What Was Farm Net Zero?
Farm Net Zero was a five-year partnership project working with farmers in East Cornwall to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while improving farm resilience and productivity.
The £1.2 million project ran from January 2021 to December 2025 and was funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
It brought together the Rural Business School, Farm Carbon Toolkit, Westcountry Rivers Trust, Soil Association, Innovative Farmers, Innovation for Agriculture and Just Farmers.
Building on the Agri-Tech Cornwall Soil Carbon Project, Farm Net Zero combined on-farm monitoring, trials and farmer-led knowledge exchange to identify practical approaches to reducing agricultural emissions.
Why Reducing Emissions Matters
Agriculture has an important role to play in addressing climate change while continuing to produce food and support rural communities.
Many actions that reduce emissions can also improve soil health, biodiversity, nutrient efficiency and business resilience. Farm Net Zero focused on practical solutions that could work within real farming systems, recognising that every farm business is different.
Monitor Farms
At the heart of the project were 40 monitor farms across East Cornwall.
Participating farms undertook soil sampling and carbon footprint assessments throughout the project, helping to build a better understanding of emissions, carbon storage and opportunities for improvement.
More than 60 workshops, farm walks and events were held during the project, creating opportunities for farmers to share experiences, trial new approaches and learn from one another.
Partners and Funding
Farm Net Zero was delivered through a partnership of:
- Rural Business School
- Farm Carbon Toolkit
- Westcountry Rivers Trust
- Soil Association
- Innovative Farmers
- Innovation for Agriculture
- Just Farmers
The project was funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
Project Outputs
Over five years, Farm Net Zero generated a wide range of practical outputs to support farmers and land managers.
- Enterprise roadmaps
- Factsheets
- Event reports
- Case studies
- Research findings
- Technical resources
Together, these resources capture the lessons learnt through monitoring, farmer-led trials and knowledge exchange activities across East Cornwall.
Explore the Farm Net Zero Roadmaps
Five years of farmer-led learning, monitoring and trials have been brought together into practical roadmaps for the main farming sectors.
Explore practical actions, supporting resources and real-world examples from farms involved in the project.