Date: 10/30/2012

Global Research Allianceon agricultural greenhouse gases

Hayden Montgomery

Secretariat

Summary1. Background2. Partner Organisations3. Membership4. Structure5. Research Groups

a. Croplands Research Groupb. Livestock Research Groupc. Paddy Rice Research Group

6. Cross-cutting Groupsa. Soil Carbon and Nitrogen cycling Cross-cutting Groupb. Inventories and Measurement Cross-cutting Group

7. Work Areas8. Fellowships and Award opportunities

1. Background: The Alliance

• Agriculture is vital in achieving food security, poverty reduction and sustainable development.

• The agricultural sector is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change

• Agriculture must meet the increasing global demand for food while reducing greenhouse emissions.

• The agricultural sector has many opportunities to contribute to emissions reductions and carbon sequestration while still helping meet food security objectives.

The Alliance was launched in December 2009 in response to increasing global concerns.

1. Background: The Alliance

• Improving efficiency and productivity of agricultural systems through improved management practices and technologies.

• Helping to build resilience and adaptive capacity of agricultural systems while helping to meet the increasing demand for food in a sustainable manner.

• There is a need to increase research cooperation and investment in mitigation practices and technologies in order to develop more efficient and productive agricultural systems.

1. Background: Alliance Goals

• Improve farmer access to new knowledge and technology;• promote synergies between adaptation and mitigation;• develop the science and technology to improve measurement

and estimation;• develop consistent methods for measurement of greenhouse

gas emissions and carbon sequestration;• facilitate the exchange of information;• build scientists’ expertise through new exchange opportunities;• develop partnerships.

The Alliance will seek to increase international cooperation, collaboration and investment in both public and private research activities to:

2. Partner Organisations

Several international organisations have joined the Alliance as Partners:

• African Development Bank• Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research • Food and Agriculture Organization • Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture• Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Centre

(CATIE)• World Bank

3. Membership

33 member countries:

KoreaJapan MalaysiaMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNorwayPeru

DenmarkFinlandFranceGermanyGhanaIndonesiaItalyIreland

PhilippinesSpainSwedenSwitzerlandThailandUKUnited States UruguayVietnam

ArgentinaAustraliaBrazilCanadaChileChinaColombiaCosta Rica

3. Membership

4. Structure

• Alliance Council – chaired by different countries on a rotating basis

• Three Research Groups• Two Cross-cutting Groups

• Guided by a Charter• Supported by a Secretariat

5. Research Groups

Paddy Rice Research Group

Croplands Research Group

Livestock Research Group

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5a. Research Groups: CroplandsCo-chairs: Brazil - Martin Ladislau-Neto (EMBRAPA)

USA - Steve Shafer (USDA-ARS)Participants: All Alliance Member Countries

Three Research Components:1. Quantifying net greenhouse gas emissions

Leaders: Guy Richard (France) and Chuck Rice (USA)2. Greenhouse gas emissions in agricultural peatlands and

wetlands Leaders: Lillian Øygarden (Norway), Åsa Kasimir Klemedtsson (Sweden), Kristiina Regina (Finland)

3. Modelling C and N emissionsLeaders: Sylvain Pellerin (France), Nancy Cavallaro (USA)

5b. Research Groups: LivestockCo-chairs: the Netherlands – Martin Scholten (Wageningen UR)

New Zealand - Harry Clark (NZAGRC)Participants: All Alliance Member CountriesTwo Sub- Groups:

1. RuminantLeaders: Harry Clark (New Zealand) and Veronica Ciganda (Uruguay)2. Non-RuminantLeaders: Paul Vrieskoop (the Netherlands), La Van Kinh (Vietnam)

Four Research Networks:1. Animal Selection Genetics and Genomics2. Feed and Nutrition3. Manure Management4. Ruminant Microbial Genomics

5c. Research Groups: Paddy RiceCo-chairs: Japan - Kazuyuki Yagi (NIAES)

Uruguay - Alvaro Roel (INIA-Uruguay)Participants: 18 Countries participate in the work of the Group Four Activities of Research:

1. Develop standardised measurement techniques. 2. Develop knowledge databases.– Publications database– Experts database

3. Understanding paddy field management and effective mitigation techniques.4. Encourage collaborative multi-country experiments.

6a. Cross-cutting Groups: Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling

Co-chairs: Australia - Bill Slattery (DCCEE)France - Jean-Francois Soussana (INRA)

Participants: 27 Countries participate in the work of the Group

Three major research areas:1. Technical workshops2. Identifying models3. Testing and comparison of models

6b. Cross-cutting Groups: Inventories and MeasurementCo-chairs: Canada - Brian McConkey (Agriculture and

Agri-food)the Netherlands - Jan Verhagen

(Wageningen UR)Participants: 17 Countries participate in the work of the Group

Two major research areas:1. Improved GHG quantification methodologies

– Deals with all inventories including formal country submissions

2. Guidance for GHG measurements– Validation of models– Identify existing mitigation opportunities

From stocktake toward scientific support to policies

Stocktake & inventories

Info & Techtransfer

Capabilitydevelopment

Networks &databases

Researchcollaboration

Policy support & links to int’l

activities

Common understanding Concerted actions

7. Meeting the Alliance Goals

7a. Stocktake and Inventories

• Surveys of regional agriculture systems– South East Asia– Africa– South America

• Stocktakes of countries capability and capacity

• Stocktake of agricultural greenhouse gas models

• Survey of management practices and mitigation methodologies

SF6 Tracer Technique Guidelines

Workshop, NZ 2011

Nitrous Oxide Chamber Methodology workshop, NZ 2011

Facilitate the sharing of data experience and information

7b. Networks and Databases

• Feed and nutrition network• Manure management network• Irrigation Network• Croplands GHG emissions network• Ruminant microbial genomics network• Inter-comparison of models, across Research Groups• Animal selection genetics and genomics network

Rumen Microbial Genomics

network meeting, NZ 2011

Research and science coordinationin targeted areas

7c. Capability DevelopmentRegional capability to reduce GHG intensity consistent

with economies and development goals

• Fellowships, Awards and Exchanges

• Regional technical workshops• South East Asia• Kenya, Africa• Ghana, Africa

• Regional Projects (South America, South East Asia)

South-east Asia Technical Capability

Building Project, Thailand 2012

7d. Research Collaboration

Knowledge and technology development that would not have happened without the Alliance

• International collaboration of croplands research sites – GHG emissions and carbon sequestration

• Collaboration with the EU – JPI FACCE, AnimalChange• Measuring emissions from agricultural peatlands, with the FAO

FONTAGRO meeting in Uruguay 2012

• Global catalogue of rumen microbes• Identifying low CH4 emitting livestock

7e. Information and Technology Transfer

• Greenhouse gas measurement meeting

• Literature databases- Croplands- Paddy Rice

• Experts database- Paddy Rice GHG Measurement

Platform Meeting, UK 2011

• Developing guidelines and methodologies

• Paddy Rice measurement standards

• Livestock emissions manuals

Improve access to knowledge and technologies

7f. Policy Support and links to International Activities

Efficient and effective use of research funding• Comparison of models to identify mitigation options for

carbon and nitrogen emissions• Water management options in irrigated paddy rice fields

with the CGIAR and IRRI• Support international inventory methodologies

Ministerial Summit, signing of the Alliance Charter, Rome 2011

8. Fellowship and Award Opportunities

Borlaug Fellowships - Global Research Alliance– US Dept. of Agriculture & US Agency for International Development– Competitive selection of early to mid-career scientists in GRA

developing countries; work with a mentor in the US for up to 3 monthshttp://www.fas.usda.gov/icd/borlaug/special_programs/GRA/GRA%20Main.asp

LEARN/GRASS New Zealand fellowships– LEARN fellowships awarded to developing country Scientists –

Technician, Post-Doc, Co-Funded PhD – GRASS award is an opportunity for established scientists to travel and

share their work. http://www.livestockemissions.net/funding-opportunities.html

Awards offered by Member countries to support the Alliance

For more information

www.globalresearchalliance.org

secretariat@globalresearchalliance.org