Regional activities

Within the Livestock Research Group, countries have formed regional networks to advance shared interests and help address common challenges. We now have a Mediterranean Livestock Network and a Latin American and Caribbean Sustainable Livestock Production Platform. A regional engagement workshop was also held in Turkey that discussed agriculture and climate change issues facing eastern Mediterranean and Central Asian countries and explored opportunities for further collaboration. Regional engagement activities are planned across East, West and Southern Africa in the coming year.

An extensive programme of work has been underway in South and South East Asia since 2015, supporting countries to improve the ways their national greenhouse gas inventories capture livestock emissions. Several workshops have taken place to better understand livestock systems in the region, their changes over time and the impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Technical training has enabled countries to progress towards more advanced inventories for estimating livestock emissions, including data collection, statistical analysis and measurement techniques. International inventory experts have peer reviewed draft inventories and provided advice on overcoming barriers. Participating countries are now linking inventory development and greenhouse gas mitigation research with national and regional climate change development plans, and a regional network of inventory practitioners is emerging. This work has been supported by the Government of New Zealand.

A partnership between the Livestock Research Group, FONTAGRO and the New Zealand Government has supported countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to better understand and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock. Since this work began over seven years ago, countries have:

• Improved and standardised their measurement of enteric methane and nitrous oxide emissions from different farm systems
• Identified regionally appropriate mitigation options consistent with farming practices and development goals
• Established a regional platform to coordinate research activities relating to the sustainable intensification of livestock production