Frequently asked
questions

The AIA Environmental Accounting Platform (EAP) is Australia’s national, science‑backed emissions calculation engine for agriculture, fisheries and forestry.It calculates emissions at a commodity, enterprise and whole‑of‑business level, giving primary producers and supply chains one consistent way to measure and compare emissions footprints across multiple commodities.The EAP is increasingly being recognised as a trusted national asset, providing Australian agriculture, fisheries and forestry with a new approach to better understand on-farm greenhouse gas emissions across multiple commodities.Built to evolve, the EAP has extensible architecture which enables new calculators and frameworks to be added over time, such as natural capital and biodiversity.The EAP is aligned with the Australian Government’s voluntary emissions and reporting standards for agriculture, fisheries, and forestry.

The AIA EAP is designed for everyone across the supply chain who needs reliable, consistent emissions information.Primary producersProducers, who are under increasing pressure to be able to measure their on-farm emissions to meet the requirements of their financial lenders and supply chains, as well as for market access, can use the AIA EAP calculator to:understand their emissions footprint across multiple commoditiestest scenarios and model practice change to assist with decision-making around reducing carbon emissions and capturing new business opportunitiesidentify opportunities to not only reduce emissions but also improve productivityprepare for future supply‑chain and lender requirements.Use the free, EAP online calculatorProducers can also access the engine through the emissions calculation tools and farm service providers they already use:Supply chain, agribusiness and service providersFarm and management solution providers, software platforms, supply chain participants, agribusinesses, financial institutions and researchers can integrate with the AIA EAP engine via an API and open-source code - to drive emissions for themselves or their farming customers. This enables them to offer their clients a common and standardised approach to environmental accounting across multiple commodities, built in to their own service offerings.Free access to AIA’s API and open-source code is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Improving Consistency of On-Farm Emissions Estimates Program.Find out more

Producers can access the AIA EAP via channels they already use and trust including via their farm management software and service providers.If your software/service provider is not listed on our Partner page, you can send them to this site to find out how to integrate.Individual producers can also use the AIA EAP online calculator to calculate emissions, develop a baseline, or scenario plan to support business decisions.

Data privacy and security are at the core of the design of the AIA EAP.Producers have full control of their data.Users with an AIA EAP account can choose to share their own data with whomever they choose, such as existing service providers, consultants, banks and supply chains, as well as to share de-identified and aggregated data for research purposes.You may add and remove team members to your account who will have access to your data until you remove them - refer to 'How do I share my data with others' FAQ.AIA will only access de-identified and aggregated data for the purposes of providing the carbon footprinting service, improving the algorithms and for developing insights to support more effective industry decision-making and strategy development.

With many supply chains setting 2030 emissions targets, Australian producers are increasingly expected to measure and report their on‑farm emissions and ‘know their number’.The demand for emissions data from farmers is expected to increase, driven by evolving market expectations and supply chains and financial institutions seeking to monitor progress of climate commitments.Producers (and their advisors) therefore want emissions information that is practical, reliable and can enable informed decision making to improve sustainability and productivity.An on-farm emissions number helps producers understand their business performance and strengthen their position in future supply chains. Knowing your number is the starting point.With the AIA EAP you can:calculate your on-farm emissions at a paddock, commodity or business-levelrun scenario planning by adjusting inputs to see how changes affect your footprintidentify business inefficiencies to guide practice change.

Scope 1 Direct greenhouse gas emissions that occur from sources that are owned or controlled by the reporting entity. Examples for agricultural enterprises include enteric methane from livestock and nitrous oxide from applied fertiliser. Scope 2 Indirect greenhouse gas emissions from the generation of purchased or acquired electricity, steam, heating or cooling consumed by an entity. Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions physically occur at the facility where electricity is generated. Scope 3 Indirect greenhouse gas emissions (not included in Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions) that occur in the value chain of an entity, including both upstream (pre-farm) and downstream (post-farm gate) emissions. Examples include purchased goods, employee commuting, downstream processing, transport and distribution. For agricultural products, we typically include pre-farm emissions but the boundary for the analysis is typically the farm gate (unless the analysis is based on a finished product like a bottle of wine).

Knowing your number is the first step. You can use scenario planning in the AIA EAP by changing your input data to see the impact it may have on your emissions. Producers can utilise their RDC’s research and resources around emissions reduction practices to improve their footprint.

Farm and business solution providers, supply chain participants, agribusiness, financial institutions and others can integrate with the EAP's calculation engine via Application Programming Interface (API) or open-source code, and can build it into their own service offerings. Free access to AIA’s API is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Improving Consistency of On-Farm Emissions Estimates Program.Find out more

Beef, sheep, grains, cotton, sugar, horticulture, rice, feedlot, wine, dairy, fisheries, aquaculture, goat, pork, poultry, eggs, buffalo, and deer.

It was built by Agricultural Innovation Australia with investment from several of Australia’s rural Research and Development Corporations (RDCs), including Grains Research and Development Corporation, Meat & Livestock Australia, Australian Eggs, Australian Pork Limited, AgriFutures Australia, Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, the Australian Meat Processor Corporation, Sugar Research Australia and Wine Australia.

The AIA EAP is managed by Agricultural Innovation Australia Ltd (AIA), a not‑for‑profit established by Australia’s 15 Rural Research and Development Corporations.AIA is a trusted and independent not-for-profit organisation focused on the long-term needs of industry. Its mandate enables Australian agriculture, fisheries, and forestry to solve complex challenges no sector should tackle alone.AIA is responsible for the platform’s IP, infrastructure, and maintenance, ensuring it remains a trusted, cross‑commodity, industry‑wide national asset.

AIA worked closely with its RDC partners throughout development of the EAP.In 2022–23, AIA undertook an extensive discovery phase that included:interviews with more than 140 stakeholders, including producers across multiple commoditiesa detailed review of carbon calculation tools, models and frameworks used in Australia and internationallyan international market analysis to understand global trends and emerging standards. This work highlighted three major challenges:Carbon accounting is confusing and time‑consuming for producers, with spreadsheets still the default method and often requiring specialist expertiseCarbon calculators must be continually updated to stay aligned with the latest science, national standards and protocolsAustralia lacks a consistent national approach, leading to fragmentation and a proliferation of calculators, a challenge already seen in other markets.To address these issues, AIA established a Technical Advisory Panel of leading Australian experts in greenhouse gas accounting, emissions reduction, soil carbon management, lifecycle assessment and climate science.It has now expanded to become a joint AIA and Zero Net Emissions from Agriculture Cooperative Research Centre (ZNE-Ag CRC) panel, who's role is to advise on best practice, ensure the calculation models align with the latest science and are consistent with relevant national standards and protocols.AIA also worked closely with producers, RDCs and supply‑chain partners through a comprehensive user‑experience program and beta‑launch phase to test usability, accuracy and real‑world application of the calculations.