WP5 - Agricultural systems with net-zero impact of greenhouse gas emissions

The primary aim of WP 5 is to identify agricultural systems with potential to make agriculture net-zero regarding GHGes in year 2045, and also deliver on several of the targets as defined in WP 2.

Another aim is to describe the effects and consequences of these systems for the sector itself and for the rest of the society, in environmental, economic and social aspects.

Main research questions:

  • Major effort is placed on research and development to identify and assess measures to improve the GHG emission balance of the Swedish agricultural sector. What is the potential of these different measures, especially in terms of GHG reduction per produced amount of food and in terms of the total national emissions from the sector in different contexts?
  • A number of GHG sources will not be possible to avoid, also in the future agricultural sector. It is therefore only possible to design a net-zero or climate positive system if sufficient counteracting carbon sinks (CSs) can be identified? What is the potential of different CS strategies for the sector, in a national context?
  • How can the agricultural systems be designed to be net-zero regarding GHGes? How comprehensive must the implementation of the measures mentioned in RQ 1 and 2 be and is it at all possible to reach net-zero, given practical limitations and that the effects of some measures not are totally additive.
  • How will the possibilities to design, and the design of, a net-zero agricultural sector be affected by different scenarios (as defined in WP3) for the climate change and for the development of the rest of the society including the food system?
  • At what rate will the measures in mentioned in RQ 1 and 2 be possible to implement and how are the external effects, especially the change of the average global temperature over time, dependent on this?
  • What will be the environmental, economic and social effects of the new net-zero greenhouse gas systems, and how can we make the future agricultural systems acceptable in all aspects?
  • How will the effects of an introduction of a net zero greenhouse gas agricultural sector vary regionally within Sweden and how can the systems be positively adapted to utilize the special conditions in each region?
  • How will the answers to RQ 1-7 be affected if also the sectors of fisheries and aquaculture are added to the system under study?