Towards Sustainable, Climate-Neutral Farming Systems (AgZero+)

农业是全球和英国温室气体（GHG）排放、污染和生物多样性丧失的主要原因。实现农业生产的可持续（“绿色”）增长，到2050年养活100亿人口，同时减少对环境的影响，是人类面临的最大挑战之一。改变我们的饮食和减少食物浪费是解决方案的一部分。然而，正如英国政府的“清洁增长大挑战”所认识到的那样，在不影响其他目标的情况下，农业食品部门的显著绿色增长也是满足这一需求的必要条件，特别是到2050年实现碳排放中和的目标。绿色农业计划将建立一个长期的、战略性的研究和创新基础设施，以开发新的英国农业系统，在生产足够的食物的同时减少排放和污染，保护生物多样性，增强土壤健康。我们称之为“净零+”，因为它将平衡净零排放目标与更广泛的环境问题。如果英国要实现减排目标，并避免因增加粮食进口而导致排放转移到海外，或对英国宝贵的生态系统造成破坏，这些解决方案将需要大规模实施。绿色农业集团将使科学界与工业、政策、农民和非政府组织的利益相关者参与并联合起来。我们将确定有可能在不对粮食生产或其他环境结果产生重大影响的情况下减少排放和/或捕获碳的农场管理做法。我们将在实验和仪器化研究农场网络（生活农场实验室）上对这些实践进行详细、综合的测量。我们将使用模型来确定实现净零排放的途径，从而最大限度地减少与生产和环境之间的权衡。最后，我们将利用尖端的数据科学提供数据、模型和工具，以实现向净零+农业的过渡。实现清洁、绿色和净零农业的雄心将需要战略性的、跨学科的和长期的研究——一种所谓的国家能力。这将汇集来自NERC和BBSRC中心——英国生态与水文学中心、洛桑研究所、国家地球观测中心、英国地质调查局和普利茅斯海洋实验室的指导团队。这一伙伴关系将汇集地面和地球观测、传感器网络、土壤、地下水和河口温室气体排放测量、污染、生物多样性、作物和牲畜生产、从田间到国家尺度的数据科学和建模等方面的互补专业知识，涵盖陆地、淡水和沿海地区。我们的环境研究将补充可能支持零排放的农业系统其他方面的工作，包括作物育种、畜牧业和饮食、土壤科学以及作物营养和保护。绿色农业国家能力将为英国科学界和其他利益相关者提供以下成果：-支持有效农业环境政策的新知识，到2050年实现净零排放；-从绿色农业研究和创新基础设施中获得新的资助机会，包括国家数字农田观测站、仪器化研究农场、实验、数据和模型；-通过利益相关者参与和共同设计，以及提供新的决策支持工具，更有效地实施净零+政策和实践；-为英国研究人员和农业企业提供向海外市场出口绿色增长知识、技术和创新的机会。

Agriculture is a major cause of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, pollution and biodiversity loss globally and in the UK. Achieving sustainable ('green') growth of agricultural production to feed 10 billion people by 2050 whilst reducing environmental impacts is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Changing our diets and reducing food waste are part of the solution. However, as recognised in the UK government's Clean Growth Grand Challenge, significant green growth in the agri-food sector is also necessary to meet this demand without compromising other targets, in particular that of neutrality in carbon emissions by 2050. The GREEN AG programme will build a long-term, strategic research and innovation infrastructure to develop new UK farming systems which will produce sufficient food whilst reducing emissions and pollution, protecting biodiversity, and enhancing soil health. We call this 'net zero+' as it will balance net zero emissions aims with wider environmental concerns. These solutions will be required at scale if the UK is to meet emission reduction targets, and avoid the unintended consequences of emissions being offshored by increased food imports, or causing damage to valuable ecosystems in the UK. GREEN AG will engage and unite the science community with industry, policy, farmer and NGO stakeholders. We will identify farm management practices with potential to reduce emissions and/or capture carbon without major impacts on food production or other environmental outcomes. We will undertake detailed, integrated measurements of these practices on both experiments and on a network of instrumented study farms (Living Farm Labs). We will use models to define pathways to achieving net zero+ arable and livestock farm systems that minimise trade-offs with production and the environment. Finally, we will use cutting edge data science to provide data, models and tools to enable the transition to net zero+ agriculture. Achieving the ambition of clean, green and net-zero agriculture will require strategic, cross-disciplinary and long-term research - a so-called national capability. This will bring together directed teams from NERC and BBSRC centres - UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Rothamsted Research, National Centre for Earth Observation, British Geological Survey and Plymouth Marine Laboratory. This partnership will bring together complementary expertise in ground and earth observation, sensor networks, measurement of GHG emissions from soils, groundwater and estuaries, pollution, biodiversity, crop and livestock production, data science and modelling from field to national scales, covering terrestrial, freshwater and coastal zones. Our environmental research will complement work on other aspects of the farming system that might support net zero+, including crop breeding, animal husbandry and diet, soil science, and crop nutrition and protection. The GREEN AG national capability will provide the following outcomes for the UK science community and other stakeholders:- New knowledge underpinning effective agri-environmental policies to achieve net zero emissions by 2050; - New funding opportunities levered from the GREEN AG research and innovation infrastructure which comprise a national digital farmland observatory, instrumented study farms, experiments, data and models;- More effective implementation of net zero+ polices and practice through stakeholder engagement and co-design, and through the provision of new decision support tools;- Opportunities for UK researchers and agri-businesses to export this green growth knowledge, technology and innovations to overseas markets.