NEC published a report from the EU Green Digital Coalition verifying the net carbon impact of its smart agriculture solution CropScope. The study measured how variable-rate fertilization reduced fertilizer use and the resulting nitrous oxide emissions for corn, winter wheat, and spring wheat in Hokkaido, Japan. Winter wheat saw a 47% reduction in fertilizer use, leading to a net carbon impact of 3,699 kgCO2e reduction over the growing season, roughly four times the emissions from tractor operations. The report uses the EGDC's methodology to compare scenarios with and without digital technology, accounting for emissions from manufacturing and operating the equipment. This gives a clearer picture of actual decarbonization from precision agriculture. For corn, net carbon impact was 812 kgCO2e reduction, and for spring wheat it was 736 kgCO2e reduction. The results show that targeted fertilizer application can meaningfully cut greenhouse gas emissions beyond just fuel savings.
