--- title: "Filling in the gaps: Combining the Proba Framework and Cool Farm Tool" description: Combine tools like Cool Farm Tool with Proba for effective GHG accounting. image: https://proba.earth/hubfs/Blog%20featured%20image%20(19).png --- [![Proba. In your supply chain, we make the voluntary carbon market work for you.](https://proba.earth/hs-fs/hubfs/positive.png?width=185&height=53&name=positive.png "Proba. 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Search # Filling in the gaps: Combining the Proba Framework and Cool Farm Tool 9 Jun 2026 ![Picture of Proba](https://proba.earth/hs-fs/hubfs/Subheading%20(7).png?width=40&name=Subheading%20(7).png) [Proba](https://proba.earth/probas-blog/author/proba) ![](https://proba.earth/hubfs/Blog%20featured%20image%20(19).png) [Cool Farm Tool](https://coolfarm.org/) (CFT) comes up in conversations a lot at Proba. They deal with farm fertilizer emissions, just like Proba, and much more. But they're not doing the same thing. By the way, we’re an active Cool Farm Alliance member! **What Cool Farm Tool does well** CFT is a whole-farm emissions accounting tool. Put in your data for fertilizer, fuel, livestock, land use and it will give you a carbon footprint snapshot of the whole operation. Large all-encompassing tools such as CFT and Field to Market (FtM) are designed for practicability and reliability. To achieve that they have to rely on values (emission factors) which are conservative enough to not overreport in virtually all cases. For in-field nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, CFT uses IPCC 2019 Tier 1 emission factors. All synthetic fertilizers, urea, AN, CAN, UAN, collapse into one category, split only by climate: wet (1.6%) or dry (0.5%). When a nitrification inhibitor is selected, CFT applies a flat ~38% reduction to that baseline, taken from a 2010 global meta-analysis (Akiyama et al.). That reduction doesn't vary with soil, application method, N source, or inhibitor type, even though all of these change field performance. The result is a generic but defensible number, fit for corporate Scope 3 inventories. It is not designed to quantify what a specific intervention actually delivered on a specific field, which is what credible insets and emerging standards (GHG Protocol AMI, SBTi FLAG) require. **Where Tier 1 has depth limitations** So, Cool Farm Tool gives you a broad snapshot of everything going on, but with the lack of precision in some intervention scenarios. That limitation shows up specifically when you're trying to quantify the effect of nitrogen stabilizers and precision fertilization practices. Cool Farm Tool will ask whether nitrification inhibitors are in use and applies an adjustment. However, urease inhibitors, and their specific effect on ammonia loss and N₂O, aren't included. This is where Proba steps in. **How Proba fills that gap** Proba's [PM.0004 methodology](https://proba.earth/nitrogen_stabilizers_methodology) is built specifically around nitrogen stabilizers: both nitrification and urease inhibitors and their combinations. The emission factors come from published meta-analyses on inhibitor performance, governed through independent expert assessment and public consultation. The output is an auditable reduction figure that can enhance accurate emission reporting. In practice, this means CFT reports and Proba certified emission reduction outcomes can be used together. For example, working closely with a large potato grower from the US, CFT produces a whole-farm carbon footprint report, we re-assess emissions for the nitrogen stabilizer section, replacing the generic adjustment with a methodology-derived reduction. The CFT snapshot stays intact and Proba adds depth to where the nitrogen intervention is. **What this looks like in practice** For a farm applying 274 kg N/ha using CAN27, a baseline of 2,510 kg CO₂e/ha — switching to nitrification inhibitors: | | **Cool Farm Tool** | **Proba** | | --- | --- | --- | | Reported reduction | -22.4% (475 kg CO₂e/ha) | -49% (679 kg CO₂e/ha) | A higher reduction does not mean an inflated number. PM.0004 is governed through independent expert assessment and public consultation, and the emission factors come from peer-reviewed meta-analyses on inhibitor performance. The reason Proba can report a larger reduction is that CFT's generic factor is conservative across all contexts. PM.0004 reflects what the specific intervention actually does. Different questions, different tools If the question is "what does this farming operation emit?" CFT is for you. If the question is "how do we quantify and verify the emission benefit of a specific nitrogen management practice in our supply chain?" That's a different question suited for Proba. If you're working through nitrogen interventions in your supply chain, [get in touch](https://proba.earth/contact).   ### Share: [Share on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://proba.earth/probas-blog/combining-the-use-of-proba-and-cool-farm-tool&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook) [Share on LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://proba.earth/probas-blog/combining-the-use-of-proba-and-cool-farm-tool&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin) [Share on X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https://proba.earth/probas-blog/combining-the-use-of-proba-and-cool-farm-tool&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&url=https://proba.earth/probas-blog/combining-the-use-of-proba-and-cool-farm-tool&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Filling%20in%20the%20gaps:%20Combining%20the%20Proba%20Framework%20and%20Cool%20Farm%20Tool) [Fertilizers](https://proba.earth/probas-blog/tag/fertilizers) ## Proba Food companies are asking for verified Scope 3 reductions. It starts with fertilizer. [hello@proba.earth](mailto:hello@proba.earth) [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/proba-earth/) ## Related posts Search [Your farmers cut emissions. Can you sell that?](https://proba.earth/probas-blog/your-farmers-cut-emissions.-can-you-sell-that) [Reflections from the Nitrogen Workshop in Sassari](https://proba.earth/probas-blog/reflections-from-the-nitrogen-workshop-in-sassari) Search ![Subheading (5)](https://proba.earth/hs-fs/hubfs/Subheading%20(5).png?width=317&name=Subheading%20(5).png "Subheading (5)") [Laan van Kronenburg 14, 1183 AS Amstelveen](https://maps.app.goo.gl/aKif8v1k5m9h2zA37)   Food companies are asking for certified Scope 3 reductions. It starts with fertilizer. [Follow us on Facebook](mailto:hello@proba.earth) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.linkedin.com/company/proba-earth/) Use cases [Quantify fertilizer emissions](https://proba.earth/quantify-fertilizer-emissions-proba) [Certify reductions](https://proba.earth/certify-emission-reductions) [Design projects](https://proba.earth/design-sustainability-projects) [Connect to buyers](https://proba.earth/connect-to-buyers) [Scope 3 progress](https://proba.earth/report-scope-3-progress) [Food companies](https://proba.earth/for-food-companies) [Commodity traders](https://proba.earth/agri-trader) [Agricultural co-ops](https://proba.earth/agri-cooperatives) [Fertilizer producers](https://proba.earth/for-fertilizer-producers) Products [All Proba products](https://proba.earth/products) [MRV Platform](https://proba.earth/mrv-platform) [GHG Methodologies](https://proba.earth/methodologies) [Inset units](https://proba.earth/inset-units) [Registry](https://proba.earth/registry) [Fertilizer calculator](https://proba.earth/fertilizer-emission-calculator) Services [Implementation services](https://proba.earth/implementation-services) [Quick scan](https://proba.earth/fertilizer-emission-calculator) Resources [Blog](https://proba.earth/probas-blog) [Document library](https://proba.earth/document-library) [Public consultation](https://proba.earth/public-consultation) [Approved VVBs](https://proba.earth/approved-vvbs) Company [About us](https://proba.earth/about-proba) [Contact us](https://proba.earth/contact) [Governance](https://proba.earth/proba-governance) [Privacy policy](https://proba.earth/proba-privacy-policy) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Proba", "url" : "https://proba.earth/probas-blog/author/proba" }, "dateModified" : "2026-06-16T09:57:10.100Z", "datePublished" : "2026-06-09T14:25:52.000Z", "headline" : "Filling in the gaps: Combining the Proba Framework and Cool Farm Tool", "image" : [ "https://proba.earth/hubfs/Blog%20featured%20image%20(19).png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://proba.earth/probas-blog/combining-the-use-of-proba-and-cool-farm-tool", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://proba.earth/hubfs/positive.png" }, "name" : "Proba World BV" } } ```