The study, published in Food and Energy Security, found that adopting existing best-practice nitrogen management measures could reduce energy-related carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO₂e) impacts by 8.8% to 13%, depending on farm type.
Researchers also identified fertiliser production as a major contributor to agriculture’s indirect energy use, particularly on arable farms. For farms without livestock, emissions associated with fertiliser production accounted for 39% to 47% of energy-related impacts.
“Our findings highlight the importance of looking beyond the fuel used directly on farms when considering agriculture’s energy and carbon footprint. Fertiliser production represents a substantial source of embedded (indirect) energy use, particularly for arable farming,” said Dr Y. Zhang, lead author and researcher at Rothamsted Research.
Fertiliser Production Drives Indirect Energy Use
Nitrogen fertiliser plays an essential role in maintaining crop productivity, but its production requires substantial energy, contributing to agriculture’s overall carbon footprint.
Conducted as part of the Global Nitrogen Innovation Center for Clean Energy and Environment (NICCEE) programme, the research assessed direct and indirect energy use across representative English farm types, including cereal, dairy, mixed, general cropping and lowland grazing livestock operations.
Researchers modelled existing energy use and compared it with a scenario in which farms adopted established best-practice nitrogen management measures.
The results showed that improved nitrogen management could reduce indirect energy use associated with fertilisers by 16% to 40%, according to a press release.
Average annual energy-related carbon impacts varied considerably by farm type, ranging from 401 kilograms of CO₂e per hectare for lowland grazing livestock farms to 1,002 kilograms per hectare for dairy farms.
Green Ammonia Offers Further Potential
Beyond reducing energy consumption, the study found that better nitrogen management could deliver additional environmental benefits, including lower eutrophication and acidification impacts.
However, researchers emphasized that addressing the emissions associated with fertiliser production could offer further opportunities to reduce agriculture’s carbon footprint.
“Improving nitrogen management is an important opportunity to reduce agriculture’s environmental footprint while maintaining productive farming systems. However, our results point to the opportunity to impact more on the carbon footprints by tackling the embedded or indirect energy use,” said Professor Adie Collins, science director at Rothamsted Research.
One potential solution is green ammonia, which can be produced using renewable energy rather than conventional fossil fuel-based processes.
“Here, for example, there is potential for green ammonia to make a difference, but the opportunities and risks for such production in the context of the need for consistent renewable energy sources, requires strategic exploration. Understanding the trade-offs and wider benefits of different approaches is essential to developing practical, evidence-based solutions that support more sustainable and resilient agriculture and the systems science applied by Rothamsted Research is ideal for ensuring balanced appraisals of system outcomes.”
Researchers are now extending the work to examine opportunities for green ammonia production on UK farms and conduct life cycle assessments of different fertilisers.
The findings could help inform strategies to reduce agriculture’s environmental footprint while maintaining crop productivity, particularly as the sector looks for ways to lower emissions associated with nitrogen fertiliser production and use.
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