Presentation at: Meeting global food needs with lower emissions: IPCC report findings on climate change mitigation in agriculture A dialog among scientists, practitioners and financiers April 16, 2014 World Bank, Washington, DC Following the April 13th release of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report on Mitigation, including Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Uses (AFOLU), this event will provided an opportunity to listen to IPCC authors summarize their findings and for all participants to join in a dialog with practitioners and financiers to discuss actionable steps for mitigation in the agricultural sector. The event was a joint effort of the World Bank, the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, and the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).

1. Date:
4/17/2014
Global Research Alliance
on agricultural greenhouse gases
Author: Harry Clark

2. Sources of agriculture GHGs: absolute
Source: EDGAR database, data for 2008, accessed 2012

3. National significance of agriculture GHGs
Source: EDGAR database, data for 2008, accessed 2012

4. Uneven Challenge: Future Food Demand
% change in total calorie
demand in
11 world regions, 2000-2050
±0 Eastern Europe, former
Soviet Union, Pac.
OECD
+5
+50
N. America , Planned
Asia China, Western
Europe
+50
+10
0
Latin America ,
Caribbean, Asia –
Pacific rim
+10
0
+20
0
North Africa, Middle
East, South Asia
>20
0
Sub-Saharan Africa
Source: IIASA/GLOBIOM model, Havlik et al 2011

5. 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.

6. 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:

7. Membership

8. Partner Organisations
International 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

9. Research Collaboration
Knowledge 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

10. Capability Development
Regional 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

11. Policy Support and links to International
Activities
Efficient 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

12. 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 months
http://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 scientists
http://www.livestockemissions.net/funding-opportunities.html
Awards offered by Member countries to support the Alliance

13. Pathways to mitigation

14. 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

16. Key Production & Emissions Statistics
1990 & 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

17. 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?

18. The methane free ruminant – a
modern fairy-tale?

19. Inhibitory compounds

20. Anti-methanogen vaccine

21. Modified feeding practices
Feeding 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

22. 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

23. For more information
www.globalresearchalliance.org
secretariat@globalresearchalliance.org