Issue 10 - November 2023

Who’s Counting is the quarterly newsletter of the Inventories and Nationally Determined Contributions Network (I&NDC Network). We summarise scientific progress, opportunities, resources, and events related to national agriculture inventory development, national agriculture climate targets, and international inventory capability-building activities.

If members have a particular region or issue they would like to be the focus of future Newsletters, we welcome you to get in touch (contact details at the end).

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In Who's counting this quarter

Acknowledgement

• Dr Yasukaza Hosen

Spotlight

• Global Stocktake

Events and Opportunities

• COP28 UAE
• COP28 - Food, Agriculture and Water
• International Seminar on the Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases Emissions in Agriculture
• European Mission Soil Week
• Meeting the UK’s Climate Change Ambition: Putting Mitigation & Adaptation Commitments into Practice
• 6th International Conference on Agriculture for Sustainable Development (Agri-Vision 2024)
• The 9th International Symposium on Soil Organic Matter
• The Third International Symposium on Climate- Resilient Agri-Environmental Systems (ISCRAES 2024)
• EuroTier 2024: Innovations for the global animal housing industry
• Livestock Research Group Annual Meeting 2023
• Circular Food System (CFS) Network Needs Your Help!

Collaboration

• Helping to move to higher tiers for agricultural inventories

Jobs Board

• Postdoc Position: Role of BNI for reducing N₂O emissions from livestock

Resources

• Expert Panel on Livestock Methane
• New courses related from the training programme for BTR Technical Expert Reviewers
• Global Research Alliance - Agricultural GHG National Inventory Training Programme
• Fifteen years of the Agriculture and Land-Use National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Software (ALU)
• FAO launched a new Technical Report on Methane Emissions in Livestock and Rice Systems: Sources, quantification, mitigation and metrics

Acknowledgement

It is with great sadness that we share with you the news of Dr Yasukazu Hosen’s passing earlier this month. Yas Hosen has been a valued member of the GRA Community over the years, and his leadership and knowledge will be greatly missed by the Paddy Rice Research Group and by the wider GRA community.

Dr Yasukazu Hosen served as co-Chair of the Paddy Rice Research Group of the Global Research Alliance (GRA) from 2018 to 2023. He completed his doctoral course at the University of Tokyo majoring in soil science, and joined the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) in 1996. He worked as a researcher in the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) from 1996 to 2016 and in the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO) from 2016 to 2023 in the field of agricultural environment sciences, especially on greenhouse gas mitigation from agricultural soils in Asian countries such as China, the Philippines, and Vietnam. He was based in the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) from 2004 to 2010 as an International Recruited Staff member and served as Deputy Director of the International Research Division of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council, MAFF from 2013 to 2015. He greatly contributed to the field of agricultural environmental sciences especially in international research.

We know that you will join us in sending condolences to Dr Hosen’s family and colleagues at this time.

Spotlight

Global Stocktake

The first ever Global Stocktake is scheduled to conclude at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28). It is a process for countries and stakeholders to see where they’re collectively making progress towards meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Change Agreement - and where they’re not. Effectively, it means looking at everything related to where the world stands on climate action and support, identifying the gaps, and working together to chart a better course forward to accelerate climate action.

There are three components to the Global Stocktake process:

• Information collection and preparation;
• Technical assessment; and
• Consideration of outputs.

The technical assessment and information collection and preparation components of the Stocktake are currently running concurrently. The last phase, consideration of outputs, started following the June session and will conclude at COP28.

This Stocktake provides an opportunity to ramp up ambition to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, and relies on the global response to the outcomes. It will also lay the foundation for countries to update and enhance their Nationally Determined Contributions, which they are required to do in 2025.

Events and Opportunities

COP28 UAE

30 November - 12 December 2023, Expo City Dubai

The 2023 UN Climate Change Conference will convene from November 30 to December 12 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It will include the 28th meeting of the Conference of Parties. The incoming Presidency announced that COP28 will focus on four paradigm shifts:

• Fast-tracking the energy transition and slashing emissions before 2030;
• Transforming climate finance by delivering on old promises and setting the framework for a new deal on finance;
• Putting nature, people, lives, and livelihoods at the heart of climate action; and
• Mobilising for the most inclusive COP ever.

COP28 - Food, Agriculture and Water

During the two-week schedule at COP28 from 30 November - 12 December, there are a number of sessions which focus on issues relevant to food, agriculture and water. Specific food and agriculture focuses include innovation investment, regenerative agriculture, and national transformation pathways, underpinned by financing mechanisms and project preparation. Water programming will also look at freshwater restoration and conservation, infrastructure for urban water resilience, and integrated governance and management of water-food systems. Some sessions which may be relevant to Network members include (but are not limited to):

• Financial and private sector innovations in methane reduction in livestock and in food loss and waste (5 December, organised by Environmental Defence Fund and Global Methane Hub);
• Voices from the field and transitions to resilient and sustainable production (10 December, organised by COP28, HLC, Asia Farmers Association, Global Alliance for the Future of Food, Others);
• WCAS - Resilient food systems, sustainable agriculture and climate action (1 December, organised by COP28); and
• Joint Policy Dialogues: Integrating agriculture, climate and finance (10 December, organised by COP28).

International Seminar on the Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases Emissions in Agriculture

15 - 16 November 2023, Zaragoza, Spain and Online

On 15 and 16 November, CIHEAM Zaragoza will organise an international seminar on greenhouse gas emissions and climate change mitigation in the Mediterranean agricultural sectors. The event has the collaboration and support of the National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology of the Spanish National Research Council (INIA-CSIC) in the framework of the presidency of the Global Research Alliance on Greenhouse Gases (GRA) and will bring together representatives from ministries, international organisations (GRA, PRIMA, OECD, FAO or the European Commission), as well as experts and scientists from countries in the Mediterranean basin and other Mediterranean climate zones of the world.

In-person participation in the seminar is by invitation only, but there are open sessions that can be followed face-to-face on-line via streaming.

European Mission Soil Week

21 - 23 November 2023, Madrid, Spain

The European Mission Soil Week is an annual event aimed at promoting the Horizon Europe Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’, raising awareness about the importance of soil health, and driving action to protect and restore our soils.

The week will bring together Mission stakeholders and projects, give visibility to the importance of soil protection, restoration and monitoring, and discuss actions and solutions that are needed to progress towards more sustainable land management. The week will be held up the title ‘Leading the transition towards healthy soils’.

Meeting the UK’s Climate Change Ambition: Putting Mitigation & Adaptation Commitments into Practice

9 January 2024, Webinar

This timely symposium aims to provide delegates with an opportunity to engage with the government’s approach to climate change adaptation and mitigation to discuss what more needs to be done. Key national and local government actors, climate change charities and scientists, and public and private sector stakeholders will have the chance to consider current and future measures and emerging technologies and techniques to protect national eco-systems and infrastructure and the UK population from climate change and reduce the UK’s CO₂ emissions in line with its legal commitments.

6th International Conference on Agriculture for Sustainable Development (Agri Vision- 2024)

19 - 21 January 2024, Cuttack, India

The 6th International Conference on Agriculture for Sustainable Development (Agri Vision- 2024) is being organised by the Society for Agricultural Research and Management (SARM). This International Agriculture Conference will be held from January 19 - 21, 2024 at Cuttack, Odisha, India. The Sessions of Agri Vision will discuss agricultural practices designed to protect the environment, eliminate & reduce greenhouse effects, enhance soil quality and fertility to protect crops, and preserve the Earth’s natural resources for future generations.

The 9th International Symposium on Soil Organic Matter

26 - 31 May 2024, Ben Guerir, Morocco

This symposium will highlight the latest discoveries on soil organic matter and reinforce its importance in global decarbonization. SOM 2024 features plenary and keynote speeches by renowned scientists, contributed oral talks and posters by participants, awards for the top student contributions and exhibitions by publishers, technical service providers and soil organic matter advisors.

As this is the first time this symposium takes place in Africa, SOM 2024 will be a unique opportunity to understand Africa’s vital contribution to our shared global challenges.

The Third International Symposium on Climate-Resilient Agri-Environmental Systems (ISCRAES 2024)

25 - 28 June 2024, Dublin, Ireland

This symposium, a biennial scientific event not-for-profit, will be held from 25-28 June, 2024  at UCD O’Brien Centre for Science, University College Dublin. The main theme of the ISCRAES 2024 is “REFRAMING STRATEGIES FOR LOW CARBON FUTURE IN AGRO-FARMING SYSTEMS'', leading to achieving the primary objective of an agro-environmental sustainability by tackling the current major environmental, climate, and societal challenges facing by the world.

EuroTier 2024: Innovations for the global animal housing industry

12 - 15 November 2024, Hannover, Germany

EuroTier is the leading international trade fair for professional animal farming and livestock management. The leading innovation platform of the global animal production industry offers an overview of innovations and established standards. It provides answers and solutions for current and future challenges. The next EuroTier will take place from 12 to 15 November 2024 at Hannover Germany. Key topics include emission control, sustainability, green productivity, animal health,  animal welfare,  automation, robotics,  artificial intelligence.

Livestock Research Group Annual Meeting 2023

The 2023 meeting of the Livestock Research Group was held in-person in Lyon, France on 1 September 2023. The meeting was attended by 39 participants representing 18 countries and four partner organisations. The full report and presentation slides can be found on the GRA web page in the link below:

Circular Food System (CFS) Network Needs Your Help!

The CFS Network is organising an exciting event in 2024, and while they are unable to give much information at this stage, it will involve exploring practical examples of circular food systems through the agri-food chain. For this, they are looking for such examples in (Southeast) Asia and East Africa.

If you are currently working on a circularity project in these regions, or know of any inspiring examples of a circular (farming or food) system, please do not hesitate to contact the CFS Network. If you're not involved yourself, but know of any contacts in the region that could be of help, this would be greatly appreciated as well.

You can reach the network via cfsnetwork@wur.nl, who will be discussing the received input on November 20 - but would still love to hear from you if you have input after that date.

Collaboration

Helping to move to higher tiers for agricultural inventories.

The New Zealand Government, in support of the Global Research Alliance on agricultural greenhouse gases, is providing support for developing countries to move towards Tier 2 Inventories. This will strengthen countries' capabilities to identify, plan and implement measures that meet national objectives for livestock development, climate change adaptation and GHG mitigation. More accurate GHG inventories are a key tool for identifying and tracking the effects of policies and measures, including mitigation co-benefits of adaptation.

For nearly 20 years New Zealand has been helping train countries to produce their agricultural GHG Inventories and move to more complex inventory methodologies. A recent increase in funding through the New Zealand Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Initiative has meant that New Zealand can help more countries than ever before to increase their capacity in calculating their agricultural GHG emissions using a Tier 2 methodology. Current countries include Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa; and Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam in ASEAN. The New Zealand CSA Initiative is looking to expand into Latin America and the Caribbean over the coming year. Other countries that the New Zealand government is currently supporting to move to higher tiered Inventories include Fiji, Ghana, Samoa and Senegal.

New Zealand is always looking for other countries and organisations to collaborate with in this space. If you are interested in knowing more about New Zealand’s past, present or future capability building work, please contact Andrea.Pickering@nzagrc.org.nz.

Jobs Board

Postdoc Position: Role of BNI for reducing N2O emissions from livestock

Closing Date - 2 October 2023

This 2-year PostDoc position for researchers from developing countries, is part of a collaboration with the Alliance Bioversity & CIAT (Colombia) and AgResearch (New Zealand) on the role of Biological Nitrification Inhibition (BNI) for reducing N₂O emissions from livestock systems. The project is funded by the New Zealand Government in support of the objectives of the Livestock Research Group of the Global Research Alliance (GRA). The position is primarily based at CIAT campus, located in Cali, Colombia, but will be conducted in close collaboration with researchers in New Zealand.

Register your interest for this position by completing the form here

New Developments

RiceMo - Measurement, Reporting and Verification System for Rice Cultivation

The New Zealand Government, in support of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse gases, is providing funding to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to address the lack of systems to track activity data on where, when and how much land area is applying low-emission practices in ASEAN countries. This data is needed both to estimate the GHG trajectory following specific mitigation measures and to more accurately quantify rice cultivation emissions in national inventories using the IPCC Tier 2 method.

To address these issues and build capacity for Viet Nam, IRRI has been working with the Department of Crop Production (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) and local governments in Can Tho province to pilot a system for rice monitoring. The piloted Rice Activity Data Monitoring and Reporting System (RiceMo) uses Excel files to facilitate reporting of georeferenced data and analysis.

Resources

Expert Panel on Livestock Methane

The expert panel is a group of scientists and academics who work together on a voluntary basis to bring the latest peer-reviewed science to the media and policy debate about livestock methane and climate change. They aim to use their collective knowledge and expertise to provide an independent evidence-based view on the role of livestock fuelling climate change, the potential and limitations of existing and prospective solutions, and the extent to which these solutions are aligned with climate, biodiversity and sustainable development goals.

Key messages from the panel include:

• Cutting carbon dioxide emissions is critical if we are to limit global warming to 1.5°C and avoid ever more dangerous climate change;
• We also need deep, rapid and sustained reductions in other greenhouse gases, especially methane. Methane from human activities is responsible for about 0.5°C of global warming to date, with agriculture the largest single contributor;
• The most effective approach to tackling livestock methane will differ from country to country and farm to farm and will need to balance emissions reductions with the need to protect nature, promote sustainable development including food security, and support animal welfare;
• Action to tackle livestock methane needs to be carefully planned to ensure that the costs and benefits are distributed fairly and equitably;
• Existing solutions can deliver significant reductions if governments put funding and policies in place to make them happen;
• Innovations such as a methane vaccine and methane inhibiting feed additives for livestock raised on pasture have the potential to deliver even deeper emissions reductions but are unlikely to be widely available for many years; and
• Accelerating the development of new solutions will require a more ambitious and coordinated effort from governments – building on existing initiatives such as the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, and the Global Methane Hub.

New courses released from the training programme for BTR Technical Expert Reviewers

As of 27 September 2023, the Secretariat, pursuant to decision 5/CMA.3, para. 33, has released the following courses under the Paris Agreement’s improved transparency framework. These include:

• Course B: Technical review of national inventory reports;
• Course C: Technical review of information necessary to track progress made in implementing and achieving NDCs; and
• Course D: Technical review of information on financial, technology development and transfer and capacity building support provided.

This follows the release of Course A: General and cross-cutting aspects for the TER, earlier in 2023.

See the following diagram to determine which courses might be relevant for you:

Global Research Alliance - Agricultural GHG National Inventory Training Programme

This is a reminder of the E-Learning courses available on the Global Research Alliance website. These provide the foundation knowledge that support the development of National GHG Inventory’s and assessing of GHG emissions from the agricultural sector. The programme consists of 3 courses which focus on introducing participants to climate change science, international obligations, and the science behind agricultural GHG inventories.

The courses can be taken at your own time and only require a free login to access.

Fifteen years of the Agriculture and Land-Use National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Software (ALU)

The Agriculture and Land Use National Greenhouse Gas Inventory software, or ALU, was developed by Dr. Stephen Ogle and colleagues at Colorado State University starting in 2005 as part of a capacity building project in Central America. He understood very well the complexity of conducting a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory for the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector, and wanted to find a way to help compilers with the task.

The application of ALU has helped inventory compilers to better understand and apply IPCC inventory methods in many countries throughout Central and South America, Africa and Asia, through a variety of capacity building projects funded by the US government, UNFCCC and other partners.

FAO launches a new Technical Report on Methane Emissions in Livestock and Rice Systems: Sources, quantification, mitigation and metrics.

Addressing methane emissions from livestock and rice systems is vital for promoting sustainable agriculture and mitigating climate change. This FAO report comprehensively addresses methane emissions in agriculture and their impact on global greenhouse gas levels. By analysing sources, sinks, quantification methods, and mitigation strategies, this publication highlights challenges and opportunities to reduce methane emissions from livestock and rice production systems.

We welcome suggested content for the next issue of Who's Counting. Please email INDC.GRA@gmail.com for all suggestions.