The Hidden Carbon Gap: 1/3 of Food Emissions Untracked and 82% of Net Zero Targets Unverified

ZURICH - Jan. 26, 2026 - PRLog -- Agriculture and food systems sit at the center of the climate challenge, producing nearly one-third of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Yet much of this footprint remains invisible at the farm and field level. Land-use change, livestock, and crop production drive most emissions—far exceeding transport, which represents only 5% of the food sector's footprint (Our World in Data, 2022). Agriculture also drives approximately 75% of global deforestation (Earth.org, 2024), contributing an estimated 25–30% of global emissions when land-use impacts are included. Despite this, many companies rely on aggregated estimates, leaving compliance and climate blind spots across Scope 3, land-use emissions, and carbon storage.

The Verification Gap

Research shows that 82% of Net Zero targets remain unverified due to insufficient Scope 3 emissions data (PwC, 2025). Without credible farm-level information, companies cannot accurately measure, manage, or reduce their climate impact.

"From a technology and systems perspective, one of the biggest challenges we see is the fragmentation of farm-level data across supply chains," said Furqonuddin Ramdhani, Co-Chief Product Technology Officer at Koltiva. "Without reliable, interoperable data at the source, companies struggle to identify emissions hotspots or meet climate and regulatory commitments. Our focus has been on integrating geospatial intelligence with verified field data so emissions data becomes usable for real decision-making."

Making Emissions Visible and Actionable

Koltiva, a Swiss AgriTech leader in sustainability and traceability, provides integrated solutions to make farm emissions visible, verifiable, and actionable. Through its KoltiTrace MIS platform, agribusinesses can monitor emissions, identify hotspots, and design climate-smart interventions aligned with frameworks such as the GHG Protocol, IPCC guidelines, and SBTi FLAG.

Companies are increasingly combining geospatial monitoring, ground data collection, and land-use intelligence to track deforestation, verify carbon storage, and build compliant Scope 3 inventories. These insights support emerging regulatory and market requirements, including the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), ISO 14068 for carbon claims, and Science Based Targets initiative FLAG guidance.

From Data to Climate Action

"Advanced monitoring technologies are powerful, but their value depends on the quality of the underlying data," Furqonuddin added. "Ground-truthing connects digital signals with real farm conditions, ensuring climate data is credible, auditable, and scalable."

With nearly one-third of global emissions linked to food systems and most Net Zero targets still unverified, expectations from regulators, investors, and markets are rising. Digital monitoring paired with field verification now allows companies to move from broad emissions estimates toward targeted reduction strategies, informed procurement, and resilient supply chain investments.

"With the right data infrastructure, agribusinesses can lead the transition toward climate-smart agriculture," said Manfred Borer, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Koltiva.