Posted January 3, 2024 | By Nutrien Ag Solutions
Eco-Harvest Pilot Program sees reduced greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable ag adoption
Nutrien Ag Solutions has teamed up with ESMC and Syngenta over the past three years to support the pilot program in the Midwestern US.
Results from a pilot program that Nutrien Ag Solutions has been working on with the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC) and Syngenta for the past three years are in! The Eco-Harvest Pilot Program, a scope 3 agricultural supply chain program, proved successful in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through increased adoption of sustainable agriculture practices with growers in the Midwestern US.
As part of the program, growers were paid for beneficial outcomes from reducing emissions through practices such as reduced tillage, nutrient management, and cover crops. Data was collected on the enrolled fields to develop verified carbon outcomes for measured soil carbon storage and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. In total, the participating growers earned more than $140,000 for outcomes from adopting sustainable ag practices.
Nutrien Ag Solutions supported the project as a sponsor, an enrollment specialist, and crop advisor through our dedicated team of trusted advisors who offered unique end-to-end services to growers enrolled in this project.
“It is vital to increase the adoption of sustainable ag practices to successfully feed the future while caring for the Earth for generations to come. Nutrien Ag Solutions is proud to team up with ESMC to provide support and payment to growers implementing sustainability practices on their operations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” says Dr. Sally Flis, Director, Sustainability Program Design & Outcome Management for Nutrien Ag Solutions.
The Eco-Harvest Pilot Program began in 2021 using smaller scale projects covering more than 9,000 acres of corn, soy, and alfalfa in Iowa and Missouri, as well as 1,550 additional acres of soy in Indiana and Western Ohio to test program design, streamline data collection, enhance agronomic advice, and reliably measure, quantify, and verify environmental outcomes. With data from the pilot and all 2023 payments to growers participating in the program complete, the results from the program provide a roadmap to scale future agricultural carbon projects.
“Feeding our growing world is extremely important, but in order to do so we need to find ways to sustainably produce crops so that we can not only feed the people of the world, but care for the planet that provides for them,” says Sally. “Seeing the success from this pilot is extremely promising that we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while compensating growers for making the necessary adjustments to adopt these practices on their fields.”
FEATURED LINKS
NEWSLETTER
Want to stay caught up in all things agriculture? Sign up for the newsletter and get all the latest news straight to your inbox.
From Scattered Storms to Sunshine, Weather’s Wide Range of Moods Plays a Huge Role for Growers
Posted October 8, 2021
