The eighth annual Council Meeting for the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) was held 10-11 September in Berlin, Germany. This meeting provided an exciting yet unique opportunity to cooperate and merge various initiatives in the context of sustainable agriculture, climate change, and food security. This meeting saw the handover of Council Chair from Japan to Germany and the acceptance of Indonesia as vice-Chair.
Key outcomes of this meeting included:
- acceptance of two new GRA Flagships, one on Circular Food Systems and the other on Nitrogen;
- agreement for the GRA to support the UNFCCC Koronivia joint work on agriculture; and
- the announcement of several upcoming capability building opportunities supported by the GRA and our partners
This year’s meeting was held alongside the International Conference on Agricultural GHG Emissions and Food Security – Connecting Research to Policy and Practice, jointly organized by the Global Research Alliance (GRA) and the Joint Programming Initiative on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change (FACCE-JPI) of the European Commission, in partnership with CGIAR-CCAFS. The conference was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and supported by its Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries (Thünen Institute).
Representatives from 31 member countries that attended the meeting include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Senegal, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe. Kenya also attended the meeting as an Observer country.
Partner organisations who attended this meeting include the Centre for Research and Education in Tropical Agriculture (CATIE), Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR), Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Food Security, Agriculture and Climate Change – Joint Programming Initiative (FACCE-JPI), Regional Fund for Agricultural Technology (FONTAGRO), Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC), World Agricultural Forum (WAF), World Farmers Organisation (WFO). The Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA-Facility) was also invited to present their work at the meeting.
The presentations from this meeting can be downloaded here.
Japan hosted the seventh Global Research Alliance (GRA) Council meeting on 29 and 30 August 2017 in Tsukuba, Japan. The meeting was attended by 74 representatives from 27 countries and invited guests including observer countries and partners.
Following the meeting, Japan has made an extensive effort to support research groups and flagships, to lift the profile of Alliance, strengthen relations with its partners and public, and to expand the membership of the Alliance during its chairmanship.
The statement from Japan on it’s achievements can be downloaded here.
This article offers an insight into the benefits of agroforestry and its potential to curb climate change.
The Global Research Alliance (GRA) is very pleased to welcome our 51st Member country, Namibia. Namibia is the eighth African country to join the Alliance.
Namibia recognises that membership in the Alliance can help the country achieve its climate change objectives and its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) targets, enshrined in the Paris Agreement.
The 51 member countries now participating in the activities of the Global Research Alliance are Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Honduras, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Vietnam, Zimbabwe.
For more information on the GRA or how to become a member country please contact the GRA Secretariat.
The tenth meeting of the annual Croplands Research Group (CRG) of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (“the Alliance”) was held at the Embrapa Soils Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This meeting was held on 11th of August 2018, preceding the 21st World Congress of Soil Science. The Alliance meeting was chaired by USA (Dr Jane Johnson, USDA-ARS) and Brazil (Dr Ladislau Martin, Embrapa) as Co-Chairs of the Group.
This meeting was attended by 20 participants, representing 12 Alliance member countries and other invited experts. These alliance member attendees include: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Korea, Poland, Sweden, and USA.
Outcomes included reviewing and sharing member-country capacity building and research network activities, discussing research funding and meeting opportunities, and the identification of activities to support the Group’s Networks, and the Group’s alignment with, and understanding of the Alliance Flagships.
Presentations from the Croplands Research group (CRG) meeting can be found here.
Announcing an exciting new opportunity in the CCAFS’ Climate Food and Farming Research Network – Global Research Alliance Development Scholarship (CLIFF-GRADS) program. With support from USAID, we are offering CLIFF-GRADS scholarships for short-term scientific training and research stays on mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from reduced food loss and waste. Visit the CCAFS website to learn more.
Background on CLIFF-GRADS: CLIFF-GRADS provides approximately US$10,000 for 3 to 6 month fellowships for graduate students from developing countries to work with a host research institution on projects related to quantification of agricultural GHGs and mitigation potentials. The grants can also be used for students already working with CCAFS or other host-institution researchers. Examples of recent awardees can be found here: https://globalresearchalliance.org/n/cliff-grads-awardees-2018/. A 2019 general call for quantification of GHGs in agricultural systems is already underway. The call described here is a new opportunity, focused on food loss and waste, for research to be conducted in 2019.
Opportunity: CCAFS will fund up to 10 developing country students with $10,000 each for research on the quantification of GHG mitigation in supply chains due to reduced FLW. The research must take place in 2019. Student applications are due by 30 September 2018 and students will be informed of decisions by 30 November 2018.
We are pleased to announce that the second round of the CLIFF-GRADS program is now open!
Students from developing countries currently enrolled in PhD programs are invited to apply for short-term scientific training and research stays on topics related to the measurement and management of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon storage in agricultural systems.
Applicants should have a background in agriculture and climate change research and be pursuing graduate research related to agricultural greenhouse gas quantification.
Selected students will be sponsored in the amount of 10,000-12,000 USD for short-term (4-6 month) scientific training and research stays to collaborate with projects associated with CCAFS and GRA. Specific topics will depend on student and host institution scientist interests. A list of projects seeking to host students is included on the CCAFS CLIFF-GRADS webpage.
The grants will be used to support living and research costs at the host institution. Grants may not be used for tuition or unrelated personal expenses.
Background
CLIFF-GRADS is a joint initiative of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change (CCAFS) low emissions development flagship and the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA). CLIFF-GRADS aims to build the capability of early career agricultural students in developing countries to conduct applied research on climate change mitigation in agriculture. CLIFF-GRADS integrates the GRA’s new Development Scholarship and the CCAFS Climate Food and Farming Research Network with the common goal of providing grants to graduate students to expand their knowledge and experience in quantification of agricultural greenhouse gases. Research projects are hosted by CCAFS and GRA members and partners. Funding for CLIFF-GRADS is provided by the Government of New Zealand and by the CGIAR Trust Fund and bilateral agreements in support of CCAFS.
- Deadline for applications: September 30, 2018.
- To view the list of available research opportunities and to apply for this research scholarship visit https://ccafs.cgiar.org/about/careers-and-calls/cliff-grads-scholarships-short-term-scientific-training-and-research-stays
Australia has nominated a new leader to Co-Chair our Integrative Research Group. Professor Richard Eckard will join Canadian Dr Brian McConkey and French Professor Jean-François Soussana.
Richard is Professor of Livestock Production Systems and Director of the Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre (www.piccc.org.au) at the University of Melbourne, and represents the Australian government through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.
Also co-lead of the Integrative Research Group’s Farm to Regional Network, Richard’s research focuses on sustainable livestock production, nitrogen cycling and loss in grazing systems, with a recent focus on carbon farming and options for livestock production systems to respond to a changing climate. Richard coordinates a research team focused on farm systems analysis, reconciling productivity, adaptation and mitigation, underpinning the development of carbon farming offset methodologies and improved inventory accounting for agricultural emissions.
This edition includes information on ways the #StepUp2018 campaign can help increase climate ambition in order to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in 2100.
The Global Research Alliance participated in our partner FONTAGRO’s 20-year celebration last month. The celebration coincided with the III Symposium on Adaptation to Climate Change of Family Farming in Washington DC, within the framework of the Third Workshop on Technical Follow-up of FONTAGRO Projects, at the offices of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington DC, USA on 4-8 June 2018.
Researchers and representatives of national research institutes got together to analyse the innovations generated in the projects of adaptation to and mitigation of climate change of family farming in the region.
Photos and video footage of the event can be found here.
The June 2018 newsletter of our Partner, the Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCCA), is now available. This edition includes an update on the 2018 World Environment Day in India.
Teagasc is pleased to launch Research Leaders 2025, an innovative fellowship scheme focused on developing the next generation of research leaders in the agri-food domain.
We seek applications from experienced researchers (with PhD or four years full time research experience) in combination with host organisations worldwide (research, industry or civil society organisations/NGOs).
Join us for a live-streamed webinar on YouTube on Wednesday 25th July at 2 pm Dublin Local Time. Further details at www.teagasc.ie/rl2025
Features:
- Fellowships will have a duration of 36 months, including 18 months outside of Ireland, followed by a “return phase” to Teagasc in Ireland for a further 18 months.
- The fellowships will be researcher-led, so the applicant will be free to choose the research topic, the outgoing host organisation and the supervisor in Teagasc for the return phase.
- There will be a strong focus on career development, with dedicated career mentors for each fellow; a management training course; annual retreats with career presentations from leaders in academia, industry and civil society organisations; and transferable skills training.
- There will also be the option to undertake a secondment to the non-academic sector (e.g., industry or civil society organisations/NGOs).
- There will be a gross annual salary of €51,717 (in absence of family allowance) or €56,306 (if family allowance is paid). Research expenses will also be available.
- The programme aims to address the ‘leaky pipeline’ whereby the higher levels of research shows a gender imbalance. Review cohorts will be gender balanced, applicants that have taken a career break will not be disadvantaged, female fellows will be facilitated in finding female career mentors and paid maternity leave (with extensions to the fellowships) will be available.
Important dates:
- Deadline for receipt of Expression of interest: 1st October 2018, 13:00 Dublin Local Time
- Deadline for receipt of Full Application: 20th November 2018, 13:00 Dublin Local Time
- Information webinar: Wednesday, 25th July 2018, 2 pm Dublin Local Time
Eligibility conditions apply. See www.teagasc.ie/rl2025 for details.
Teagasc is the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority. The Teagasc annual research portfolio comprises some 300 research projects, carried out by 500 scientific and technical staff in seven research centres throughout Ireland. Research is organised into four programme areas:
- Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation
- Crops, Environment and Land Use
- Food
- Rural Economy and Development.
Teagasc researchers produced 2305 peer-reviewed publications between 2013 and 2017, ranking amongst the top European institutions in terms of number of publications and citations in the areas of food and agriculture. Teagasc researchers enjoy access to state-of-the art laboratories, over 2300 hectares of experimental farm land and two food pilot plant facilities.
See https://www.teagasc.ie/ for details.
