The potential for leguminous crops in Scotland

The Scottish Government is committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture as part of its pledge to achieve net-zero emissions in Scotland by 2045. In 2018, agriculture accounted for 18% of Scotland’s total GHG emissions, with a significant share coming from nitrogen fertilisers (1.4% of Scotland’s total GHG emissions are from soil as a consequence of applying nitrogen fertilisers). Scotland’s Climate Change Plan update1 envisages that nitrogen emissions, including from nitrogen fertiliser, will have fallen through a combination of improved understanding, efficiencies and improved soil condition. One policy approach identified as having potential to deliver this outcome is through the use of leguminous crops to fix atmospheric nitrogen, potentially reducing the need for synthetic fertiliser. Increasing legume production could also help build protein self-sufficiency in Scotland. This study assesses the opportunities, challenges and barriers influencing potential production of grain and forage legumes in Scotland. Grain legumes are crops such as beans and peas which are cultivated for their seeds and used for both human and animal consumption. Forage legumes include lucerne (also known as alfalfa), clover and vetch which are sown in pasture and grazed by livestock or used for cutting for hay or silage

Adapting Scottish agriculture to a changing climate - assessing options for action

The Climate Change Risk Assessment 3 (CCRA 3) identifies a risk of serious climate impacts in Scotland. The Climate Change Committee (CCC) 2022 Report to the Scottish Parliament made recommendations on adaptation opportunities for agriculture, such as the potential to grow a broader range of crops which will support domestic food security, mitigating the risks of some common food crops becoming less suitable. This report maps the current major agricultural activities in Scotland and examines Scotland’s rainfall and temperature projections up to 2030, 2050 and 2100 using UK Climate Projection (UKCP) 18 data to create a picture of current agricultural activity and future climate. We located regions that currently have a similar climate to what Scotland expects in the future, to identify potential agricultural products that could be adopted or expanded in Scotland. We also explored published evidence to examine the options for climate change adaptation for farmers in Scotland. Farmers are already experiencing changing weather patterns and extreme events due to climate change and consideration of adaptation actions is very timely

Evidence Review: Perennial Energy Crops and their Potential in Scotland

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) have identified that under net zero emissions scenarios, bioenergy supplied in the UK could reach 200TWh (with 170TWh of this sourced from the UK) by 2050. The CCC considered that UK-produced energy crops could be an important source of bioenergy and assumed that around 700,000 ha could be planted in the UK to help achieve this target, although it did not consider where. If it were evenly spread across the arable area of the UK, Scotland’s ‘share’ would be about 70,000 ha. This report examines the potential for a sustainable expansion of perennial bioenergy crop production on low grade agricultural land or underutilised land, focusing on short rotation coppice (SRC), miscanthus and short rotation forestry (SRF)

Breeding for reduced methane emissions in livestock

This project examined the potential reductions in livestock methane emissions through breeding, and the policy levers that could motivate these changes. We explored the technologies that detect and measure methane, manage data and are used in the breeding process and examined their potential availability in Scotland in 2030 and 2045. We also identified the relevant policy levers and behaviour changes and considered what Government, the post-farm market, pre-farm gate actors and farmers can do differently to encourage methane reductions through breeding

Economic potential of energy crops in Scotland

The Update to the Climate Change Plan (CCPu) identifies the significant role that bioenergy could play in delivering Scotland’s legally binding commitment to achieve net zero by 2045. This research examines the economic potential of perennial energy crops (PECs) for farmers and land-managers, as well as the wider economic implications. The three PECs considered are miscanthus, short rotation coppice (SRC) and short rotation forestry (SRF)