Boortmalt and BASF partner on climate-smart agriculture to decarbonize barley

20 Jul 2022 --- BASF Agricultural Solutions and malting company Boortmalt have linked up to slash CO2 emissions and increase carbon sequestration associated with barley production in Ireland. 

The pilot project, deemed a “world-first” to involve the entire malting barley value chain, was initiated as part of the 2022 barley campaign with 50 selected Irish farmers.

“We are continuously working toward reducing our Scope 3 emissions in the value chain, which can only be achieved with the right collaborations,” says Inge de Winne, chief sustainability and supply chain officer at Boortmalt.

“With BASF, we have found an innovation partner who helps farmers to sustainably increase their yields, reduce their CO2 emissions and improve the quality of their crops.”

First results will be reported in the course of 2023 and will be used to explore similar opportunities with other farmers in Ireland and in more countries.

BASF is developing a digital platform, powered by Xarvio Field Manager technology that delivers independent, field-zone-specific agronomic advice to farmers.Streamlining certification roadmaps
Through its commercial activities with its farmers, Boortmalt will recommend innovative practices that farmers can implement as part of BASF’s Global Carbon Farming Program and manage the related data.

At the same time, BASF is developing a digital platform, powered by Xarvio Field Manager technology that delivers independent, field-zone-specific agronomic advice to farmers.

The partnership notes its new platform will consolidate all necessary farm data to meet the requirements of the world’s major carbon certification bodies, such as the Gold Standard.

As such, it will enable barley growers in Ireland to generate accredited carbon certificates, which can be freely traded, creating an additional revenue stream for their sustainable farming.

Incentivizing climate action
The partnership aims to promote carbon certificates as an additional economic incentive to reduce CO2 emissions of farm operations. Boortmalt plans to purchase the generated certificates along with the low-CO2 barley to reduce their CO2 emissions along the value chain.

Moves to incentivize eco-centric activities are particularly needed, as more than four out of five meat and dairy sector capital investors are worried about climate change – while a much lower number of investors (33%) are taking action on those risks, according to a recent report.

The project’s sustainably produced will later be malted and used by Waterford Distillery – a whiskey project based in the South East of Ireland – to produce whiskey with a reduced CO2 footprint.

Conscious efforts along grain to glass chain
Both companies have set themselves ambitious targets to support growers in reducing CO2 in farm operations. BASF Agricultural Solutions has committed to boost sustainable agriculture by 2030, with one of its targets to help farmers achieve a 30% reduction in CO2 emissions per ton of crop produced. 

Boortmalt commits to a 30% reduction of its Scope 3 emissions from their agricultural supply chains by 2030.

“With climate smart agriculture, like resilient farming practices or reducing carbon emissions in farm operations, we can mitigate negative effects of climate change,” says Dirk Voeste, senior vice president of Regulatory, Sustainability & Public Affairs at BASF.

“Our collaboration with Boortmalt demonstrates that contributing to mitigate the negative effects of climate change and value generation for farming can go hand in hand. It is an important step forward in our recently announced Global Carbon Farming Program with more to follow.”

Edited by Benjamin Ferrer