The third annual Global Research Alliance – World Farmers Organisation Farmer Study Tour is underway in New Zealand this week (28 November – 4 December 2016). This joint activity supports the Partnership between the two organisations and was initiated to better connect the policy, science and farming sectors, and allow for the exchange of ideas and experiences to increase the skills needed to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions on the farm.
The Participants from Brussels, Italy, France, Argentina, Switzerland, Uruguay, Germany, and Japan are selected based on their standing within farming communities in their home country and ability to take up and share new ideas and technologies.
This year’s Tour began with a Forum, opened by the Hon Nathan Guy, Minister for Primary Industries New Zealand, discussions at the forum centred on climate change challenges for farmers and the skills, technologies and practices available or required. The participants will then travel to the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Centre and Massey University in Palmerston North before visiting a dairy farm and sheep and beef farms in the lower North Island.
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/world-farmers-organisation-study-tour-welcomed-new-zealand
The March edition of the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) Farmletter focuses on livestock and includes an article outlining a project from the Livestock Research Group’s workplan, ‘Reducing enteric methane for improving food security and livelihoods’ – a joint initiative of the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC). The project will design cost-effective intervention packages for specific production systems, aimed to improve farm productivity, food security and rural livelihoods.
The project is funded by the GRA Partners Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the FAO, and by the New Zealand Government.
Download Farmletter (LRG article @ pages 14-17)
The World Farmers Organisation (WFO) is now a Partner of the Global Research Alliance. The development of this Partner Relationship is a very important step for the Alliance, and supports the objective for the 2013 Council meeting to widen the reach of the Alliance to farmers through such farmer organisations.
For more information on the WFO see their website here.
New Zealand organisation Federated Farmers has announced a programme for farmers to travel to New Zealand on an agri-tech study initiative.
Bruce Wills, Federated Farmers President recently attended the World Farmers Organisation general assembly, where he announced the programme. The New Zealand government will work with Federated Farmers and the World Farmers Organisation to develop a programme with the specific objective of sharing experiences and to discuss technology transfer needs, especially the on-farm application of research into agricultural greenhouse mitigation technology.
The programme is included as a New Zealand activity in support of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases.
“The Global Research Alliance provides a positive environment for discussing actions to reduce agricultural greenhouse gases. Developing direct relationships with farmers and farmer organisations is of increasing interest to the Global Research Alliance Council”
Read the media release on the Federated Farmers website.