Download the latest version of the Livestock Research Group Newsletter
The October 2015 edition of the LRG newsletter is now available. The newsletter includes an interview with the LRG Co-Chairs on the outcomes from the 2015 Council meeting in Des Moines, USA and how these decisions will support the LRG. Also covered are research updates from the Global Rumen Census project and the collaborative project ‘Reducing enteric methane for improving food security and livelihoods’.
The Livestock Research Group has developed a set of country case studies demonstrating on-farm successes to reduce on-farm emissions from livestock production. The case studies demonstrate an increase in production and increase of resource use efficiency as well as a reduction in greenhouse gases. Six countries, Chile, Indonesia, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and USA have contributed success stories covering a range of livestock systems (beef, dairy and sheep) across different scales (local, state and national).
Each case study outlines the key management activities and the effect of these actions on productivity, income and food security, while also considering the trade-off implications and how this relates to climate change adaptation for this livestock system. The Livestock Research Group are continuing to build this library of on-farm examples as a useful resource that can be shared and provide a basis for research and uptake of similar activities in other countries. Visit the Livestock Research Group page to read the case studies. For more information on any of the case studies, or to share a similar story from your own research contact [email protected].
The microbes responsible for methane emissions in the rumens of ruminant animals have been found to share similarities around the world. The research was carried out by the Global Rumen Census as a collaborative research project with the Livestock Research Group of the Global Research Alliance. The extensive project involved 140 researchers from 73 institutions, analysing rumen microbe samples from 34 countries and farming systems. As a result of this study, there is hope that new technologies that seek to reduce methane emissions by influencing rumen microbes can have global applications.
Read the media release here
Read the full report here
A brief note prepared by Landbouw Economisch Instituut (Agricultural Economics Institute) (LEI) Wageningen University and Research Centre (UR) paints a picture of Central Asia’s agricultural potential and food security in the light of climate change. The Central Asian region comprised of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are agrarian societies and net importers of grains and some other food crops. Agriculture in the region is vulnerable to climate change. Adaptation strategies to manage climate, such as more effective use of inputs, particularly of water, require financial means which the majority of farmers cannot easily afford. In the coming ten to twenty years, Central Asia’s susceptibility to the effects of climate change will be determined by socio-economic factors rather than by climate change itself. Read the article here.
The Global Research Alliance is pleased to welcome the Dominican Republic as the 46th member of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases.
On June 5, the UK Government Department of Environment Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), to support the Croplands Research Group of the GRA, launched a free, open source modelling platform to help researchers, developers and students share expertise on the use of models for greenhouse gas emissions measurements.
The GRA’s Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling Cross-Cutting Group (SCNC) organised the second ‘model inter-comparison on agricultural GHG emissions’ workshop in Fort Collins, USA March 2-4 this year.
The Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) Agriculture Initiative has released a report on the current challenges of livestock methane emissions management, and offers actionable solutions. The report follows on from a study of 34 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America, and an in-depth assessment of six of these countries. It identifies and addresses four main problems: lack of awareness, lack of knowledge, low access to incentives, and ineffective policies/legislation. See here for the media release, or read the report.
Five animal-safe compounds have been identified as being able to reduce methane emissions in livestock by up to 90%. The discovery was made after more than 100,000 compounds were tested by researchers working through the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre and Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium. Further trials are needed, but the search is already under way for a commercial partner to translate the findings a usable product.
The finding is part of the research made possible through New Zealand’s increased government and farmer funding into agricultural greenhouse gas mitigation. Collaboration on the project with international scientists has been made possible through New Zealand Government funding of the Global Research Alliance. Read the NZAGRC media release and related news release.
The Global Research Alliance Croplands Research Group is now up and running on Facebook. This move to social media enables the group to post updates, news, and meeting and upcoming event information in a user-friendly, visually driven format. It’s never been easier for interested or new researchers in croplands greenhouse gas emissions research to keep in the loop. Visit and like their page at https://www.facebook.com/GRAcroplands
A document reporting on the Animal Health and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Intensity Network of the Global Research Alliance’s African regional meeting in Addis Ababa Ethipoia, November 2014 is now available. Please click the link below to locate the document.
The latest Livestock Research Group Newsletter is now available to download.
This edition includes an update from the LRG meeting in Jogyakarta, Indonesia; the FAO/LRG Collaboration for GHG; updates from the research networks; and the launch of SF6 Tracer Technique guidelines.