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])
Experimental sites currently included in the MAGGnet network within the Croplands Research Group of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA), can now be viewed through an ArcView GIS webmap. Sites in the webmap can be viewed in aggregate or by crop type such as barley, rye, wheat and many other types.
MAGGnet, the Managing Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Network, was initiated as a multi-national research effort facilitated by the GRA. By employing a user-friendly spreadsheet template, MAGGnet seeks to compile metadata from experimental sites throughout the world where greenhouse gas fluxes and soil carbon dynamics are monitored. The overall goal of MAGGnet is to produce an inclusive, globally shared meta-database focused on the science of greenhouse gas mitigation.
Since 2012, MAGGnet has compiled metadata from over 380 experimental sites from 23 countries. Metadata contributors include scientists engaged in the Croplands Research Group and its networks, and the Paddy Rice Research Group of the GRA.
To read more about MAGGnet, including how to obtain access to the latest versions of the MAGGnet metadata entry template and sharing agreement, please click here.
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 CIRCASA Project is hosting the webinar: “Strengthening the research community and structuring knowledge” on Friday 03 May, 2019.
In this webinar, the CIRCASA WP1 leader and colleagues will present the WP1 (Workpackage 1: Strengthening the research community and structuring knowledge) activities, first results of the researcher’s survey, as well as current cartography of the scientific network working on the field of soil organic carbon sequestration in agriculture.
Programme: 1 hour
Intro: WP1 overviews and activities: Pete Smith
Researchers survey results: Andy Bray
The Research Network: Jan Verhagen
Speakers:
Pete Smith – WP1 leader, Professor of soils and Global Change at the Institute of Biological Sciences at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.
Andy Bray – Research fellow, specialising in biogeochemistry and environmental mineralogy at the School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, UK.
Jan Verhagen – Senior scientist, specialising in agricultural systems, carbon cycle, and climate adaptation at the Wageningen Plant Research, Netherlands.
The Integrative Research Group (IRG) of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) is hosting its first webinar meeting: “IRG linkages with the 4p1000 initiative and the CIRCASA project”.
This webinar is part of a series of webinars which aim to inform the GRA community and others about the IRG activities contributing to the GRA goals. For this first time, the presenters will mainly talk about other projects and initiatives’ structure and how they interact with and complement the IRG activities. They will present “The Coordination of International Research Cooperation on Soil CArbon Sequestration in Agriculture” (CIRCASA) and the “4per1000: Soils for food security and Climate” initiative.
Programme: 1 hour
Presentation of the IRG network and activities: Pamela Joosse
Presentation and structure of CIRCASA Project: Jean-François Soussana
Presentation and structure of the 4p1000 Initiative: Paul Luu
Discussion: Link between initiatives and possible interactions
Speakers:
Pamela Joosse – IRG co-chair, Senior Soil and Nutrient Management Specialist
Jean-François Soussana – IRG co-chair and CIRCASA project coordinator, Vice President in charge of International Policy of INRA
Paul Luu – Executive Secretary of the 4p1000 initiative, Agronomist specialized in tropical agronomy and agroforestry
The first issue of the Croplands Research Group (CRG) newsletter is now available!
In this edition you can read about:
- The “4 per 1000” initiative: soils for food security and climate.
- Brazil agenda on sustainable intensification.
- Silvopastoral systems as climate smart agricultural practice in Argentina
- Climate change projects: AFINET project and the SheepToShip LIFE project.
- Interesting events, including upcoming conferences, workshops, and much more.
Aarhus University is hosting the Conference Circular Bioeconomy Days 2019 from 25 June to 27 June.
The transition to circular bioeconomy has enormous industrial potential and significant benefits for the environment, climate and a sustainable society.
How can companies and agriculture enter into a circular bioeconomy, and how do we ensure that its further development will be of value to industry and society? These questions are the focal points of the conference Circular Bioeconomy Days 2019, to be held from 25 to 27 June 2019 at Aarhus University in Foulum.
The conference organisers are Aarhus University’s Centre for Circular Bioeconomy (CBIO), SEGES, Agro Business Park, Central Denmark Region, Viborg Municipality, INBIOM and the EU project Green VALLeys.
The event will gather the most important Danish and international actors, who will discuss circular bioeconomy as a tool to implement the UN Sustainability Development Goals, and, more precisely, to develop the sustainable protein of the future.
To read more about the conference, including how to register, please click her .
To view the conference programme, please click here.