The May 2024 issue of Who’s Counting, the Inventories and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Network Newsletter is now available to view HERE.

Who’s Counting summarises scientific progress, opportunities, resources and events related to national agriculture inventory development, national agriculture climate targets, and international inventory capability-building activities.

We encourage you to directly submit content for the next Issue of Who’s Count

Please note the deadline for all the attached opportunities is May 19, 2024, at 11:59 pm.

Please take a look at the attachment describing some opportunities for consultancies in the areas of GHG inventories, NDCs, and MRV systems.

Location: Ireland
Post Duration: 24 months

Project: Neonatal dietary interventions to reduce enteric methane emissions (NeoDREMES)

Applications are invited for a post-doctoral research fellow position in the UCD School of Agriculture & Food Science. The position aims to evaluate the effectiveness of maternal dietary interventions in ewes to alter early life microbial development in the lambs.

UCD Lyons Farm – YouTube link

Addressing climate change and protecting the environment are among the greatest challenges of our time, and food loss and waste (FLW) is a major contributor to both issues. A workshop on “Food Loss and Waste Prevention in Sub-Saharan Africa” was held in Nairobi, Kenya from 17-18 April 2024.

The workshop which brought together active food loss and waste stakeholders from across SSA discussed regional context and circumstances for action on food loss and waste prevention, including the challenges and options for action at policy and practice level.

The two-day workshop was jointly organized by the Thünen Institute (Germany), the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (New Zealand), the UN Sustainable Development Solution Network (France) and the University of Nairobi (Kenya).

New Zealand, through the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) supported the workshop and was represented by Dr Ackim Mwape from the New Zealand Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC).  Dr Mwape delivered a keynote address during the opening of the workshop where he emphasized the need to quantify the magnitude, composition, and geographical location of lost and discarded foods.  He stressed that:

“Enhanced knowledge and awareness of where along the food chain, for which foods, and in which countries, the greatest food losses are produced, is essential to decide where and how to target prevention efforts in the most effective way”.

The outcome of the workshop was a convergence of three overarching challenges and priorities across the region:

• Quantifying and tracking of FLW at all stages of the food supply chain.
• Commitment to report FLW by all actors in the food chain, addressing existing data gaps.
• Awareness and education of the population on FLW prevention

The CFS Network have recently published a policy brief on assessing and improving Nitrogen cycling in agricultural production with examples from Flanders (Belgium) and the Netherlands. Check it out HERE or by clicking on the image below.

Closing Date: 30 April 2024, 5 pm (NZST)

Location: New Zealand

The New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC), in partnership with New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has launched a multi-year scholarship and fellowship programme. The programme will be open to those working on projects focused on reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.

The programme provides funding for up to five PhD students (up to three years) and up to four post-doctoral researchers (up to two years) to contribute to New Zealand-based research programmes targeting a reduction in agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.

The programme funding covers stipend and tuition fees (PhD), or salary and research costs/overheads (Post-doctoral). For more details including eligibility & funding details please see: https://www.nzagrc.org.nz/domestic/capacity-development/early-career-researcher-funding

Step 1 of the process for awarding the scholarships/fellowships is an open call for New Zealand based research projects that would be suitable for hosting either a PhD student or post-doctoral fellow. The call is open from 8 April to 30 April 2024.

 If you have a project which you think would be a good fit, please complete the application form at https://www.nzagrc.org.nz/domestic/capacity-development/early-career-researcher-funding and submit to [email protected] before 5pm, 30 April 2024.

Once the successful projects have been selected, the NZAGRC will facilitate an applicant selection process, including advertising for applicants, short-listing, and working with host organisations to interview and select preferred applicants.