FAST-GHG is a fertilizer and soil tool designed to help quantify greenhouse gas emissions in crop production. Developed by Cornell faculty in partnership with researchers at Environmental Defense Fund and The Nature Conservancy, FAST-GHG quantifies how soil management practices can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, the FAST-GHG methodology and online calculator provide valuable support to companies that aim to reduce GHG emissions in their agricultural supply chains, and conservation and farm project managers that aim to reduce GHG emissions in their agricultural fields, but who may have limited information about the emissions generated in the production of commodities they sell or are monitoring. The methodology has been carefully and transparently documented to allow any individual to implement the accounting method.
The FAST-GHG tool operates for a single group of management practices at one time. If a user needs to assess multiple locations with different management practices, the tool must be used for each combination of management practices in turn.
In September 2020, the FAST-GHG tool was included in Walmart’s Project Gigaton to allow Walmart suppliers to calculate their avoided emissions from adopting soil health practices.
In January 2024, the FAST-GHG tool was presented in a webinar hosted by the American Farmland Trust. A user’s guide is available based on this presentation.
FAST-GHG
- Focuses on corn, soybean and wheat cropping systems of the Continental US
- Includes improved tillage and cover cropping and nitrogen fertilizer management
- Quantifies results as avoided GHG emissions
Tools & Documentation
- Overview
- FAST-GHG calculator
- Project Gigaton calculator
(Choose “Agriculture” and expand #10) - Detailed Documentation
- User’s Guide to FAST-GHG tool
Research Team and Advisors
Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability managed the collaboration and funded the research
- Cornell Research Team:
- Peter Woodbury, Soil & Crop Sciences
- Dominic Woolf, Soil & Crop Sciences
- Christina Tonitto
Cornell served as an independent research body, undertaking a scientific inquiry on behalf of the public good. Advisors aided with scientific peer review, providing guidance and critique, and sharing resources and data.