GRA Flagship Projects develop new knowledge to better understand agricultural greenhouse gases, have global relevance and applicability and generate high scientific impact. The GRA works collaboratively, bringing together researchers from all over the world, to deliver these projects.

Six new global Flagship Projects were approved earlier this year at the 2022 GRA Council Meeting. These key priority projects have been identified as uniquely suited to the research expertise and global membership of the GRA.

Further information about the projects and how to get involved can be found HERE and via the links below.

Economics of cattle GHG mitigation (EMiFa)

Flagship Goal: To identify the most cost-effective options for farm level GHG mitigation strategies in different global production systems and provide evidence-based policy recommendations.

Ensuring long-term mitigation and adaptation co-benefits

Flagship Goal: To develop and apply new protocol-based methods for providing national decision-makers with evidence-based knowledge to ensure agricultural mitigation strategies have lasting impact.

Feed additives to reduce methane

Flagship Goal: To accelerate the development and use of feed additives to reduce global enteric methane emissions from livestock.

Mining rumen data to reduce methane

Flagship Goal: To generate new knowledge on the rumen microbiome which will enable novel interventions to reduce methane emissions from livestock

Reducing N₂O emissions and improving accounting

Flagship Goal: To encourage global efforts to reduce GHG emissions from nitrogenous fertiliser by enabling its usage to be more accurately reflected in national level GHG accounting.

Satellite monitoring to improve livestock management

Flagship Goal: To develop globally applicable tools which improve management of grassland resources and support local initiatives to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Pre-Application Due: June 22, 2022 at 5:00pm ET

Learn more HERE.

About the 2022 Greener Cattle Request for Applications

The Greener Cattle Initiative anticipates awarding up to $4.67 million under this call for projects with applicants able to request up to that amount or a portion of the funds available.

Formed by the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, the Greener Cattle Initiative serves as a vehicle for multiple stakeholders to share knowledge and accelerate the development of scalable and commercially-feasible technologies that reduce enteric methane emissions and enable the production of sustainable beef and dairy.

This initial request for proposals seeks preliminary research that can serve as the basis for future breakthroughs and scalable solutions. The Greener Cattle Initiative welcomes research that mitigates enteric methane emissions in one or more of the following areas: nutrition and management strategies; genetic approaches and phenotyping strategies; rumen microbiome research; or sensing and data technology.

Projects should have the potential to transform the field of enteric methane research and agricultural sustainability. Additionally, research must be commercially viable, economically feasible and socially responsible without negatively impacting animal health and welfare, productivity, product quality and consumer and environmental safety.

Informational Webinar

Join FFAR virtually on May 24, 2022 at 1 p.m. ET for an informational webinar about this funding opportunity. Additional details including how to join are available on the webinar event webpage. 

Location: Ryan Institute at NUI Galway, Ireland

Closing date: Friday 10 June 2022 at 5pm

Learn more here:

Abstract submission for the upcoming XXI International Nitrogen Workshop is now open (until 13 June 2022).

Submit an abstract HERE.

XXI International N Workshop

24th – 28th October 2022, Madrid

Agro-food systems are fuelled by nitrogen. About 80% of this valuable resource is lost to the environment before reaching our plates. We refer to this loss as nitrogen waste.

The ambitious goal of halving nitrogen waste by 2030 requires important coordination of many actors: multidisciplinary scientists, farmers, industry, policy-makers, NGOs, and consumers.

The XXI International N Workshop will contribute to this challenge by welcoming contributions dealing with different spatial scales (from the plot to global) and system scopes (crop, livestock, agroforestry, forestry, urban and agro-food systems). We will discuss these communications allocated in five regular- and three special sessions, together with eight interesting keynotes during five exciting days in October 2022 in Madrid, Spain.

A new international meta-analysis, initiated by the GRA Feed and Nutrition Network, has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

“Full adoption of the most effective strategies to mitigate methane emissions by ruminants can help meet the 1.5 °C target by 2030 but not 2050”

Significance: Agricultural methane emissions must be decreased by 11 to 30% of the 2010 level by 2030 and by 24 to 47% by 2050 to meet the 1.5 °C target. We identified three strategies to decrease product-based methane emissions while increasing animal productivity and five strategies to decrease absolute methane emissions without reducing animal productivity. Globally, 100% adoption of the most effective product-based and absolute methane emission mitigation strategy can meet the 1.5 °C target by 2030 but not 2050, because mitigation effects are offset by projected increases in methane. On a regional level, Europe but not Africa may be able to meet their contribution to the 1.5 °C target, highlighting the different challenges faced by high- and middle- and low-income countries.

Abstract: To meet the 1.5 °C target, methane (CH4) from ruminants must be reduced by 11 to 30% by 2030 and 24 to 47% by 2050 compared to 2010 levels. A meta-analysis identified strategies to decrease product-based (PB; CH4 per unit meat or milk) and absolute (ABS) enteric CH4 emissions while maintaining or increasing animal productivity (AP; weight gain or milk yield). Next, the potential of different adoption rates of one PB or one ABS strategy to contribute to the 1.5 °C target was estimated. The database included findings from 430 peer-reviewed studies, which reported 98 mitigation strategies that can be classified into three categories: animal and feed management, diet formulation, and rumen manipulation. A random-effects meta-analysis weighted by inverse variance was carried out. Three PB strategies—namely, increasing feeding level, decreasing grass maturity, and decreasing dietary forage-to-concentrate ratio—decreased CH4 per unit meat or milk by on average 12% and increased AP by a median of 17%. Five ABS strategies—namely CH4 inhibitors, tanniferous forages, electron sinks, oils and fats, and oilseeds—decreased daily methane by on average 21%. Globally, only 100% adoption of the most effective PB and ABS strategies can meet the 1.5 °C target by 2030 but not 2050, because mitigation effects are offset by projected increases in CH4 due to increasing milk and meat demand. Notably, by 2030 and 2050, low- and middle-income countries may not meet their contribution to the 1.5 °C target for this same reason, whereas high-income countries could meet their contributions due to only a minor projected increase in enteric CH4 emissions.

Read the full article HERE.

Read a press release about the article HERE

The first call is open for proposals until 5pm 15 July 2022 (Irish time).

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue, and Minister of State with special responsibility for research and innovation Martin Heydon, launched a new landmark research initiative with the New Zealand Minister for Agriculture, Damien O’Connor M.P. on 12 May 2022.

The Joint Research Mechanism (JRM) will focus on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and enhanced carbon sequestration in ruminant, pasture-based production systems.

Full press release HERE.

2022 Ireland – New Zealand Joint Research Call

The first research call under this initiative has been launched – “Strategies, technologies and novel production systems to reduce and account for greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture ruminant production systems”.

Submissions are open for proposals until 5pm 15 July 2022 (Irish time).

Topics for this call are:

• Rumen Microbiology to Support the Development of Ruminant GHG Mitigation Technologies
• Identification and development of technologies for the selection of low emitting ruminant livestock
• Refinement of agricultural GHG emissions inventories through the development of emission factors for Nitrous Oxide and Carbon

There will be 2 webinars for applicants at these dates and times:

• 10am 18 May (NZ time) register here 
• 10am 25 May (Irish time) register here 

For more information refer to the 2022 joint call for research proposals.

2022 joint call for research proposals [PDF, 1.1 MB]

Further information can be found HERE.