Introducing TRACER: Building a Harmonised MRV System for Agriculture

Transparent Reporting and Accountability for Carbon and Non-CO₂ Emissions with Real-time Data Streams and Advanced Modelling

Agriculture is at the heart of Europe's transition towards a more sustainable future. While the sector plays a fundamental role in ensuring food security, supporting rural communities and driving economic growth, it also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions that must be addressed if Europe is to achieve its climate ambitions. Meeting this challenge requires more accurate, transparent and harmonised approaches to monitoring agricultural emissions.

TRACER is a Horizon Europe research and innovation project that aims to transform the way agricultural greenhouse gas emissions are monitored, reported and verified across Europe.

The project will develop and validate a harmonised, near real-time Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system that integrates Earth Observation, in-situ sensors, farm management data and advanced process-based modelling into a comprehensive platform. By bringing together multiple sources of information, TRACER will provide accurate, transparent and scientifically robust greenhouse gas monitoring capable of supporting farmers, policymakers, researchers and carbon certification initiatives.

Today, agricultural greenhouse gas monitoring remains fragmented. Different methodologies, data sources and reporting approaches can produce inconsistent results, making it difficult to compare emissions across regions and farming systems. At the same time, the growing demand for reliable environmental data requires monitoring systems that are more accurate, scalable and capable of providing timely information.

TRACER has been designed to address these challenges by establishing a harmonised MRV framework that can be applied consistently across diverse agricultural systems. The project will monitor both carbon dioxide (CO₂) and the major non-CO₂ greenhouse gases, methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O), providing a more complete picture of agriculture's greenhouse gas balance and supporting more transparent environmental reporting.

Testing TRACER across diverse farming systems

Over the next four years, TRACER will bring together 16 partner organisations, including an associated partner from China, creating a multidisciplinary consortium with expertise spanning agricultural science, environmental monitoring, remote sensing, digital technologies, artificial intelligence, greenhouse gas modelling and policy.

A key part of the project will be testing the TRACER approach across 10 pilot regions, nine in Europe and one in China. Together, the pilots cover a diverse range of agricultural systems, including arable cropping, dairy and livestock production, mixed farming, agroforestry, organic farming and Alpine systems, providing contrasting conditions in which to develop, calibrate and validate the project's MRV approaches.

Across the European pilots, TRACER will generate and integrate data from different farming systems and climatic conditions to evaluate how the MRV system performs across diverse agricultural contexts. This diversity is essential to developing an approach that can be applied beyond a single crop, production system or region.

The Chinese pilot, led by Nanjing Agricultural University, extends this work to arable systems including paddy rice, wheat and maize. It will provide complementary datasets and modelling opportunities, enabling scientific comparison and knowledge exchange between European and Chinese agricultural systems and contributing to the development and validation of TRACER's modelling approaches.

From monitoring to real-world application

TRACER will take an integrated approach to improving agricultural greenhouse gas MRV. The project will first develop a harmonised MRV framework, establishing common approaches for monitoring, reporting and verifying agricultural greenhouse gas emissions across different farming systems.

Building on this framework, TRACER will develop and validate an integrated MRV system combining Earth Observation, field sensors, farm management data and advanced modelling. The system will be tested, calibrated and validated across the project's pilot regions and subsequently demonstrated under real-world farming conditions to assess its performance, usability and potential for wider application.

The TRACER MRV system will integrate farm-level management data, Earth Observation, sensor-based monitoring and advanced modelling to support near real-time greenhouse gas monitoring and inform farm management.

Technology development is only one part of the project. TRACER will also work with farmers, advisors, policymakers and other stakeholders through engagement, training, knowledge exchange and capacity-building activities to support the practical adoption of MRV approaches.

Alongside this, the project will examine how its results can contribute to agricultural and climate policy, while developing sustainable business models and strategies to support the long-term uptake and scaling of TRACER solutions across Europe.

Supporting better decisions and more reliable reporting

Beyond developing new technologies and methodologies, TRACER aims to build confidence in agricultural greenhouse gas reporting by delivering practical tools that can support better decision-making at different levels. The project's results will contribute to more reliable emissions reporting, support carbon certification schemes, inform agricultural and climate policy, and help accelerate the transition towards more sustainable and climate-resilient farming systems.

Collaboration lies at the heart of TRACER. Throughout the project, partners will work closely with farmers, researchers, policymakers, industry representatives and other key stakeholders to ensure that the solutions developed are scientifically robust, practical to implement and capable of delivering long-term value for European agriculture.

As the project progresses, this website will share the latest news, project milestones, pilot activities, publications, events and public results, providing a central source of information for those interested in the future of agricultural greenhouse gas monitoring.

We invite you to follow the TRACER journey as we work towards delivering a more transparent, harmonised and reliable approach to Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, supporting farmers, informing policy and contributing to Europe's climate ambitions.