Six greenhouse gas inventory specialists and researchers from developing countries visit New Zealand to learn about the compilation of the New Zealand national agricultural greenhouse gas inventory.
As part of its contribution to the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA), New Zealand hosted six agricultural greenhouse gas inventory specialists, researchers, and government officials from Malawi, Uganda, Uruguay, Mexico, Colombia, and Indonesia from 8 to 12 April 2019.
During the training week, the group learnt about the New Zealand experience in developing the inventory methodology and prioritising research for inventory improvements, particularly for greenhouse gas emissions from livestock.
They attended the New Zealand Agricultural Climate Change Conference (NZACCC) in Palmerston North, hosted by the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC). The conference was attended by more than 270 scientists, farmers, industry representatives, and policy makers coming together to discuss climate change mitigation and adaptation in the New Zealand context, and included 20 presentations from New Zealand-based experts in their fields, as well as panel discussions and questions from the floor. The conference also included a presentation by the GRA Special Representative, Hayden Montgomery, on ten years of international leadership through GRA research projects and collaboration.
Following the conference, the group participated in the 2019 Agriculture Greenhouse Gas Inventory Research Workshop, organised by the Ministry for Primary Industries. The workshop was attended by over 50 New Zealand scientists in addition to the international guests, with 13 countries represented in total. The workshop included updates on research projects relating to the New Zealand Agriculture Inventory, and four research priority discussion sessions on soil carbon, nitrous oxide emissions, methane and manure management emissions, and finally on data and modelling. The international guests presented their national perspectives on the strengths of their national inventories, as well as issues they are currently facing in improving their inventory methodologies.
Finally, the group met with officials from the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment, the New Zealand agency in charge of compiling the New Zealand inventory, and from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. They learnt about New Zealand’s inventory arrangements and how statistics are collected for the agricultural inventory, and how they might tackle improvements in their inventories through drawing on experience from New Zealand’s senior agriculture inventory expert from the Ministry for Primary Industries.
At the New Zealand Agricultural Climate Change Conference
The ‘International Conference on Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Food Security – Connecting Research Policy & Practice’ focused on agricultural GHG emission reduction in light of climate change, sustainable agriculture, and food security. The conference was held on the 10-13th September 2018 in Berlin, Germany.
The conference outcome was summarised by:
- Hayden Montgomery (GRA Special Representative)
- Hartmut Stalb (Chair of FACCE – JPI)
- Bruce Campbell (CCAFS & CGIAR Representative); and
- Lini Wollenberg (Flagship Leader of Low Emissions Development at CCAFS (USA))
To learn more about the conference click here for the final summary slides.
Alternatively, click here to view the AgriGHG conference video and final report.
This article offers an insight into the benefits of agroforestry and its potential to curb climate change.
With support from the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, the Meridian Institute, a new report has been produced which represents a call to action to create sustainable food systems: Climate Change & Food Systems: Assessing Impacts and Opportunities. The report was designed to bring together existing information about climate change impacts and opportunities for climate adaptation and mitigation into a food systems framework. An Author Team developed the report and established an Advisory Committee to guide the process, provide strategic advice, and offer technical input.
A peer reviewed journal article, based on findings in the report, is also available under open access from the Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems journal: “Climate change mitigation beyond agriculture: a review of food system opportunities and implications”.
A new impact investment fund, with a target of 100 million euros, aims at improving the lives of 2 million people and avoiding the emissions of up to 25 million tons of CO2 over a 20-year span. Officially launched on 11 December 2017, the fund was announced a day before the One Planet Summit in Paris.
The 8 companies investing in this new fund have been committed in the first Livelihoods Carbon Fund since 2011. Now, they are aiming to increase the scale and the number of projects which fight climate change by restoring ecosystems which provide vital resources to the most vulnerable populations.
At a 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP23) side event in Bonn, Germany yesterday with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development, the Global Research Alliance’s Special Representative Hayden Montgomery argued that more innovation was needed to combat agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
His argument is supported by the 2016 article ‘Reducing emissions from agriculture to meet the 2°C target’, published in Global Change Biology. The article summarises the findings of a number of scientists, including Global Research Alliance representatives, which showed that current technologies can only reduce 20-40% of the agricultural emission reductions needed in order to meet the international 2 degree greenhouse gas emissions target which was agreed to by 100 countries in Paris in 2015.
Our side event from the FAO Conference 40th Session “Partnering to Scale up Climate Action by Countries in the Agricultural Sectors” is now available as a video to watch on demand.
The side event was jointly organised by the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as host of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and FAO. The Speakers from FAO and GRA partner organisations and Member countries discuss in particular the role of strategic partnerships in maximizing its impact on the ground through support to countries to implement the agriculture commitments of their NDCs.
We are delighted to announce that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Panel has accredited the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases as one of their official observer organisations.
The IPCC is the international body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to provide policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.
The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) has published a new analysis of what COP21 means for food and farming, and what the next steps should be between now and 2020 when the Paris Agreement comes into force.
The analysis picks up the theme that “Voluntary cooperation” between countries, including through technology transfer and capacity building, is a major focus that comes through in the Agreement as is the need for all countries to support science and research.
Read the CCAFS info note: The Paris Climate Agreement: what it means for food and farming http://bit.ly/1UpvXws.
And for more information on research highlights visit CCAFS website: Paris Climate Agreement unlocks opportunities for food and farming http://bit.ly/1NsY1u9.
A brief note prepared by Landbouw Economisch Instituut (Agricultural Economics Institute) (LEI) Wageningen University and Research Centre (UR) paints a picture of Central Asia’s agricultural potential and food security in the light of climate change. The Central Asian region comprised of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are agrarian societies and net importers of grains and some other food crops. Agriculture in the region is vulnerable to climate change. Adaptation strategies to manage climate, such as more effective use of inputs, particularly of water, require financial means which the majority of farmers cannot easily afford. In the coming ten to twenty years, Central Asia’s susceptibility to the effects of climate change will be determined by socio-economic factors rather than by climate change itself. Read the article here.