What do we mean by Net Zero literacy in the farming community?

The farming community is facing multiple demands linked to the challenges of climate change mitigation alongside sustaining resilient farms and businesses. From carbon audits and sustainability standards to changing supply chain expectations and policy compliance, farmers are being asked to respond to a rapidly evolving agenda.

This challenge does not sit in isolation it depends on the entire Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS) – the networks of farmers, advisers, researchers, agri-businesses, policymakers and support organisations that shape how knowledge is generated and shared. This system is under pressure to adapt just as quickly. The political urgency for net zero amplifies this.

Talking to a broad range of farmers and Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System stakeholders across the UK as part of the LUNZ Hub and the LUNZ FOOTPRINT project has demonstrated the level of uncertainty, contestation and confusion surrounding the net zero concept. As one adviser remarked “If we, as practitioners, struggle with these uncertainties, how can we expect farmers to trust the process?”

Whilst farmers and those who support them are continuously learning and adapting, net zero introduces new complex scientific concepts around greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon sequestration and life-cycle analysis, and a range of methodologies, metrics and tools that can often ‘black box’ farm processes. It also requires navigating new market, policy and supply chain mechanisms, new actors and practices with unfamiliar language and questionable knowledge claims.

The word ‘literacy’ itself is now widely used in farming, from digital and financial literacy to soil, carbon and data literacy, but it is rarely defined. We use a definition that goes far beyond the simple notion of education. For us literacy refers to the wide range of skills, competencies and capabilities that individuals and groups need to seek out, comprehend, evaluate, and use information to make informed choices. In a net zero context, that means understanding what the numbers actually mean, where they come from, what they leave out, and how they shape farm practice and business decisions, access to markets and future policy direction. This shifts the focus from the number or metric to what that means in a certain context.

This is where the idea of ‘situated literacy’ becomes especially relevant. Literacy is not a neutral, universal competence that looks the same on every farm. It is shaped by context, culture, history and power. What net zero means on a hill farm in the uplands will differ from what it means in an arable system on prime lowland soils. The tools, assumptions and expectations built into GHG accounting systems may fit some farming systems better than others.

Importantly, also literacy is not just an individual skill. It is also something that develops within relationships, networks and communities. Farmers learn from other farmers, from trusted advisers, from supply chain partners and from their own experience as much as from formal guidance. This makes net zero literacy a collective issue as well as a individual one. How knowledge circulates, who translates it, and whose voices are heard all shape what net zero looks like in practice.

Net zero literacy is also shaped by scientific models and methodologies and by the organisations that design and control the data infrastructure. Decisions about what is measured, how it is measured and what is rewarded are never purely technical. They reflect regulatory priorities, market interests and political choices. This can make net zero literacy a contested space, where questions of fairness, access and influence matter.

For farmers, this can create both opportunity and risk. On the one hand, better data and clearer signals from markets could reward mitigation practices and support long-term resilience. On the other, poorly designed systems could exclude certain farm types, shift risk onto producers, or reduce complex land management decisions to narrow numerical targets.

This is why fostering net zero literacy across the AKIS matters. A well-supported farming community with strong net zero literacy is more empowered, more able to question, adapt and shape the transition rather than simply comply with it. It is better placed to spot unrealistic claims, challenge unfair assumptions and make informed choices that align environmental goals with business reality.

As with any other farming transitions, the journey to net zero requires different forms of learning across the whole AKIS. It’s also critical to remember that net zero is not the only game in town. Farmers, advisers and other support services have other priorities, they are trying to sustain profitable, resilient businesses and healthy environments in the face of volatile markets, weather patterns and uncertain policy. Net zero literacy needs to be incorporated into these demands and associated literacies.

The TAG Enabling transition on the ground to net zero in the LUNZ hub has been exploring how to foster net zero literacy and has collected examples of what works well in workshops across the UK. The TAG has also hosted a webinar  Building Capacity for Net Zero Literacy in Farming and Rural Communities demonstrating how the farming community is already being supported in building literacy.