4R Climate-Smart Protocol
Supporting Canadian growers with practical tools for efficient nitrogen management.
Nitrous Oxide Emission Reduction Protocol (NERP 2.5)
Fertilizer Canada supports the implementation of the Nitrous Oxide Emission Reduction Protocol (NERP) in Alberta and provides training for agronomists who advise farms on implementing the protocol through our Accredited Professional Advisor (APA) eLearning program (link provided). This training supports consistent, science-based application of the protocol at the farm level and equips qualified practitioners to assist growers in implementing 4R Nutrient Stewardship (Right Source @ Right Rate, Right Time, Right Place®) practices that improve nitrogen management, enhance nitrogen use efficiency – and more specifically – reduce nitrous oxide emissions.
Fertilizer Canada has also developed NERP 2.5, a national methodology for quantifying nitrous oxide (N₂O) emission reductions from improved nitrogen management in Canadian cropping systems. NERP 2.5 has not yet been formally approved or verified under any existing voluntary or compliance carbon registry. However, the protocol is available for use by third parties as a basis for adaptation within a range of climate and sustainability applications, including Scope 3 value chain programs, registries that allow bottom-up, ISO 14064-based methodologies (such as the CSA Clean Projects Registry), and as supporting justification for lower carbon intensity (CI) quantification, including under programs such as Canada’s Clean Fuel Regulation. Fertilizer Canada recognizes that each of these pathways has distinct requirements, approval processes, and implementation considerations that stakeholders must independently meet.
NERP 2.5 is a science-based protocol designed to align with international best practices for improving nitrogen management in cropping systems and estimating nitrous oxide emission reductions associated with better nitrogen management. The protocol is straightforward in concept and relies on data that producers are either already collecting, or are well positioned to collect, as part of effective farm management. The NERP 2.5 methodology is available further below on this page. The APA eLearning program can also be used to train agronomists specifically on how to implement NERP 2.5, supporting consistent and credible application of the protocol.
Fertilizer Canada advocates for the adoption of the NERP protocol within Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Offset Credit System, as a nationally appropriate, science-based approach for quantifying on-farm nitrous oxide emission reductions from improved nitrogen management.
