The Global Research Alliance (GRA) & the African Climate Action Partnership (AfCAP) cordially invite you to register for our upcoming webinar on “Strengthening livestock GHG inventories in Africa: Lessons from the NZ CSA Initiative”. This engaging session will bring together inventory and livestock experts, national inventory compilers, researchers, government officials, and development partners involved in agricultural GHG measurement and reporting to gain practical insights into how African countries are strengthening agricultural GHG inventories through Tier 2 approaches. Attendees will also learn about the benefits and challenges of these transitions, their policy relevance, the value of regional collaboration, and hear directly from Zimbabwe’s experience.
Webinar Overview:
This session will showcase key capability-building activities in Africa, centred on improving agricultural GHG inventories, and the role of the AFCAP Livestock Community of Practice. Under the NZ Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Initiative, technical work in ten countries has moved beyond default emissions estimates to full Tier 2 approaches. The webinar will highlight the practical benefits and challenges of Tier upgrades, their policy relevance, the value of regional collaboration through AFCAP, and insights from the Zimbabwean government.
Event Details
Title: Strengthening livestock GHG inventories in Africa: Lessons from the NZ CSA Initiative
When: 11 June 2026
Time: 10:00 SAST / 11:00 EAT / 09:00 WAT / 08:00 GMT
Where: Via Zoom
The Global AgriInno Challenge (GAC) 2026 is now accepting applications from innovators worldwide working to transform agrifood systems in Small Island Developing States.
Jointly organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Zhejiang University, and Pinduoduo, this sixth edition of the competition places SIDS at the center of global agrifood innovation, regions that face some of the world’s most pressing climate and food security challenges yet remain underserved by mainstream technology ecosystems.
GAC 2026 is open to agripreneurs and startups from any country, provided their solution directly addresses agrifood challenges facing SIDS or has been deployed within a SIDS context. Teams originating from or led by individuals from SIDS are strongly encouraged to apply.
Thirteen finalists will be selected through a competitive global screening process. Five of these spots are reserved for teams from the twelve SIDS countries participating in the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Project: Bahamas, Barbados, Cabo Verde, Comoros, Cook Islands, Fiji, Grenada, Maldives, São Tomé and Príncipe, Solomon Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vanuatu.
All finalists will travel to Hangzhou, China in August 2026 for an immersive week of expert workshops, investor matchmaking, and the Global Final Pitch before an international jury.
Click HERE for further information.
The GANASUR team during a recent Workshop
The GANASUR project – “Developing Mitigation Strategies for the Livestock Sector Through a Collaborative Approach Across the Southern Cone”– is wrapping up in June, but it has positioned the region as a leader in low-emissions livestock approaches in South America.
Funded through the New Zealand Government’s Climate Smart Agriculture Initiative, as part of its contribution to the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA), and coordinated by PROCISUR, GANASUR brought together leading scientific institutions from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. This regional collaboration has generated practical evidence that can be used directly by policymakers.
From Fragmented Data to a Shared Evidence Base
A core achievement of GANASUR is the development of harmonised, region-wide “Business-As-Usual” baselines across diverse beef production systems in the Southern Cone. By using consistent methods and verifying typical pastural beef systems, the project created a shared evidence base to enable:
- robust comparison of mitigation strategies across countries,
- greater confidence in regional and national emissions estimates, and
- consistency with international reporting and GRA priorities.
This shared baseline is a critical step toward mitigation actions that can be compared and scaled up. It also allowed the creation of mitigation scenarios, which are useful because they show both the full potential and the realistic pathway for action:
- Maximum Theoretical Scenario – representing the highest potential mitigation achievable under full implementation of all measures. This helps set ambition and understand the total opportunity.
- Plausible Scenario – reviewed and agreed by stakeholders within each participating country. This makes it far more relevant for policy design and implementation.
Identifying What Works: Mitigation with Measurable Impact
GANASUR has moved beyond theory to quantify what mitigation options actually deliver across productivity, emissions, and profitability. The project is assessing practical interventions, including:
- improved reproductive efficiency,
- optimised grazing and forage systems, with a particular focus on enhancing forage quality (digestibility and nitrogen content) and availability,
- strategic supplementation, and
- enhanced animal health management.
Anti-methanogenic feed or additives impacts are evaluated on methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions up to the farm-gate to ensure that mitigation pathways are grounded in real farm performance.
Linking Science and Policy: The Economics of Mitigation
A key innovation is the development of Marginal Abatement Cost Curves (MACCs) tailored to Southern Cone systems. For each mitigation practice in livestock systems (e.g. better grazing, improved reproduction, feed additives), a MACC answers two key questions:
- How much can this reduce emissions? (the abatement potential)
- What does it cost to achieve that reduction? (the cost per unit of emissions reduced)
These options are then plotted so you can compare them side by side. These provide policymakers with clear insights into the:
- cost-effectiveness of mitigation options,
- trade-offs between emissions reduction and farm profitability, and
- opportunities for low-cost, high-impact interventions.
This economic lens is essential for designing credible, implementable mitigation policies and investment strategies.
Why GANASUR Matters for the scientific Community
GANASUR delivers exactly what is needed to accelerate progress aligned with the goals of the GRA:
- Comparable, regionally harmonised data frameworks
- Evidence on scalable mitigation practices
- Integration of productivity, resilience, and emissions outcomes
- Direct relevance for policy and investment decisions
As countries seek to balance food production, economic growth, and emissions reduction, GANASUR provides a replicable model for evidence-based, regionally coordinated climate action in livestock systems.
Its insights will inform policy development, mitigation strategies, and international collaboration, helping ensure that livestock systems in the Southern Cone and beyond are productive, resilient, and aligned with global climate ambitions.
Read more HERE:
“The Global Methane Hub is offering travel grants to researchers who work in Low and Middle Income Countries in order to facilitate their travel to the International Symposium on Rice Functional Genomics 2026.”
A list of eligible LMIC countries can be downloaded here. These countries have been classified by World Bank metrics.
Applications will be assessed by the ISRFG26 Scientific organising group. Successful applicants will receive free registration for ISRFG26 and 5 nights accommodation in London. We will also provide up to $500 to support travel to London.
Application deadline is June 1st 2026.
We will inform successful applicants soon after the deadline so that flights can be booked well in advance of travel.
An application can be submitted HERE
Manure management on livestock farms contributes significantly to the climate impact of agriculture via emissions of methane, nitrous oxide and ammonia. The IPCC tier 2 method to estimate methane emissions, developed in 1996, is based on the maximal methane production rate of fresh excreta (B0) and a conversion factor MCF to account for storage conditions. This calculation concept was meant to be simple, because it should be applicable worldwide, including regions where the staff carrying out the calculations has limited information about manure management systems or expertise in how management and environmental conditions may affect the processes behind methane emissions. Three researchers with much experience in developing models to calculate methane emissions from livestock farming will present new improvements of the tier 2 method as well as alternative approaches for calculating the emission. The intention of the webinar is to stimulate new initiatives to investigate the calculation of methane emissions from manure management, with the aim to develop a new generation of methods.
A video recording of the webinar are now available to view HERE
Location: Teagasc, Animal & Grassland Research Centre, Grange, Dunsany, Co. Meath C15 PW93, Ireland
Salary: Post Doc (Level 1) with a Salary Scale of €44,569 to €48,895
Closing Date: 17/04/2026 12:00 PM
For more information please click HERE
Location: Teagasc, Animal & Grassland, Research and Innovation Centre, Grange, Dunsany, Co. Meath. Salary: Research Officer with a Salary Scale of €41,996 to €79,618
Closing Date: 16/04/2026 12:00 PM
For more information please click HERE
This webinar presents the findings of a global meta-analysis examining the factors that regulate the effectiveness of biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) in reducing nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from agricultural systems. BNI is a plant-mediated process in which certain metabolites inhibit soil nitrifying microorganisms, slowing the conversion of ammonium to nitrate and potentially reducing N₂O emissions. By synthesizing results from 23 published studies, this analysis evaluates the influence of genetic, environmental, and management factors on cumulative N₂O emission reduction. The results highlight that plant genus and species, soil physical characteristics (including texture, clay and sand content, and bulk density), soil nutrient status (such as soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻), drainage conditions, irrigation, geographic factors, measurement timing, and nitrogen fertilization practices (type and application rate) are key drivers shaping BNI effectiveness.
A video recording of the webinar are now available to view HERE
About the project:
Native pastures of northern Australia are botanically diverse, supporting hundreds of species of grasses, forbs, trees and shrubs. Species have different nutritive value, digestibility and some have anti-methanogenic properties. Current carrying capacity methodology assumes cattle eat only the herbaceous layer of vegetation including grasses and forbs, but in many environments, such as in Central Australia and the Victoria River District, trees and shrubs are known to contribute a significant component of the diet through browse. However, which species they are eating and under what conditions is not well known. Current methods used to assess non-grass dietary components are of limited use in detecting browse in northern Australia. This PhD is part of a larger Zero Net Emissions Agriculture CRC project -Low Methane Feedbase Program- which aims to quantify the anti-methanogenic properties of northern Australian vegetation, but this information will be of limited applicability without knowing how these species currently contribute to cattle diets across northern Australia. Greenhouse gas emission estimates cannot be truly representative for the system without this.
This PhD will use field collected data, including faecal environmental DNA, to understand the contribution of different plant species in the diets of cattle in northern Australia. The student will then use these data along with anti-methanogenic compound concentrations and nutritional value data to test current greenhouse gas estimates for Australia’s north. This PhD is an excellent opportunity to work closely with government and industry partners including researchers from the Northern Territory Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
The student will ideally be based in Darwin or Alice Springs, but other locations are negotiable.
Project benefits
- An Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship valued at $34,315/yr (from 2026, indexed annually and tax exempt) for 3 years full time from commencement + $10,000/yr top-up
- Relocation allowance ($2k)
- Paid sick leave
- Maternity leave
Project supervisors and advisors:
Beth Penrose (Charles Darwin University)
Maxine Piggot (Charles Darwin University)
Robyn Cowley (Northern Territory Government)
Caroline Pettit (Northern Territory Government)
About you
Essential skills and experience:
- First Class Honours or Masters degree containing a substantial research component in a relevant field such as agriculture, environmental science or similar
- Australian driving license or the capacity to easily get one
- Experience collecting field samples
- Ability and willingness to travel to regional and remote locations
Desirable skills and experience:
- Experience with molecular techniques and/or environmental DNA analysis
- Modelling experience using greenhouse gas, crop or animal models
- Publications, e.g. research reports, journal publications
How to apply
Please provide:
- A curriculum vitae, including a list of any peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and relevant work and/or research experience
- A brief statement not exceeding 500-words in length that explains why you are interested in this research project/area
Send these documents to Beth Penrose ([email protected]). This position is open until filled.
For more information, please email Beth or contact her on 0436 839 662
On the 12th of February, the AgriDENZ project hosted a webinar on farm-level GHG accounting where Koen Deconinck from the OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate presented ongoing work including insights from a new comprehensive database of 200 tools for farm-level GHG estimation.
Key takeaways:
- Farm-level GHG accounting underpin many initiatives to disclose and mitigate emissions in the agri-food supply chain as a large share of most agri-food products arise at the farm-level.
- Different farm-level GHG accounting methods can lead to different results which can cause confusion and conflicts. An increasing number of countries are taking action to reduce fragmentation by providing nationally coordinated methodologies.
- At the OECD, work is ongoing to create a database of farm-level GHG accounting tools and so far over 200 tools have been included. Some preliminary findings are that most tools focus on one country and that many tools follow the GHG protocol or ISO standards as well as the IPCC guidelines. The scopes included in the tools range from scope 1 emissions (on-farm emissions), purchased energy, to also including upstream emissions. Downstream emissions are less common.
- There is ongoing dialogue among OECD member states on how to reduce fragmentation of approaches to farm-level GHG accounting also within and between countries.
Following the presentation, there was a lively Q&A session where over 200 participants were curious to hear what Koen Deconinck had to say about ways forward to reduce fragmentation, how a set of international best practice recommendations might look like and to what extent harmonization of approaches is possible.
Please find the video recording HERE.
In AgriDENZ, the webinar series on farm-level GHG accounting will continue on the 19th of March at 9am CET / 9pm NZDT where we will present ongoing work in AgriDENZ on comparing farm-level GHG accounting approaches developed in Germany and New Zealand – more information on this will follow.
This is the schedule for applying under the “Single Phase” mechanism:
Single Phase – Dates
- Announcement of the Call for Proposals: December 2025
- Opening for Registration of Institutions and Submission of Projects: December 15, 2025
- Deadline for Project Submission (Single Phase): April 20, 2026, 3:00 PM (Eastern Time, Washington D.C.)
- Project Evaluation: April 21 to May 29, 2026
- Selection of Winning Projects: July/August 2026
For more information please click HERE
A recording of the Nitrogen flagship webinar, the keys to nitrous oxide mitigation in agricultural agroecosystems that was held on 4 March is now available to view HERE