P30914 LRG Newsletter December 2014_FA

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A unique strength of the Alliance is that it can
harnessthecollectiveknowledgeofscientists
with specific experience of agricultural GHG
mitigation across a diversity of systems
and environments. Combining a model like
GLEAM and the expertise in GHG mitigation
available within the Alliance countries
provides an opportunity to update estimates
of technical and economic mitigation
potential by combining country-specific
estimates in a coordinated global modelling
approach. These updated estimates would
be underpinned by a far more rigorous
methodological approach and, for the first
time, assess mitigation potential in a system
specific and multi-action framework.
The project, whichwill combine the resources
of FAO and the Global Research Alliance to
better quantify global agricultural mitigation
potential, has a project coordinator funded
by the New Zealand Government based at
the FAO in Rome. The work will proceed as
follows:
• A list of individual mitigation actions
will be drawn up for enteric methane
emissions (direct and indirect) and
methane emissions from manure
management.
• Mitigation effectiveness of single
technologies will be assessed at
country, system and climatic zone scale
using GLEAM. The input data for these
mitigation assessments will be obtained
by utilising the expertise of researchers
from across the LRG science networks
with specific system and mitigation
expertise. The results will be aggregated
as far as possible to quantify total
mitigation potential at country, system,
and macro-regional scales.
• Further expert assessment will be used
to identify ‘packages’ of synergetic
mitigation options suited for specific
production systems and conditions. Their
effectiveness will be assessed using
GLEAM. The results will be aggregated
to quantify mitigation opportunities
at country, system, and macro-
regional scales based on ‘packages’ of
complementary mitigation approaches.
This will avoid double-counting some
mitigation potentials, help manage trade-
offs, and obtain mitigation potentials
that are not based on simple additive
assumptions.
For those people interested in receiving
more detail about this project, or learning
how to be involved please contact the
project coordinator Victoria Hatton