Australian farmers now have a new way to measure and manage their environmental impact with the launch of FarmPrint, a tool developed by CSIRO. The platform helps farms evaluate, benchmark, and report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, offering a practical way to demonstrate sustainability to markets, lenders, and supply chains.
Originally prototyped with support from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, FarmPrint has been refined over the past year through trials on CSIRO research farms.
The tool allows farmers, advisers, and finance-sector partners to assess farm performance against regional benchmarks and track changes in emissions over time.
Dr Murray Hall, CSIRO senior research scientist on the project, said the field trials under real-life conditions had ensured the tool’s robustness.
“This first phase of the tool embraces a cradle-to-farm-gate approach, measuring not only on-farm emissions but also those embedded in supply chains, such as fertilisers, chemicals, and diesel.”
FarmPrint aligns with evolving national and international reporting protocols and includes a dedicated webpage for documentation, as well as an API for integration with other data systems.
CSIRO plans to continue working with the agricultural sector to expand capabilities, refine calculations, and identify ways for farms to reduce emissions.
Dr Hall said the tool represents a significant step in translating CSIRO’s digital agriculture research into a practical solution.
“FarmPrint will be an important addition to the kit bag of sustainable farm management into the future.”
The project received early backing from Macquarie Bank through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.
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