The Integrative Research Group (IRG) of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) is hosting its Webinar Meeting “Australian Soil Carbon Offset Methods: the science, the policy and the practice”. Presented by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, the Australian Government Department of Environment and Energy, and the Australian Government Clean Energy Regulator.
When: June 26, 2019, at 9:00 P.M (Canberra UTC+10).
What is this webinar about?
The Australian Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) is a voluntary scheme that supports Australian businesses, farmers and land managers to take actions to reduce emissions and improve the environment. By running projects to reduce emissions and store carbon, businesses, land managers and others can earn Australian carbon credit units (ACCUs). These units can be sold to the Australian Government through a carbon abatement contract, or to other businesses seeking to offset their emissions. Over 770 projects have been registered under many eligible activities, including energy efficiency, waste management, revegetation, livestock management, savanna fire management and soil carbon sequestration.
Eligible emissions reduction activities are included in ‘methodology determinations’, or ‘methods’ for short. Methods are developed by the government in consultation with industry and technical experts. They set out the rules for estimating carbon abatement from different activities, including in the land sector. These methods ensure that carbon abatement is measurable, verifiable and additional to business as usual operations.
What will you learn?
Join Beverly Henry, Vyt Vilkaitis and Konrad Muller to hear about the soil carbon methods under Australia’s ERF – the development of the underpinning science, the policy framework and the practicalities of the methods.
Beverley, Vyt and Konrad will discuss all this, in the context of the two legislated methods currently approved for soil carbon offsets:
- Estimating sequestration of carbon in soil using default values method (model-based soil carbon)
- Measurement of soil carbon sequestration in agricultural systems method
Speakers:
Beverley Henry – GRA, IRG co-chair, member of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the 4p1000 Initiative.
Through academic and consulting positions, she participates in several Australian and international climate change committees and panels.
Vyt Vilkaitis – Australian Department of the Environment and Energy working on the ERF.
He has worked in government policy for over 10 years focusing on natural resource management.
Konrad Muller – Member of the Australian Government Clean Energy Regulator, ERF Policy Team
He advises on the design, implementation and strategic issues of the ERF. Konrad was formerly in the Australian Government Department of Agriculture with an academic background in agricultural science.
Please register here.
The Thünen Institute, Germany, is currently offering a funded PhD position within a project aiming at improving the German agricultural GHG inventory:
The position is for a fixed term of four years and to be filled at the earliest opportunity. The position is directed to applicants who, in addition to their employment, wish to pursue their own
academic career, in particular their doctorate. In this context, the Thünen Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture cooperates with various universities. The employment is a fixed-term position in accordance with §2 (1) sentence 1 of the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (German law regarding academic fixedterm contracts).
Project tasks:
- Conduct literature studies and meta-analyses to derive refined emission factors for calculation of
nitrous oxide and ammonia emissions from agricultural soils - Acquire and model necessary regionalized activity data, in particular regarding nitrogen
fertilization in agriculture - Create regional nitrogen balances and harmonize greenhouse gas reporting with reporting under
the European Nitrates Directive - Create projections and evaluate mitigation options based on regionalized emission factors
- Scientific peer-reviewed publications
- Implement the new model approaches in the national inventory
Requirements:
- M.Sc. in applied statistics, geoecology, agriculture, environmental or soil sciences, meteorology or
related subjects. The degree must fulfill requirements for PhD candidates set by German
universities (see www.research-in-germany.org/en/jobs-and-careers/info-for-phdstudents/language-requirements.html). A master’s thesis with an above-average grade is
expected. - Excellent knowledge and experiences in statistics and empiric modelling
- Good knowledge of biogeochemistry and soil science is desired
- Basic familiarity with agriculture is desired
- Candidates need to be proficient with R and Excel, basic knowledge of python would be an
advantage - Team spirit, flexibility, high motivation and the ability to work independently
- Scientific curiosity and willingness to work on a doctoral thesis
- Excellent communication and writing skills in English, willingness to learn German
Read more and apply on the the Thünen Institute Website.
In October and November 2018, the Paddy Rice Research Group (PRRG) of the Global Research Alliance (GRA) took part in the APEC-funded project: ‘ Capacity Building on Management Technologies for Climate Smart Rice Cultivation in the South-East Asian and Latin American Rice Sector’.
Paddy rice production is a significant source of methane emissions (CH4), and it is therefore essential that countries find ways to reduce emissions from rice cultivation while improving productivity.
The ‘Capacity Building on Management Technologies for Climate Smart Rice Cultivation in the South-East Asian and Latin American Rice Sector’ project was initiated in 2018 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF), Japan, with the aim of enhancing knowledge among researchers and rice producers of climate change mitigation within the rice sector.
The project was funded by the APEC Agricultural Technical Cooperation Working Group and featured two capability building workshop attended by GRA scientists in partnership with researchers, experts, and rice producers.
The three key aims of the project were:
1) The sharing of knowledge and best practices of new management technologies for adapting to and mitigating climate change in the rice sector;
2) The exchange of views on management technologies and;
3) The development of networks among rice producers, researchers and experts, by organising an international workshop and expert visits.
Two capability building workshops were held; one in Bangkok, Thailand, and one in Parral, Chile. These workshops represented the different production systems found in these two regions and were supported by the Asia and America regional sub-Groups of the Paddy Rice Research Group respectively.
These workshops included expert presentations on a wide range of topics from mitigation through water saving techniques (Alternate Wetting and Drying-AWD) to country-specific experiences, capacity-building training on rice management technologies, and field training.
Following the workshops, farmers expressed an enhanced understanding of the effects of rice cultivation on climate change and the environment, and agreed to share their learning with others in their communities. Farmers and experts agreed on the need for the farming community, governments, and scientists to work together to ensure the right policies are put in place and research projects prioritised to improve climate change mitigation efforts.
Read more:
Read more about the individual presentations, knowledge sharing sessions and field training in APEC’s report: Capacity Building on Management Technologies for Climate Smart Rice Cultivation in the South-East Asian and Latin American Rice Sector.
Registration is now open for the Climate Change and Livestock: What Next?’ Conference.
The Conference is organised by the Society of Chemical Industry’s (SCI) Agrisciences Group and the British Society of Animal Science, and takes place 2 December, London, United Kingdom.
This conference will start with an introduction to the impact of livestock on climate change and delegates will then be informed of the evidence-based solutions for mitigating environmental footprint of livestock production and adapting our livestock systems to the changing climate. This unique event will provide the attendees with all you need to know about the latest developments around climate change and future livestock production.
This will be a unique opportunity to learn about, and discuss with experts in the field, climate change and livestock production, whilst expanding your relevant network and developing new partnerships. This event is aimed at people of all career stages and will be of particular interest to the following:
- Stakeholders across the animal food production chain, including feed producers, farmers, consultants, animal nutritionists and breeders, forage breeders and agronomists, machinery and precision technology developers and suppliers.
- Stakeholders across the animal food processing chain, including wholesalers, processors, and retailers.
- Specialists in all areas of livestock production, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change and environmental modelling; as well as students and early-career researchers in these fields.
- Those who are seeking evidence-based information around livestock and climate change and eager to learn about realistic technical solutions for mitigation of livestock greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation of livestock to the changing climate.
- Consumers and those involved in policy-making, who are keen to make informed decisions at individual and national level, respectively.
To register please, please click here.
The 2019 CLIFF-GRADS Programme is currently underway, with awardees travelling to various host institutions to begin their research journeys
CLIFF-GRADS is an international doctorate scholarship programme designed to build the capability of early career agricultural students and graduate students in developing countries to conduct applied research on climate change mitigation in agriculture. It is is a joint initiative of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change (CCAFS) low emissions development research and the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA).
While at their host institutions, the awardees will learn more about various options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, as well how this relates to productivity and food security.
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. They will be introduced to novel climate change research and research techniques.
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 last year. As such, 27 scholarships have been awarded to students from more than 18 countries in this second round.
Meet the 2019 awardees here.
Read more about CLIFF-GRADS on CGIAR’s website.
A thirty-eighth month Post Doctoral position has become available at Teagasc, Athenry, Ireland, in the area of ruminant greenhouse gas emissions and the rumen microbiome.
The successful candidate will be responsible for the management and implementation of a multidisciplinary collaborative project funded via Horizon 2020 called MASTER (Microbiome applications for sustainable food systems through technologies and enterprises).
To read more about the position please click here.
The Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) is pleased to announce Cameroon as our newest member country. Cameroon has become the 57th member of the GRA, and the thirteenth African country to have joined the Alliance.
In March Cameroon participated in the GRA-organised West African Regional Workshop on Low Emissions Livestock in Dakar, Senegal. The purpose of the workshop was to improve national and regional understanding of the role of livestock in climate change as well as opportunities and challenges associated with low emission livestock.
Agricultural PhD students from Cameroon have also participated in the CLIFF-GRADS programme, a joint initiative of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change (CCAFS) low emissions development flagship and the GRA, which aims to build the capability of early career agricultural students in developing countries to conduct applied research on climate change mitigation in agriculture. To read more about the 2019 CLIFF-GRADS students, please click here.
The Alliance is looking forward to working with Cameroon to further develop and improve sustainable farming practices.
The 57 member countries now participating in the activities of the Global Research Alliance are: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, eSwatini, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Honduras, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malawi, Mexico, Mongolia, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Vietnam, Zimbabwe
The Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University in Foulum, Denmark, in collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Center for Climate Change invites applications for a tenure track position in agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
The candidate will have the opportunity to develop a research portfolio within agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, involving both experimental and modelling aspects, depending on the profile of the candidate. The qualified candidate is expected to be specialized in one or more of the following topics within carbon and nitrogen cycling in agricultural systems and soils: soil C and N dynamics; C and N dynamics at field and farm scale, including livestock and manure; agricultural greenhouse gases; gaseous flux measurements; modelling C and N dynamics in ecosystems and/or farm scale; technologies for GHG mitigation.
Click here for more information, including on how to apply
Deadline
Please note all applications must be made online and received by 16 June 2019.
A great opportunity for funding in 2020 is now available from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Call for Applications for Funding in 2020
Are you working on…
• the productivity, sustainability and resilience of agricultural production or food systems?
• new genetic technologies, big data, AI, block chain and the digital economy in agriculture, fisheries, forestry and food systems? Or policy instruments to encourage their take up?
• the future of livestock and meat production? Or the sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture, including their economic and social dimensions?
• changing biodiversity and ecosystem services supporting the productivity of agricultural ecosystems?
• the impacts of invasive species and climate change on global food production and trade?
Would you like to…
• Visit a lab in another country to establish new collaborative links?
• Expand your research through a short stay in a foreign country?
• Start an international research network?
Or
• Are you organising an international conference or workshop?
Need some financial help?
How about applying for an OECD Co-operative Research Programme (CRP) fellowship award or international conference sponsorship?
Please click here for more information, including how to apply
Please click here for an overview of the OECD Co-operative Research Programme
Sunday, August 04, 2019, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil
The Global Research Alliance, Integrated Research Group (IRG), brings together global networks of research scientists with common interests in modelling of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, mitigation solutions, soil carbon sequestration and to inform GHG inventories.
One of the core objectives of the IRG is capacity building, particularly in encouraging younger scientists, to enhance their skills in farm systems analysis and modelling as an essential component of GHG mitigation research.
The purpose of this workshop is therefore to bring together research scientists with experience in farm systems modelling of GHG mitigation, to share their experiences and encourage those with an emerging interest in this area of work.
The outcome would be an expanded global network GHG modellers, committed to collaborating with the next generation of emerging farm systems modellers around the world in farm systems analysis of GHG mitigation.
Structure of the workshop
The workshop invites short (10 minutes) presentations from delegates working in farm systems analysis and modelling of GHG mitigation. These can be either real case study farms or regionally representative farming systems or components
We encourage the presenters to structure their presentations to cover:
- Why the study was conducted;
- How the study was conducted (models used, methods, economics of mitigation) and
- What would you do differently if you repeated the study?
Each talk will be followed by another 10 minutes of facilitated discussion to ensure that attendees get the maximum value from each talk. The day will be divided into themes, depending on the talks being offered e.g. component modelling of soil carbon, enteric methane, nitrous oxide and farm systems analysis. At the end of each theme, there will again be time for general discussion.
The day will end with a summary session of the key mitigation options modelled and models/tools that have been and can be applied, plus discussion on how delegates can collaborate in future.
We therefore invite all those interested in presenting their farm systems modelling research, to contact the organisers, providing a title of their talk and a maximum 100-word abstract of the study they would like to present
Contact:
Prof. Richard Eckard,
Global Research Alliance, Integrative Research Group
The University of Melbourne
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.
A great new opportunity for a livestock scientist has opened up with the Livestock Research Group (LRG) of the Global Research Alliance.
The LRG is looking for a South East Asian livestock scientist (or scientist with relevant experience in the region) to join a flagship Global Research Alliance (GRA) project focused on feed and nutrition measures to reduce livestock greenhouse gas emissions. This work is funded by the New Zealand Government in support of the GRA’s Livestock Research Group.
The project aims to:
(a) Expand animal and feed databases for mitigation of enteric methane developed by the GLOBAL NETWORK project to include new data representing production systems and environments from South East Asia, including systems relying on by-product feeds and forages and pastoral systems;
(b) Using these expanded databases, identify and recommend methane mitigation technologies that are practical and feasible for the livestock production systems in South East Asia and production systems;
(c) Develop specific methane yield (Ym) values suitable for local feeds in South East Asia and production systems, which will enable the use of these new Ym values to improve national greenhouse gas inventories; and
(d) Identify how nutritional measures can be captured in national greenhouse gas inventory methodologies to demonstrate mitigation in South East Asia.
The work will contribute regional data to a larger GRA project led by the Livestock Research Group’s Feed and Nutrition Network that aims to improve quantification of the effects of feed and nutrition on enteric methane emissions from cattle managed under a range of different production environments. The successful applicant will be expected to work closely with the leader of that larger project, with work completed by 30 June 2020.
Preference will be given to applicants (individuals or organisations) who are based in the South East Asian region. Suitably qualified applicants from outside the region are encouraged to apply, however must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil the expected deliverables, which will involve travel to the region.
Applications close on 29 May 2019.
More information about the role can be found in the Request for Proposals (RFP)and the Response Template.
For any questions, please contact Gavin Kenny ([email protected])