About

A crucial step towards emissions reduction

SmartField supports evidence-based solutions for a sustainable agriculture and aims to accelerate testing, validation and implementation of technologies and measures that reduce emission of nitrous oxide (N₂O) from Danish agriculture. Additionally, SmartField will develop and deliver an improved methodology for accounting N₂O emissions at field and farm scale.

SmartField is a cross-organisational research project with partners and stakeholders from universities, GTS institutes, agricultural innovation centers, think tanks, authorities and the agricultural sector.

SmartField is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Vision

The use of nitrogen fertilisers in Danish agriculture not only results in higher yields and quality of agricultural crops, it also affects the nitrogen cycle by releasing nitrogen into the environment, for example through leaching into the soil or emission of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N₂O).

The emission of N₂O is highly complex and based on processes related to agronomy (crop type, crop rotation, and fertilisation practices), microbial life in the soil and abiotic factors such as soil texture and structure.

Since agriculture is the largest source of N₂O emissions, it is imperative that the agricultural sector makes an effort to reduce this greenhouse gas to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 2°C, and preferably down to 1.5°C. Since N₂O emissions are just one of several challenges in agriculture, it is important to approach this challenge holistically to avoid pollution swapping.

The vision is therefore to achieve a documented reduction of N₂O emissions from Danish agriculture by 20-30% without negatively impacting yield and without increasing nitrogen release to recipients such as Danish fjords.

Mission

The mission is to develop an innovative field-level platform that enables testing and validation of technologies and field management practices aimed at reducing N₂O emissions. This documentation, along with modelling tools, will form the basis for future agricultural regulations and accelerate implementation of these technologies at individual farms, ensuring that implementation is reflected in the national emissions inventory.

The overarching goal for SmartField is to establish a unique research and test platform whereby Denmark can provide a showcase for reducing N₂O emission through a targeted testing and validation system, available data models to calculate effects and economic scenarios, accelerated implementation of technologies at individual farms and finally more accurate accounting of national greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.

Activities

SmartField includes the following activities:

Establishment of two state-of-the-art stationary measurement stations (supersites) and a mobile unit (mobile system) that provide continuous datasets describing the nitrogen cycle in representative Danish cropping systems. The measurement stations also measure the effects of both existing and new N₂O-reducing technologies and field management practices. From 2025, companies will be invited to test their new N₂O-reducing technologies in SmartField.

A data and modelling hub is utilising data from measurement stations, activity data from selected farms and data from previous research projects to create process-based models for calculating national N₂O emissions and developing economic scenarios for implementing N₂O-reducing measures in the agricultural sector.

Establishing a Science Policy Practice Forum consisting of project partners and a broad group of stakeholders from universities, agricultural innovation centers, the agricultural sector, industry organisations, ministries and agencies, industry, NGOs, think tanks and research and development funds. The Science Policy Practice Forum will ensure dialogue and a broad understanding of how to validate and approve N₂O mitigation measures, use models for future agricultural regulation, and promote the implementation of technologies at individual farms. This will support development of a system for Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) of N₂O emissions based on a Tier 3 model for national emissions accounting.

SmartField unites partners specialised in emissions

SmartField comprises a unique consortium of leading partners specialised in N₂O measurement, modelling, validation and implementation of agricultural technologies and decision-making. Funded partners are the Danish Technological Institute, Land-CRAFT Pioneer Center, Aarhus University, University of Copenhagen, Colorado State University and SEGES Innovation.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Utilities, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries, through the Danish Agricultural Agency and the Ministry of Green Transition are involved as non-funded observing partners, enabling knowledge exchange and data sharing.

The Danish Technological Institute is the grant holder and project leader of SmartField.

SmartField is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.