Back in the 90s, Australian agriculture wasn’t exactly losing sleep over greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. That changed in the early 2000s with CSIRO's Farm Forestry Toolbox, a desktop ready reckoner for estimating carbon sequestration in trees. Since then, the carbon calculator game has had its hits and misses, but in Australia, one tool has emerged as the clear leader: the Greenhouse Accounting Framework (GAF). Developed specifically for Australian farming systems, GAF has become a go-to tool for growers, industry bodies, and policymakers alike.
GrainGrowers has covered other carbon accounting tools in previous reports, so this post aims to provide more detailed information on GAF.
The history of GAF
The path to GAF's success began several years ago, when Professor Richard Eckard recognised the need for a comprehensive, Australia-specific GHG accounting methodology. In 2003, the Grains Research and Development Corporate (GRDC) began investing in the development of the first grains-focused GHG accounting framework. At the time, industry was focused on understanding where research priorities should be, based on emission sources. Over the subsequent years, and as international reporting protocols emerged, it became clear that industries would need to report on their exposure to agricultural emissions. This led to the development of the current suite of GAF tools, which reflect the international accounting methods for Australia specifically, while also aligning with global supply chain reporting requirements.
Developed through extensive industry consultation and scientific research, GAF provides accuracy and granularity for measuring emissions across the diverse range of Australian farming enterprises. "GAF is a tool that captures the nuances of our production systems and provides specificity for no less than fifteen agricultural sectors," says Sarah Hyland, General Manager for Grower Engagement and Thought Leadership at GrainGrowers. "From cropping to livestock, fertiliser use to carbon removals, GAF has a good level of detail needed to get a clear picture of an operation’s carbon footprint."
The rise of GAF
The adoption of GAF has been swift and extensive, with the framework quickly becoming the conventional carbon emissions calculator for Australian agriculture. Agricultural Innovation Australia (AIA) took a thoughtful approach in evaluating different tools before fully endorsing the GAF framework.
"While undertaking a discovery phase to support the development of a common, consistent and standardised approach to on-farm GHG emissions calculations, it was clear to AIA that GAF was the de-facto standard being used by industry, making it the logical choice for our Environmental Accounting Platform (EAP)," explains Sam Brown, CEO of AIA.
Brown notes that GAF's wide coverage, along with its alignment to key Australian and international reporting protocols and standards, were crucial factors. "GAF was also comprehensive, covering a wide variety of commodities. Importantly, it reflected Australian conditions, with alignment to the Australian National Greenhouse Gas Inventory reporting protocol, ISO standards and the GHG Protocol," he says. "It made sense for AIA to focus on the current de-facto standards, as these were the most widely used tools by growers."
With Professor Eckard’s support, AIA then designed an architecture that digitised and aggregated these established tools, enabling growers to access a free, online platform that integrates into most existing farm and management software. Over 10,000 emissions calculations have been undertaken within 12 months of launching the EAP. The GAF framework has also been used as the foundation for other organisations' carbon calculators, such as the Ruminati tool. The framework has also been recognised by policymakers as the preferred option for agricultural emissions accounting. The Voluntary Reference Group for GHG Standards, led by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) is tasked with developing national guidelines for agricultural emissions calculations. The reference group has chosen GAF as the basis for their forthcoming guidelines. "GAF has become the de facto framework for the industry," says Hyland. "It's the tool that, mostly likely, will underpin future reporting requirements."
The future of GAF
Looking to the future, Professor Eckard is optimistic about GAF's continued evolution. “As the science and technology advances, GAF will need to keep pace, particularly as inventory methods improve and international reporting requirements become more definitive. We're committed to ensuring it remains the gold standard for Australian agriculture."
This has become even more crucial with the government's recent announcement of mandatory climate reporting that will include farm emissions from 2027. To ensure there was an approved methodology for carbon accounting in the agriculture sector, Professor Eckard and a team from the Zero Net Emissions from Agriculture Cooperative Research Centre are spearheading the development of a voluntary emissions estimation and reporting 'standard' (VEERS) for the industry.
With the VEERS framework being fully supported by resources provided by DCCEEW, Hyland expects to see continued refinements and enhancements. For growers navigating the complex landscape of carbon accounting, GAF provides an accurate and flexible platform.