CGIAR CCAFS is now recruiting for a Low Emissions Development Researcher/Analyst (“Science Officer”) at the University of Vermont. Suggestions of potential candidates are encouraged and should be sent to Lini Wollenberg ([email protected]).
The Researcher/Analyst position will contribute to the CCAFS’ Low Emissions Development research program (www.ccafs.cgiar.org) by leading selected research initiatives and facilitating research administration to deliver outcomes for the climate and food security in developing countries. Quantitative skills related to greenhouse gas estimation and excellent written and verbal communications skills are essential This is an exciting opportunity especially for new PhDs or other junior scientists interested to contribute to climate change mitigation through innovation in food systems.
Click here to apply.
The second round of successful candidates of the GRA and CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change (CCAFS) joint CLIFF-GRADS initiative for 2019 have been announced.
CLIFF-GRADS is an international doctorate scholarship programme designed to support budding agricultural scientists.
Some 212 applicants from more than 50 developing countries applied to this latest round of the programme, as compared to 65 applicants from 23 countries in the first round earlier this year.
As such, 27 scholarships have been awarded to students from more than 18 countries in this second round, with winners announced at the UN climate talks in Poland. Students will undertake research in areas as diverse as rumen microbiology, rice production, soil science, and rangeland management, among others.
We are pleased to announce 2019 CLIFF-GRADS fellows and research projects below. Please click on the name of the student below to read more about them.
CLIFF-GRADS Call: Greenhouse gas emission and emission reduction from agricultural production
| Name | Nationality | University | Research Project | Host Institution | Host Country |
| Abmiael Ortiz-Chura | Peru | University of Buenos Aires | Effect of modulating interspecies electron transfer exchanges on methane production and rumen microbiota composition | INRA – National Institute for Agricultural Research, ARA Centre | France |
| Adnan Zahid | Pakistan | University of the Punjab | Using a Tier II Model (CQESTR) to Predict SOC Storage and CO2 Emissions | USDA -ARS, Soil and Water Conservation Research Unit | USA |
| Bertin Takoutsing | Cameroon | Wageningen University | Accounting for errors in SOC estimates introduced by proximal sensing methods | ISRIC – World Soil Information | Netherlands |
| Bo-Wen Zhang | China | Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, CAS | Modeling pH effects on direct N2O from agricultural soils through complex stable isotope labelling | Thünen Institute, Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries | Germany |
| Camila Almeida dos Santos | Brazil | Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro | Targeting N2O emission hot-spots in intensive dairy pastures for mitigation action | The University of Melbourne | Australia |
| Deysi Ruiz Llontop | Peru | National Agrarian University La Molina | Quantification of carbon footprints in livestock production systems under contrasting management of Argentina | National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) | Argentina |
| Hilaire Sanni Worogo | Benin | University of Parakou | Effects of rangeland management on soil carbon sequestration | USDA -ARS, Fort Keogh Livestock & Range Research Laboratory | USA |
| Kofi Boateng | Ghana | Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology | Nitrogen fertilizer rate, crop residue amount and soil water content influence on N2O emissions | USDA -ARS, Soil and Water Conservation Research Unit | USA |
| Lai Lai | Myanmar | University of Putra Malaysia | Compiling a structured Rice Policy Information Portal and demonstrating its potential use in mitigation projects | International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) | Philippines |
| Lamfu Fabrice Yengong | Cameroon | University of Buea | Manure management interventions to mitigate GHG | International Livestock Research Institute, Mazingira Centre | Kenya |
| Lucélia de Cássia Rodrigues de Brito | Brazil | Federal University of Piauí | Cover crop and animal manure impacts on soil N2O emissions | USDA -ARS, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory | USA |
| María Carolina Scorcione Turcato | Argentina | University of Buenos Aires | Directed evolution of rumen microbial cultures towards the identification and stimulation of electron sinks alternative to methanogenesis | National Agricultural Research Institute (INIA) | Chile |
| Mariana Eloisa Garcia Ascolani | Paraguay | University of Florida | RumenPredict: Predicting appropriate GHG mitigation strategies based on modelling variables that contribute to ruminant environmental impact | Queens University | UK |
| Mónica Gabriela Perez | Argentina | University of Buenos Aires | Understanding the controls of N2O in grazed upland and lowland systems | Bangor University | UK |
| Noriel Angeles | Philippines | University of the Philippines Los Baños | Toward low methane-emitting rice varieties | International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) | Philippines |
| Ntwanano Moirah Malepfane | South Africa | University of KwaZulu-Natal | Comparing deep soil carbon stocks under kiwifruit and pasture land use | Plant & Food Research | New Zealand |
| Paul Soremi | Nigeria | Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta | Turning to rice cultivars for solving the CH4 puzzle in irrigated rice systems | International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), FLAR | Colombia |
| Pierre Eke | Cameroon | University of Yaounde | Soil organic matter sensitivity to land management impact on grasslands and croplands | Thünen Institute, Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries | Germany |
| Rangarirayi Lucia Mhindu | Zimbabwe | Chinhoyi University of Technology | GHG emissions from adequately managed rangelands in Kenya | International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Mazingira Centre | Kenya |
| Ricardo González Quintero | Colombia | Universidad de Antioquia. Medellín | Measuring ammonia emissions and collecting farm data from Costa Rican dairies | Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) | Costa Rica |
| Samuel Anuga | Ghana | University of Ghana | Just how smart are the climate smart options promoted in the Climate Smart Villages of Nicaragua? | International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), FLAR | Colombia |
| Sebastian Bedoya Mazo | Colombia | University of Antioquia | Quantifying Hydrogen fluxes and their impact on methane production equations | National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), ARA Centre | France |
| Sikiru Yusuf Alasinrin | Nigeria | Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta | Net GHG and soil carbon sequestration in response to tillage systems and cropping sequences | USDA -ARS, Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory | USA |
| Thi Thanh Ha Do | Vietnam | Southern Cross University | Assessing (agro)forestry landscape restoration options in livestock-degraded regions of montane Kenya and Tanzania | Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) | Kenya |
| Titis Apdini | Indonesia | Wageningen University | Economic implications of GHG mitigation from dairy and beef systems | Bangor University | UK |
| Victor Ilich Alvarado Bolovich | Peru | National Agrarian University La Molina | GHG mitigation strategies on cow/calf production systems | National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) | Argentina |
| Yuri Gelsleichter | Brazil | Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro | Assessing the impact of land use change scenarios on soil organic carbon stocks | ISRIC – World Soil Information | Netherlands |
CLIFF-GRADS Call: Greenhouse gas emission and emission reduction from reduced food loss and waste
| Name | Nationality | University | Research Project | Host Institution | Host Country |
| Daniele Eckert Matzembacher | Brazil | Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul | Measure FLW reduction and associated emission reductions of Brazilian entrepreneurship initiatives in fruits and vegetables that do not meet retail aesthetic standards | Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences | Sweden and Brazil |
| Laura Holguin | Colombian | Technical University of Dresden | Characterize digestate option with different combinations of available waste, including yield impacts, methane, and soil-based emissions | International Centre of Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) | Colombia |
| Li Xue | China | Chinese Academy of Sciences | Quantifying GHG emissions of agrifood chain and associated food loss and food waste in China: an input-output analysis. | University of Southern Denmark | Denmark and China |
| Norah Titiya Machinjiri | Malawi | Haramaya University | Effects of organic matter soil amendments on population dynamics of Aspergillus flavus and its natural antagonists; and on groundnut aflatoxin contamination in Malawi. | International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) | Malawi |
| Tabitha Nindi | Malawi | Purdue University | Understanding smallholder farmers’ storage habits in Malawi. | Malawi University of Science and Technology | Malawi |
| Xia Liang | China | The University of Melbourne | Evidence base for the mitigation of N2O emission from reduced food loss and waste in China and Myanmar | Hokkaido University | China and Myanmar |
These awards included funding from the New Zealand government and via support to CCAFS from CGIAR Trust Fund Donors and through bilateral funding agreements. The United States government, through the USAID Sustainable Landscapes program, also funds and supports food loss and waste research.For information regarding the last round of CLIFF-GRAD recipients -click here. Alternatively, click here for more information about the CLIFF-GRADS programme.
Three of our CLIFF-GRADS winners, Sebastian Vangeli, Banira Lombardi and Ofonime Eyo have now begun research at their host institutions.
Sebastian is from Argentina, and is being hosted by Rothamsted Research and Bangor University, UK for the project “Structures and date requirements to develop a higher-tier agricultural GHG inventory”. (photo credit: Sebastian Vangeli)
Banira is from Argentina, and is being hosted by CIAT, Colombia for the project “Pasture type influence on soil N2O emission from cattle excreta”. (photo credit: Daniel Villegas)
Ofonime is from Nigeria, and is being hosted by CIMMYT, Bangladesh for the project “Identifying greenhouse gas emissions hotspot and mitigation options for the agricultural sector in Bangladesh” (photo credit: Ofonime Eyo)
The CLIFF-GRADS awards are the new annual Global Research Alliance-CGIAR scholarship. Read more about CLIFF-GRADS here
Keep up to date with the awardees by adding us on Twitter @gra_ghg
The first successful candidates of the GRA and CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change (CCAFS) joint CLIFF-GRADS initiative have been announced.
CLIFF-GRADS is a new international doctorate scholarship programme designed to support budding agricultural scientists.
Some 65 applicants from 23 countries applied for the scholarship following its launch at the United Nations climate conference in November last year. The nine successful first-round candidates come from a range of countries including Argentina, Ethiopia, Colombia, Nigeria and Tunisia.
Scholarship recipients will work in a range of research fields including nutrient management, pasture management, soil and rumen microbiology, tropical agriculture, and greenhouse gas measurement.
The awardees are:
- Abubakar Halilu, Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria
- Sebastián Vangeli, National Institute of Agricultural Technology, Argentina
- Ridha Ibidhi, Mediterranean Institute for Agricultural Economics of Zaragoza, Tunisia
- Yohannes Gelan Regassa, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia
- Isabel Cristina Molina Botero, Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan, Colombia
- Banira Lombardi, National University of the Centre of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina
- María De Bernardi, National University of the Centre of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Florencia Garcia, National University of Córdoba, Argentina
- Ofonime Eyo, Pan African University institute of Life and Earth Sciences (University of Ibadan), Nigeria
They will be hosted by research organisations in six countries:
- International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Colombia
- Rothamsted Research and Bangor University, United Kingdom
- Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands
- International Centre for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT), India and Bangladesh
- National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA), Chile
As Global demand for livestock products continues to grow so do the greenhouse gas emissions of the livestock sector.
CIAT’s Andy Jarvis spoke about estimating livestock greenhouse gas emissions and the mitigation options for this sector during the Annual Meeting of the Inter-Agency Donor Group (IADG) of the World Bank in Washington, D.C.
This presentation and article are available on the CIAT website.
The Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change was set up in 2011 to come up with an integrated approach for dealing with the urgent and globally interconnected challenges of climate change and agriculture. Their final report, which was launched 28 March 2012 at the Planet Under Pressure conference, offers concrete actions to transforming the food system to achieve food security in the face of climate change. Read more about the Commission and download the report from their website.