NEC Presents the Decarbonization Potential of its Agricultural Solution
NEC and the Carbon Trust announced that the CropScope platform's variable fertilizer function achieved a 23% CO₂e reduction (approx. –6 tCO₂e) for Winter Wheat in a Japan case study.
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NEC Corporation announced the decarbonization potential of its agricultural software platform "CropScope" at COP30 (the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), held in Belém, Brazil, from November 10, 2025. NEC, together with global climate consultancy the Carbon Trust developed a case study in Hokkaido, Japan, to demonstrate the use of CropScope’s variable fertilizer application function. The Carbon Trust calculated the net carbon impact of the solution as approximately –6 tCO2e, resulting in a 23% reduction in emissions when used on the crop type Winter Wheat.
This calculation quantifies the decarbonization potential for society and was conducted as NEC became the first Japanese company selected for the Net Carbon Impact Assessment promoted by the European Green Digital Coalition.
The Net Carbon Impact Assessment scientifically evaluates environmental contributions enabled by digital technology. NEC applied to and was selected for this project, inspired by the potential of digital solutions for agriculture — a sector closely linked to climate change.
Through this project, NEC conducted the first quantitative assessment demonstrating that CropScope's variable fertilizer application not only improves fertilizer efficiency but also delivers environmental benefits. This assessment will be published as a case study report.
NEC's CropScope reduces N₂O (nitrous oxide) emissions generated from fertilizer-derived nitrogen through nitrification and denitrification reactions by suppressing excessive fertilization via variable-rate application. In 2022, NEC conducted field trials on multiple crops at a farm in northern Japan. Based on these data, NEC quantitatively evaluated the results within the framework of the European Green Digital Coalition’s Net Carbon Impact Assessment with support from the Carbon Trust.
Generation of high-precision variable fertilizer application maps through satellite data analysis
Variable fertilizer application is a technology that optimizes fertilizer application rates for each location based on the growth status and soil properties within a field. CropScope analyzes monitoring data, such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and estimated soil nitrogen levels derived from satellite imagery, to divide fields into multiple management zones. Moreover, it automatically calculates and maps the optimal fertilizer application rate for each zone. Utilizing this map reduces localized surpluses and shortages that conventional uniform fertilization cannot address, enabling efficient use of fertilizer and improved productivity.
Compatibility with Farm Machinery and Ease of Field Implementation
The generated fertilizer application maps can be linked with compatible tractors and fertilizer spreaders to automatically execute zone-specific fertilizer application. A key feature is the ability to easily utilize variable rate fertilization—which previously required specialized knowledge and complex settings—through a seamless process from data analysis and map generation to actual fertilization. The user-friendly interface and practical design significantly lower the barrier to adoption in the field, even for first-time users.
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