The twelfth GRA Council meeting took place on 24-25 April 2023 in Madrid, Spain.

The meeting was attended by 50 people, including representatives from 21 countries and 11 partner organisations. Chile has now officially passed the Council Chair role to Spain, with South Africa accepting the Vice-Chair role.

The meeting included reports on the past year’s achievements from the GRA Special Representative, Research Groups, Flagship Projects and capability building programmes. A proposal for a new global Flagship Project, focused on agroecology and agroforestry was presented for approval. A new GRA Partner organisation was endorsed by the Council. The meeting also involved presentations on work underway in Spain, a discussion about the results of a survey of GRA members and a review of the current GRA Operational Plan.

Key outcomes of the meeting include:

• New global Flagship Project approved during the meeting.
• Global Methane Hub to be invited as an official GRA Partner.
• Science to policy communication working group to be established.
• Mediterranean Agriculture Network on GHG mitigation to be launched, led by CIHEAM.

The meeting report is now available to view by clicking HERE.

Press release from Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine 

Published 28 June 2023

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Minister Heydon announces increased Irish involvement in Global Research Alliance for Agricultural Greenhouse Gases

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, with special responsibility for research and innovation, Martin Heydon T.D., today made a series of announcements that will increase Irish involvement in the Global Research Alliance (GRA) for Agricultural Greenhouse Gases.

The GRA brings together 67 countries to find ways to produce food without growing greenhouse gas emissions. Ireland, through the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, was a founding member of the GRA.

• Announcement of support for two GRA Flagship projects

Minister Heydon announced support towards two postgraduate positions in two GRA Flagship Projects on feed additives and rumen microbiology. Funding of over €450,000 will support Ireland’s involvement in these projects.

Referring to this announcement, Minister Heydon said:

“Support for these two Flagship projects is another demonstration of the strong international commitment my Department’s research programme has. By working in collaborative partnerships such as the Global Research Alliance, we can accelerate the pace of the research and more importantly, develop solutions to tackle methane emissions from cattle. By supporting early-stage postgraduate researchers we can ensure that Ireland continues to have a strong pipeline of world class climate and agriculture scientists.”

• Appointment of Prof. Tommy Boland as Co-Chair of the Livestock Research Group

Additionally, Professor Tommy Boland, University College Dublin, has been appointed to Ireland’s Co-Chair position of the Livestock Research Group of the GRA. Prof. Boland took up the position at the recent GRA Council meeting held in Madrid in April.

Speaking on the appointment, Minister Heydon said:

“I am delighted that Professor Boland has taken up this position. Along with his research and teaching expertise in UCD, he has a strong national and international reputation and breadth of expertise in sustainable livestock research. These will serve him well in Co-Chairing this important global research group and ensure it continues to bring together expertise from around the world to improve the climate performance of livestock farming. I also want to recognise the exceptional work and commitment of our outgoing Co-Chair, Professor Sinead Waters of Teagasc, who leaves the position after five years”.

For his part, Prof. Boland said:

“It is a great honour to assume the role of Irish Co-Chair of the Livestock Research Group of the Global Research Alliance. Livestock production systems play key roles globally in terms of food provision and rural economies but are facing challenges in terms of future sustainability. The Global Research Alliance brings together international expertise and practice in livestock systems to deliver solutions from a global to a local level as part of the Research Group, and I look forward to the challenge and to working with national and international colleagues to deliver solutions for our future food systems”.

• Announcing Irish participation in European Climate research initiative

Minister Heydon also announced the Department’s involvement in a new European research funding initiative known as the Green ERAHUB, which will fund research on sustainable and resilient agri-food systems. The Department will provide €1.2 Million to support Irish involvement in the first Call under the initiative while Teagasc will also provide €200,000 in support of two Walsh Scholarships.

Opening the first research call under the initiative, the Minister said:

“this new Research Call is a tremendous opportunity for Irish researchers to collaborate with European partners in the areas of fertiliser use efficiency, mitigating GHGs from agriculture, increasing European protein self-sufficiency, and sustainable energy production and use in agriculture. These research themes are closely aligned with areas of strategic importance to the Irish agriculture sector and I therefore strongly encourage Irish researchers to consider applying to the Call”.

READ MORE HERE.

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Closing date: 28 August 2023

We are pleased to announce Round 6 of the CLIFF-GRADS Fellowship Programme is now open for student applications!

The Climate, Food and Farming, Global Research Alliance Development Scholarships (CLIFF-GRADS) Programme is a joint initiative of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) and Mitigate Plus. CLIFF-GRADS builds capability in early-career scientists from developing countries to conduct applied research in agriculture greenhouse gas emissions quantification and mitigation.

We invite PhD students who meet the following criteria to apply:

• From developing countries;
• Undertaking their PhD in a University in a developing country; and
• Who have not previously been awarded a CLIFF-GRADS grant.

Successful applicants to the CLIFF-GRADS programme will go on short term (4-6 month) research stays at a host institution and will:

• Gain experience in the measurement, modelling and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, or carbon storage in agricultural systems relevant to developing countries;
• Build networks and experience other cultures; and
• Gain access to equipment and methodologies used by other institutions.

Learn more about the R6 opportunities and how to apply in the call document HERE.

Applications are now open for the “Greenhouse gas assessment and mitigation in agriculture: concepts, methods and simulation tools” course being held in Zaragoza (Spain) from 16-20 October 2023. The closing date for applications is 19 July 2023.

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Key reasons to attend this course

This course will provide knowledge on the processes underlying GHG emissions and soil C sinks, measuring methodologies and modelling tools in cropping systems. Methods for national GHG inventories and mitigation options analysis will be presented and practical work will be organized based on real case studies.

At the end of the course participants will have:

• knowledge of the international reporting processes of GHG emissions and C removal from agriculture;
• better understanding of the sources and drivers controlling GHG emissions and carbon sequestration in cropping systems;
• an overview of state-of-the-art methods for measuring GHG emissions and soil C changes;
• insights on the technical aspects on direct and indirect GHG mitigation strategies;
• criteria for designing and improving national inventories;
• improved skills in the use of simulation models and tools for estimating GHG emissions and soil C changes at different scales;
• a holistic view of available tools to support informed decision making;
• a comprehensive vision of the challenges and opportunities of C farming.

Admission:

The course is designed for professionals with a university degree, and is specially oriented towards public and private planners and decision-makers, technical advisors, agronomists, environmentalists and R&D professionals involved in the management of the environmental effects of agriculture in a context of climate change.

• 25 places will be available for face-to-face participation (lectures, practical work and debates).
• 30 places will be available for online participation (lectures and debates).
  

Knowledge of English and Spanish will be valued in the selection of candidates, since they will be the working languages of the course. The Organization will provide simultaneous interpretation of the lectures in these two languages.

Scholarships:

Candidates from Mediterranean CIHEAM member countries, GRA member countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, may apply during the registration process for scholarships covering registration fees and for scholarships covering the cost of travel and full board accommodation in Zaragoza.

Candidates from ASEAN countries, may apply during the registration process for scholarships covering registration fees for online participation.

Candidates from other countries who require financial support should apply directly to other national or international institutions.

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For further information click HERE.

Closing date: 1 August 2023

Location: Aaehus University, Denmark

The Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University, Denmark, is offering a postdoctoral position on nitrous oxide emissions from arable crop rotations, starting 01-11-2023 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position will be available for a 3-year period.

A key activity in the first year will be to compile, analyse and publish nitrous oxide emission data from a multi-site and multi-year monitoring study, with a particular focus on organic vs. synthetic fertilisers, and on cover crops as sink and source of nitrous oxide.

Environmental and microbiological controls will then be investigated in new and targeted studies that may involve field experiments with automated chambers as well as controlled laboratory experiments.

The experimental studies should be planned to support ongoing national and international collaboration on process-based modeling of nitrous oxide emissions. Accounting for the effects of organic hotspots is a particular challenge for models, but important in a Danish context with a high degree of organic N input to arable soil in manure and crop residues.

The postdoc position will be part of a lively international research environment with a broad focus on measurement and modeling of C and N turnover and cropping systems, and on mitigation of environmental impacts.

Learn more about the position and how to apply HERE.

Closing date: 30 June 2023

Location: Teagasc and University College Cork, Ireland

Teagasc PhD Walsh Scholarship Opportunity
“RU-MINIG: RUmen microbiome MINING for bacterial cultures to reduce methane”

Download the file below for details about the project and how to apply: