The Viridis Ag pathway to net zero agricultural emissions
Promoting farming practices with sustainable outcomes
Viridis Ag, a broadacre row cropping business, works to accelerate the adoption of low-emissions farming practices across its portfolio. It has shared key insights from its experience, demonstrating the nexus between agricultural productivity and emissions reduction.
About this Insight
Viridis Ag’s pathway to net zero agricultural emissions
November 2025
The CEFC, through its investment in the Macquarie Agriculture Fund – Crop Australia 1, has worked with Viridis Ag to support practices that enhance on-farm productivity while accelerating the agricultural sector’s transition to net zero. This Viridis Ag report outlines actions and outcomes to date.
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The measurement and calculation of what’s happening on-farm is really critical if you are going to establish new technologies to help lower on-farm emissions in the future, and also to really help on-farm operators to better assess what impact they’re having on the ground.Heechung SungExecutive Director and Head of Natural Capital, CEFC
Our investment
Australian agriculture faces unique decarbonisation challenges associated with crop and animal production. However, with investment in solutions that decrease emissions while maintaining or enhancing productivity, agriculture, a core contributor to Australia’s GDP, can play a key role in the nation’s decarbonisation journey.
CEFC backs Viridis Ag decarbonisation
The CEFC invested $100 million in the Macquarie Agriculture Fund – Crop Australia 1 (MAFCA1) in 2018 to support the adoption of low-emissions farming practices in Australian agriculture and accelerate the industry’s transition to net zero emissions. As part of the investment, the CEFC and MAFCA1, together with the CSIRO, established the Energy, Emissions and Efficiency Advisory Committee (3EAC) to increase the uptake of climate solutions in Australian agriculture. The 3EAC developed and piloted FarmPrint, a web-based tool that makes it easier for farmers to calculate and report on their on-farm emissions. Viridis Ag, a portfolio company of MAFCA1, works closely with 3EAC and has detailed key learnings from its early adoption of FarmPrint.
How large-scale farming can reduce emissions without compromising productivity
Viridis Ag’s pathway to net zero agricultural emissions is discussed in a podcast featuring CEFC Executive Director and Head of Natural Capital Heechung Sung, Viridis Ag General Manager of Operations Scott Ceeney and Macquarie Asset Management Head of Agriculture Colin Rigg.
KEY OUTCOMES
Since 2020, Viridis has demonstrated a cumulative 12 per cent reduction in emissions intensity relative to the FarmPrint benchmark.
Viridis has seen a decreasing trend in emissions intensity driven by upfront soil improvement capital expenditure and the implementation of precision agriculture.
The Viridis emissions reduction strategy
The Viridis emissions reduction strategy targets three primary emissions sources; fertiliser and chemicals, fossil fuels and crop residuals.
Its strategy involves:
- Executing on commercially viable opportunities to optimise productivity, soil health and input use efficiency
- Trialling new and emerging technologies that address key emissions sources
- Maximising on-farm carbon capture and storage across natural landscapes. This includes environmental tree plantings on unproductive or non-arable areas.
Viridis Ag actions
- Established an emissions baseline in 2021, using online tool FarmPrint
- Determined primary sources of emissions
- Established an emissions reduction target of net zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2040
- Implementing decarbonisation initiatives and tracking progress.
Farming benefits
Lowering the emissions intensity of farming systems can provide a range of benefits including:
- Increased productivity and optimised input use efficiency
- Resilience against climate variations built through low-emissions practices
- Increased market opportunities through growing demand for produce with measured and low emissions
- Management of evolving regulatory requirements and the introduction of mandatory climate reporting in Australia.
