Carbon calculator to the Economy Doctor service

Fostering soil carbon in croplands is vital both for maintaining soil quality for cultivation and reaching the target of climate policies. Farm-scale greenhouse gas calculator developed for the EconomyDoctor service of Natural Resources Institute Finland (www.luke.fi/economydoctor) is a functional service that reveals more details of the development of greenhouse gas emission trends than the official statistics. Taloustohtori-C project complements this service by adding the possibility to estimate changes in soil carbon stocks of croplands and to simulate effects of management practices. After this amendment, the greenhouse gas calculator will give reports on the total greenhouse gas emissions of farms including stock changes in mineral soil carbon and emissions from organic soils.

The service illustrates the significance of different emission sources in the total emissions to the farmers and other users. It is especially suitable for pointing out the effects of different soil types to total emissions of a farm and the effects of management practices on soil carbon sequestration. The usage of the service ranges from planning farming practices to land use guidance, planning of agricultural policies as well as teaching and extension services.