Date: 4/17/14

Global Research Allianceon agricultural greenhouse gases

Author: Harry Clark

Sources of agriculture GHGs: absolute

Source: EDGAR database, data for 2008, accessed 2012

National significance of agriculture GHGs

Source: EDGAR database, data for 2008, accessed 2012

Uneven Challenge: Future Food Demand

% change in total calorie demand in11 world regions, 2000-2050

±0 Eastern Europe, former Soviet Union, Pac. OECD

+5+50

N. America , Planned Asia China, Western Europe

+50 +100

Latin America , Caribbean, Asia –Pacific rim

+100 +200

North Africa, Middle East, South Asia

>200

Sub-Saharan Africa

Source: IIASA/GLOBIOM model, Havlik et al 2011

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.

Alliance Goals

• develop the science and technology to mitigate emissions;• develop consistent methods for measurement of greenhouse

gas emissions and carbon sequestration;• improve farmer access to new knowledge and technology;• promote synergies between adaptation and mitigation;• facilitate the exchange of information;• build science expertise;• develop partnerships.

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

Membership

Partner OrganisationsInternational Partners of the Alliance:• African Development Bank• Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research • Food and Agriculture Organization • Inter-American Development Bank• Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture• Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Centre

(CATIE)• World Bank • World Farmers’ Organisation

Research CollaborationKnowledge and technology development that would not have happened without the

Alliance• International collaboration of subject specialists

– Technical manuals and methodology guidelines, – Testing new measurement methods

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

• Collaboration with Partner organisations – CCAC projects (Rice & manure management)– FAO (Measuring emissions from agricultural peatlands)– FONTAGRO (Mitigation research & capability building in Latin America)

• Country collaboration on mitigation research– GPLER (NZ initiated international research fund)– JPI FACCE (Multi-stakeholder mitigation fund)– FtRG (Australian domestic fund extended to target international cooperation)

FONTAGRO meeting in Uruguay 2012

Capability DevelopmentRegional capability to reduce GHG intensity consistent with

economies and development goals• Technical workshops and training

• South East Asia• Africa (Kenya and Ghana)• Latin America• CH4 measurement techniques course, New Zealand• Training session on CO2 flux measurements, Brazil

• Regional Projects • Central and South America• South East Asia

Regional Workshop, Ghana 2012

MIRSA Workshop, Philippines 2013

Policy Support and links to International ActivitiesEfficient and effective use of research funding• Water management options in irrigated paddy rice fields (CGIAR and IRRI)• Support international inventory methodologies• Joint capacity building workshops (ILRI, CCAFS) • Support the development of models (GLEAM model to estimate global

mitigation potential (FAO)) • Manure management & paddy rice initiatives (CCAC)

Ministerial Summit, signing of the Alliance Charter, Rome 2011

Fellowship and Award Opportunities

Borlaug Fellowships - Global Research Alliance•US Dept. of Agriculture & US Agency for International Development•Early/mid-career scientists in GRA developing countries for up to 3 monthshttp://www.fas.usda.gov/icd/borlaug/special_programs/GRA/GRA%20Main.asp

On-the-job training (OJT) projects•MAFF Japan, in cooperation with the United Nations University supports young researchers from developing countries•2013 will support the activities of the Alliance http://isp.unu.edu/news/2013/ojcb-programme.html

LEARN/GRASS New Zealand fellowships•LEARN fellowships awarded to developing country scientists•GRASS award is an exchange opportunity for established scientistshttp://www.livestockemissions.net/funding-opportunities.html

Awards offered by Member countries to support the Alliance

Pathways to mitigation

Indirect approaches - improved efficiency provides the best immediate mitigation option

• Better genotypes • More efficient use of fertilisers & legumes• Improved feeding• Improved animal health• Better management

NB Will reduce emissions per unit of product, may reduce absolute emissions

Key Production & Emissions Statistics1990 & 2011

Animals(million)

Production (kt/annum) CO2-eq total

CO2-eq / product (%

change/annum)1990 2011 1990 2011 1990-2011 1990-2011

Sheep 57.9 31.1 lamb 384 366 -32% -1.3%

Dairy cows 3.44 6.17 milk

solids 599 1,685 +114% -1.0%

Beef cattle 4.59 3.85 total

beef 519 600 +2% -0.6%

Note: numbers use inventory figures (not LCA) and depend on source for statistics, year end-dates,and apportionment emissions from fertiliser and bull calves → to be regarded as illustrative only.NB benefits of intensification are not captured in IPCC Tier 1 inventories

Direct approaches – new technologies for emission reduction

• Improved efficiency necessary for emissions

reduction but may not be sufficient

• Are technologies available to facilitate large

reductions in absolute emissions from

agriculture?

The methane free ruminant – a modern fairy-tale?

Inhibitory compounds

Anti-methanogen vaccine

Modified feeding practicesFeeding concentrates can reduce emissions by 50%.

Feeding oils can reduce emissions: 5% reduction for every 1% added oil.

Condensed tannin containing feeds can reduce emissions by up to 20%.

Brassicas can reduce emissions by up to 30%

NB All claimed mitigations need to be considered within a systems & total GHG context

Low emitting animals

• Some animals emit less methane for the same amount of feed;

10-30% reduction depending upon feed

• Heritable & repeatable trait

• No evidence of a performance penalty

• Rapid & cheap identification of low emitting phenotype

challenging

For more information

www.globalresearchalliance.org

secretariat@globalresearchalliance.org