Field measurements of GHG emissions and carbon stock changes are essential for comprehensive GHG assessments. Field measurements provide direct estimates of GHG emissions and carbon stocks and help build assumptions for models and develop emissions factors (Milne et al., 2013). Also, see Estimating Emissions Activity data & Emission Factors and Models.
On the other hand, costs and a lack of technical expertise may prevent developing field measurement campaigns, especially in developing countries where more precise data is frequently needed for feasible mitigation options planning and evaluation.
The Standard Assessment of Agricultural Mitigation Potential and Livelihoods (SAMPLES) platform is a powerful resource for designing a measurement program and performing field measurements of agricultural GHG sources and sinks, focusing on low-cost measurement techniques for developing country contexts. The platform contains emission factors from around the globe and the full text of the open-source book, Methods for Measuring Greenhouse Gas Balances and Evaluating Mitigation Options in Smallholder Agriculture.