McKnight Foundation and Regenerative Agriculture Foundation release report on reducing nitrous oxide from synthetic fertilizer production and use ambitious yet achievable goals and farmer-centered solutions aim to cut emissions and strengthen rural communities by 2050
September 11, 2025 – The McKnight Foundation and Regenerative Agriculture Foundation are excited to share a new report that explores how climate advocates and funders can support the agriculture sector in implementing sustainable approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the Midwest and across the country. Nitrous Oxide—A Hidden Threat: Pathways for Industry and Agriculture to Reduce Emissions from Synthetic Fertilizer explores the challenges and opportunities for both synthetic nitrogen fertilizer producers and farmers to help reduce one of the least tracked greenhouse gasses – nitrous oxide (N₂O). Download the full report here.
The report and its recommendations were developed over the course of a year of intensive conversation with farmers, researchers, advocates and thought leaders.
“Reducing nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture is critical as we look to address climate change and strengthen the U.S. agriculture economy,” said Tenzin Dolkar, Senior Program Officer at the McKnight Foundation and co-convener of the report. “By collectively implementing the recommendations set forth in this report, the United States’ agriculture industry can make significant progress in reducing N₂O emissions and help lead the way towards a more resilient agriculture system.”
“Thank you to the dozens of organizations, farmers and researchers that provided input to this important new report,” said Mark Muller, Executive Director of the Regenerative Agriculture Foundation and co-convenor of the report. “We look forward to partnering with actors across the agriculture industry as we answer the question-how do we reduce agricultural emissions in a way that improves economic resilience, supports farmer livelihoods, and strengthens rural communities?”
Monitoring and reducing emissions from the agriculture sector —especially N₂O — is complex. There are no easy solutions and the strategies to address them are not always clear. This report starts a national conversation by offering commonsense pathways to reduce N₂O emissions from the agriculture sector. It lays out ambitious, yet achievable goals for N₂O emission reduction from agricultural sources in the United States by the year 2050.
These goals include:
- Reduce N2O emissions from domestic fertilizer production by 75% by 2035 (compared to 2020 levels).
- Achieve net-zero GHG emissions from domestic fertilizer production by 2050.
- Reduce the United States’ total agricultural N2O emissions related to synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, manure, and organic amendments use by at least 50% by 2050 while safeguarding water quality, air quality, environment, and public health.
Nitrous Oxide—A Hidden Threat is produced to inspire dialogue and investment from climate funders and advocates to foster implementation of innovative and commonsense solutions that reduce N₂O emissions while minimizing the health and environmental impacts of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and protecting crop yields. It includes examples of existing production technology and on-field practices that may be deployed at scale through future investment while offering recommendations for future research and exploration. It identifies key regulatory action to be taken to strengthen existing federal and state programs concerned with nitrogen management.
Examples of recommendations put forth in the report include:
Upstream
Actions the fertilizer industry can take to reduce N2O emissions during the fertilizer production process
- Invest in and deploy existing pollution control technology in the synthetic fertilizer production process.
- Conduct further research to identify proper synthetic fertilizer application ratios.
- Prioritize local, rural farm communities as the domestic green fertilizer market grows.
Downstream
Actions farmers can take to make a difference on the farm and field
- Change the timing of nitrogen applications to support crop yields while reducing emissions.
- Deploy alternative irrigation practices like drip and subsurface irrigation.
- Reevaluate crop choices and crop production locations.
- Accelerate sustainable approaches to nitrogen management.
- Advance soil health practices and tools.
Regulatory
Actions federal/state policy makers can take to accelerate N2O emissions reduction
- Expand resources to properly enforce existing or new emission reduction policies and regulations.
- Leverage permitting and enforcement within the current federal and state laws to encourage and increase the usage of pollution control technology in the fertilizer production process.
- Improve federal farm subsidy programs and the Crop Insurance Program to reduce agricultural emissions and improve farm resilience.
Addressing nitrous oxide emissions in agriculture is not just about reducing greenhouse gases. It is about building a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable food system. It’s about ensuring the people who feed us—farmers, farmworkers, rural communities—are supported, empowered, and part of the solution.
