A new £5.07 million project will work to improve the monitoring, reporting and verification of non-CO2 greenhouse gases (GHG) from agriculture.

The James Hutton Institute, Scotland’s leading interdisciplinary research institute for sustainable land, crop and nature management, has been tasked with coordinating the effort.

The project is titled 'Transparent Reporting and Accountability for Carbon and Non-CO₂ Emissions with Real-time Data Streams and Advanced Modelling (TRACER)'.

It will bring together a consortium of 16 leading research and innovation partners (15 from Europe and one from China) to develop a monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system which can be used in Europe.

Tracking GHGs from agri

The network will track non-CO2 GHGs from agriculture by combining real-time data with advanced modelling frameworks, providing a clear assessment of agricultural emissions and the impact of mitigation measures.

By improving the accuracy, transparency, and accountability of agricultural emissions reporting, the MRV network aims to support evidence-based decision-making for policymakers and farmers.

It also seeks to enable more effective climate mitigation strategies, facilitate progress tracking towards net-zero targets and promote the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices.

Horizon Europe

TRACER will be financed by Horizon Europe, an EU funding programme for research and innovation.

€900,000 will be awarded to the James Hutton Institute, with the rest of the funds shared amongst the other collaborators.

Work on TRACER is scheduled to begin on September 1 .

Dr. Jagadeesh Yeluripati, an ecosystem modeller from the Hutton, will lead the project.

He said: “TRACER marks an important step forward in improving how agricultural greenhouse gas emissions are measured and understood.

"By combining real-time data with advanced modelling, we will deliver a transparent and robust system to support monitoring, reporting and verification across Europe.

“This will enable policymakers and stakeholders to make more informed, evidence-based decisions.

"Our long-term vision is to help accelerate the transition to a climate-resilient agricultural sector, supporting meaningful emissions reductions and contributing to global climate goals."