To lower agricultural emissions, policymakers and communities first need to pinpoint the sources—not just by country but crop by crop, field by field. In a study published in Nature Climate Change, researchers have synthesized data from multiple ground sources and models to map global cropland emissions at high resolution—down to about 10 kilometers—while breaking down emissions by crop and source and identifying regions for more precise mitigation.

Why mapping cropland emissions matters

“This is an absolute global synthesis of all the information you need, by country, by production system, for calculating greenhouse gas emissions—it’s been a significant undertaking,” said senior author Mario Herrero, Cornell University professor of global development in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Croplands constitute 12% of land use globally and account for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions within the agricultural sector. But the last effort to map global cropland emissions dates to 2000. Since then, the sector has grown, management practices have changed, and researchers have many more tools to model complex systems.