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March 16, 2017   •   News

The Global Research Alliance’s Livestock Research Group has published a new case study on beef production in Canada. The study discovered that Canada produced 32% more beef in 2011 than in 1981, mostly due to higher carcass weights. This was done with 29% less breeding stock, 27% fewer slaughter cattle and 24% less land, and with a 14% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions intensity.

The Livestock Research Group is documenting countries’ successes in reducing on-farm emissions intensity and increasing productivity and resource use efficiency (or reducing other externalities) of livestock systems. The case studies showcase the diversity of approaches being employed across different livestock systems and scales (local, state and national).

Read the case study

Read the other case studies (scroll down to ‘Success stories in reducing emissions intensity’)

 

March 2, 2017   •   News

A team of researchers at the University of Sheffield have used a specific UK mill and bakery as a model for the environmental cost of producing a loaf of bread.

They collected and analysed data for emissions involved at every step of the process, including growing the wheat, fertilising it, harvesting the crop, transporting the grains to the mill, grinding the grains into flour, transporting the flour to a bakery and then baking and packaging a loaf of bread. Many stages were energy intensive and involved with emissions — for example, the machinery involved with tilling the soil, harvesting, and irrigation, or the electricity required to operate the mill and the bakery. But the vast majority of emissions — nearly 66 percent — came from growing wheat, with 40 percent attributable just to the use of ammonium nitrate fertilisers.

Read the article here

March 2, 2017   •   News

Abstracts on “Soil Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Emissions” are now invited for the The American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America’s international annual meeting to be held October 22-25, 2017 in Tampa, Florida.  The event hopes to host more than 4,000 scientists, professionals, educators, and students with its “Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future” theme.

To submit your abstract, open the link below and navigate to the ASA Section “Environmental Quality” and community “Soil Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Emissions”.

https://www.acsmeetings.org/

February 28, 2017   •   News

A call for abstracts has been announced ahead of the 6th Symposium on Soil Organic Matter to be held 3-7 September 2017 in Harpenden, UK.

Abstracts are invited for the following themes:

• Session 1: Global Perspectives (invited speakers only)
• Session 2: Modelling SOM: from soil pore to climate change
• Session 3: Methods 1: Visualising SOM
• Session 4: Methods 2: Quantifying pools and fluxes of SOM
• Session 5: Soil Health 1: Biological interactions
• Session 6: Soil Health 2: The role of decomposition
• Session 7: SOM as Natural Capital

The deadline for abstract submission is 15 April 2017.

View flyer

Find information on submitting abstracts here

Register for the conference here

Visit the conference website: www.som2017.org

Enquiries: +49 3641 31 16-366 or email [email protected]

February 23, 2017   •   News

The winter 2017 newsletter from our Partner, Global Open Data for Agriculture & Nutrition (GODAN), is now available.

This issue includes information about the latest documentary from their YouTube channel of a UK farmer utilising satellite data for precision farming.

Read the newsletter here

February 16, 2017   •   News

The latest newsletter from our Partner, the Joint Programming Initiative on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change (FACCE-JPI) is now available. This edition includes new funding call and workshop opportunities, and information on their new vice-chairs.

Click here to access the newsletter.

 

 

February 9, 2017   •   News

Below are some excerpts from an update on the recent activities of our GRA Special Representative, Hayden Montgomery.

“My very best wishes to you all for a very happy and prosperous 2017.

G7 side-event COP22

In the margins of COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco, on 10 November I represented the GRA in a meeting organised by our vice-Chair, Japan, to follow up on the 2016 G7 Agricultural Ministers declaration – the result of their meeting on 23-24 April 2016 in Niigata, Japan.   The GRA was invited to participate in a panel, along with Global Alliance on Climate Smart Agriculture (GACSA), 4 per 1000 on soil carbon, and the FAO’s Global Soil Partnership, to explore ways to cooperate more closely.  The event was well attended by G7 members, government officials of other interested countries attending COP22, FAO, OECD, CGIAR, IPCC and other international organizations associated with tackling climate change issues – many of which are Members and Partners of the GRA in their own right.  I’d like to thank Japan for organising this event and I will ensure that as we prepare for the next GRA Council meeting in Japan later this year I’ll take the opportunity to continue the sharing of information between these initiatives and explore concrete opportunities for collaboration.

4 per 1000

While in Marrakech, I was also able to participate in the launch of the 4 per 1000.  Following the GRA Council’s agreement, I was able to sign the 4 per 1000 Declaration of Intention on the GRA Secretariat’s behalf and participate in the first meeting of its Consortium.  I look forward to tracking the ongoing development of this initiative to help ensure that the research being conducted is directed towards common objectives. We are already taking steps to ensure that the Soil Carbon Sequestration Flagship is well coordinated with the International Research Programme of the 4 per 1000.

IPCC observer status

Following consultations with the IPCC Secretariat, on 28 November 2016 the GRA Secretariat sent a letter to the IPCC formally requesting that the GRA be admitted as an accredited observer, as per our agreement at Council.   We await the decision making process of the IPCC and hope that at its Panel meeting in late March 2017 a favourable decision will be taken.

GRA Partner engagement

While in Marrakech I was also able to meet with a number of GRA partners, including the CGIAR Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) programme, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN), Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and a host of other potential future GRA partners.  I will be following up with these institutions in due course.

New GRA member

I’m sure you’ll all join me in welcoming South Africa as the newest and 47th Member of the GRA.  I’m delighted that the Membership is still growing and look forward to South Africa participating in subsequent GRA meetings and activities.

GRA Flagship project development

I’m very pleased that we have now established Task Forces for each of the four GRA Flagship projects that were adopted at the Council meeting in October.  Now begins the real work of elaborating projects and activities so that we can ensure that the projects meet the needs and expectations of the GRA Members and Partners.

Upcoming events

This week I’ll be in Rome to attend the first meeting of the GRA’s Integrative Research Group – an important milestone in advancing the work of its networks and the elaboration of the GRA’s Soil Carbon Sequestration Flagship project, among others.  While in Rome I’ll be meeting with FAO staff to identify concrete ways to align its work with that of the GRA and I’ll be participating in an Expert Meeting on Climate Change, Land Use and Food Security, being hosted by FAO and IPCC.  I look forward to updating you on the outcomes of these meetings on our teleconference.

The 17th Global Symposium on Soil Organic Carbon (GSOC17) is a scientific meeting that will be held over three days at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, on 21-23 March 2017.   This could present an excellent opportunity to make progress in advancing the Soil Carbon Sequestration Flagship and raise the profile of the GRA in this scientific community.

 

Best wishes,

Hayden Montgomery”

 

February 7, 2017   •   News

A doctoral research assistant position is available at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA for a highly motivated student seeking PhD training in Dairy Science beginning in Fall 2017. The successful applicant will conduct research on dairy cow protein nutrition and the methods for improving and evaluating the efficiency of nitrogen utilisation.

Excess crude protein (CP) in the diets of dairy cows is excreted in the urine as urinary urea nitrogen (UUN). This source of N reduces the environmental sustainability of dairy farms because it can contribute to atmospheric ammonia and nitrous oxide emission and to nitrate contamination of waters. Avoiding excess CP in the ration of dairy cows may contribute to the economic and environmental sustainability of the dairy industry if milk production is maintained.

Applicants must have earned a MS degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field and a record of peer- reviewed publications.

Applications by 1 March 2017. For more information and how to apply click here

February 6, 2017   •   News

From 19-20 January last month the Global Research Alliance’s Integrative Research Group held their first independent meeting in Rome, Italy. At this meeting they reviewed their progress to date and held some discussions on Flagship projects and steps to develop their five Networks.

The meeting was attended by 34 participants from 16 Alliance member countries (Australia, Canada, China, France, Ghana, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, USA, Uruguay), and invited experts.

The Integrative Research Group was formed after the 2015 Council Meeting after the decision was made to merge two previous cross-cutting groups: Soil Carbon & Nitrogen Cycling and Inventories & Monitoring.

The Meeting Report is now available in the Members’ Area of this website, or read the short Meeting Summary here

Participants in the Integrative Research Group Meeting in Rome, 2017

 

February 2, 2017   •   News

The first edition of the FACCE-ERA newsletter is now available, and features information on the funding call and related events.

Click here to read the newsletter.

January 31, 2017   •   News

ICT-AGRI (Information & Communication Technology and Robotics for Sustainable Agriculture) has launched their 2017 call on farm management systems for precision farming.

Funded by the European Commission’s ERA-NET scheme, ICT-AGRI  aims to contribute to the development of an eco-efficient, resource-efficient and competitive agriculture through an enhanced and improved use of ICT and robotics.  Precision Farming involves a number of digital technologies, including the Internet of Things and automated agricultural machinery, and is recognised having significant potential for the sustainable intensification of primary food production.

The topics of the call are:

  1. ​Agricultural research on use of sensor data for decision support
  2. Development of applications for Precision Farming
  3. Cases of integration of third-party applications with Farm Management Systems

For further information please download the Information for Applicants

Proposals must be submitted by 21 April 2017.

January 26, 2017   •   News

A joint project is underway to help countries improve the way they measure, report and verify greenhouse gas emissions from livestock. Each country currently has different methods of measuring, reporting and verifying (known colloquially as ‘MRV’).

The project is divided into four steps:

  1. Characterise international requirements for MRV
  2. Identify the approaches countries are currently taking
  3. Conduct a survey to identify the reasons for these approaches
  4. Make recommendations

It is hoped that a first draft of findings will be published in February 2017.

The joint project is being implemented by the Livestock Research Group of the Global Research Alliance and our Partners CGIAR’s Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), and the Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO), with support from UNIQUE Forestry & Land Use, and the New Zealand Government.

Read the full article in the December 2016 LRG newsletter