Summary
This protocol evaluation assessed five North American agricultural offset programmes for quantifying greenhouse gas reductions from nitrogen management in Pacific Northwest dryland wheat systems. Only two protocols (ACR2 and VCS) proved applicable, producing identical emission reduction calculations. The analysis suggests that N2O offset payments alone ($0.35–$13.0 ha⁻¹ across typical carbon prices) are unlikely to incentivise farmer adoption of variable-rate or split nitrogen application practices.
UK applicability
The findings are relevant to UK cereal production policy and carbon market design, particularly regarding the efficacy of offset mechanisms for incentivising sustainable nitrogen management. However, direct applicability is limited by differences in UK rainfall patterns, soil conditions, and existing agri-environmental scheme structures compared to Pacific Northwest dryland systems.
Key measures
Nitrous oxide (N2O) emission reductions (Mg CO2e ha⁻¹); carbon offset payments ($ ha⁻¹); baseline and project emission quantification methodology consistency across protocols
Outcomes reported
The study evaluated five North American agricultural offset protocols for their ability to quantify N2O emission reductions from nitrogen management practices in dryland wheat. It found that only two protocols (ACR2 and VCS) were applicable, producing identical emission reduction estimates ranging from 0.07 to 0.26 Mg CO2e ha⁻¹ depending on management practice.
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