Transnational Multi-partner Call on Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research

The challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture requires a global strategic approach and cooperation between national research programmes. To this end, the Joint Programming Initiative on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change (FACCE – JPI) is announcing the opening of an international multi-partner call on agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) research bringing together 11 countries of FACCE – JPI as well as Canada, New Zealand and the United States.

Climate change is a global problem which can only be tackled with an international approach. Being responsible for between 19% and 29% of all GHG emissions, the agricultural sector has many opportunities to contribute to emission reductions and carbon sequestration while still helping meet food security objectives. In order to develop more efficient and productive agricultural systems, there is a need to increase research cooperation and investment in mitigation practices and technologies. The research undertaken will contribute to improving the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration in soil in different agricultural systems as well as to propose, test and verify new practices, strategies and solutions to sustainably increase the carbon sequestration potentials of agricultural soils. Furthermore it seeks to transfer knowledge to farmers to enable them to be the lead actors in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural sector.

The call initiated by FACCE – JPI with the American National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the USDA, New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries and Agriculture and Agri-Food, Canada aims to bring together excellent research consortia to enhance international collaboration in the face of the global issue of climate change mitigation.