Using the state-of-the-art laboratory established in 2015 in Nairobi called the Mazingira Center, scientists are measuring greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture in Africa, key to improving the accuracy of emissions data for both national reporting and mitigation. Already, scientists found that Tier 1 emission factors established by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) overestimate both methane and nitrous oxide emissions from cattle excreta, given typical smallhoder practices in Eastern Africa. Continue reading
Category Archives: Climate Change
‘Desertification’—A timely synthesis of three decades of evidence that this topic has (long) passed its sell-by date
A great new book, ‘The End of Desertification? Disputing Environmental Change in the Drylands’, edited by Roy Behnke and Mike Mortimore, has 20 top quality chapters from all over the world, documenting why the term desertification has passed its sell-by date, if it ever had one at all. It is an impressive and timely synthesis. Continue reading
How agriculture changes our climate—New primer from Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment
The following is an unusually sane and well communicated multimedia primer on the sustainability of the global food system. Food Matters, republished here in full with permission, is published by the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota. Continue reading
On making the livestock sector more efficient, equitable and sustainable–Francois Le Gall, Livestock Global Alliance
The following opinion piece by World Bank livestock advisor François Le Gall was published last week on the launch of an advocacy brief by an alliance of leading organizations in global livestock issues. Chaired by Le Gall, the Livestock Global Alliance aims to bring the often overlooked livestock sector to the forefront of solutions to global development challenges such as food security, health, economic growth and climate change. Continue reading
Local greenhouse gas estimates needed for local adaptation to climate change, say Kenya and Uganda
On 3–4 May 2016, policymakers from climate change departments of Kenya and Uganda met with scientists from CCAFS and ILRI for discussions on development of regional greenhouse gas inventories. Continue reading
Livestock are coming to the fore of sustainable development to-do lists
Analysis published in Nature Climate Change estimates that livestock could account for up to half of the mitigation potential of the global agricultural, forestry and land-use sectors, which are the second largest source of emissions globally, after the energy sector. Continue reading
Manure: A valuable resource—a 3-part webinar on a ‘win-win-win-win-win’ coming this February
The Livestock and Manure Management project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Wageningen University & Research Centre (Wageningen UR) invite you to join a series of three webinars—on Wednesdays, 3, 17 and 24 Feb 2016—on ‘Manure: a valuable resource’. Continue reading
New Zealand contemplates ‘fart tax’ to reduce sheep emissions of greenhouse gases
Peter Janssen of AgResearch, New Zealand’s main farming-science institute, is looking for ways to reduce the amount of methane the country’s animals burp up. Continue reading
Injection of new genetics funding to boost the health and productivity of Africa’s farm animals
Scientists will use funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to look at how genetic information can improve the health and productivity of farmed animals in tropical climates. The institutions in Scotland and Africa where the researchers are based are also making additional contributions, taking the total funding pot to £20 million over the next five years. Continue reading
Kenyan livestock farmers reap benefits of climate-smart Brachiaria grasses
Brachiaria grass is helping Kenyan farmers boost their dairy production and alleviate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and ground water pollution. Continue reading