MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE TEA SECTOR
Pesticides and herbicides Pesticides and herbicides have low emissions and therefore the number of applications is sufficient for calculating the emissions.
Other farm inputs Other inputs that occur at farm level are similar to inputs at factory level and can include electricity and fuel use. If the farmers use these, they should be recorded.
5.4.3.
Data collection
Based on the above described inputs and the questions in the questionnaire in Appendix II, a table can be produced to log the data gathered at the farm level. An example is provided below (Table 17) which includes examples of where supporting emissions factors can be found. For most of the commonly used fertilizers, online tools provide the emissions factors associated with the nitrogen content. If a fertilizer is not listed in a tool the emissions factor can often be found in open source databases or on the Internet. If the fertilizer is unknown, the N:P:K ratio of the fertilizer can be used to account for the emissions from application. This will be found on the packaging. For calculating the emissions from compost both the amount of compost produced as well as the nitrogen content of the compost is required to calculate the impact.
Table 17: Overview of emissions sources at farm level Input
Amount
Unit
Emission Factor
N:P:K ratio or N-content
Input: Fertilizer type 1
Kg
(In Tool/database)
N/A
Input: Fertilizer type 2
Kg
(In Tool/database)
N/A
Input: Fertilizer unknown
Kg
Use N:P:K ratio in combination with emissions factor
Input: Fertilizer unknown
Kg
Use N:P:K ratio only
Input: Compost
Kg/Ton
Use N-content (often ca. 1 – 2 %)
Input: Manure
Kg/Ton
(Depending on type of animal)
N/A
Input: Pesticide type 1
Number of applications
N/A
(In Tool/database)
N/A
Input: Pesticide type 2
Number of applications
N/A
(In Tool/database)
N/A
Input: Herbicide type 1
Number of applications
N/A
(In Tool/database)
N/A
L/KWh
(See Table 14)
N/A
Input: Fuel / Energy use
When collecting data on the fertilizer, compost and manure inputs it is important to consider that only the inputs used on the tea bushes should be included. Often farmers produce other crops which will also require inputs including fertilizer and pesticides. Including all inputs into the calculation for tea production would result in an overestimation of the impact of tea. Land use change Land use change can have a big impact on the emissions attributable to a product because deforestation has a big impact on climate change. Recording land use change is therefore required when performing a footprint assessment. The emissions are calculated based on what percentage of land was changed, how long ago this occurred and what the previous land use was. Any land use change that happened within 20 years of the assessment should be included. 84
SC-14-245.E