GHG Emissions and agricultural focus of new Canadian funding

Canadian farmers will realize new ways to reduce greenhouse gas thanks to a $3.4 million CAD investment in research announced earlier this week by the federal government at the University of Saskatchewan.

The investment will be used for three separate studies. First, $1.5 million CAD will be used to study how agroforestry can mitigate greenhouse gas. Second, nearly $980,000 CAD will be used to develop new beneficial management practices for nitrogen-use efficiency in the forage beef sector that minimize nitrous oxide emissions and maximize carbon sequestration. And finally, almost $920,000.00 will be used to study greenhouse gas irrigated systems typical of the Prairies.

"As our world's population grows, farmers face an increasing challenge to feed everyone adequately, safely and sustainably," says Karen Chad, vice-president of research at the University of Saskatchewan. "Knowledge created by this research in one of our signature areas will help farmers as they strive to produce more food while safeguarding the environment."

The announcement coincided with meetings of the 30-country Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases taking place in Saskatoon, home of the University of Saskatchewan.

Canada is beginning its duties for one year as chair of the Global Research Alliance, an international network that brings together developed and developing countries to collectively find ways to grow more food and develop more climate-resilient agriculture production systems, without increasing greenhouse gas.

New mitigation technologies and beneficial management practices will be made available to farmers worldwide through the Global Research Alliance.

Jamshed Merchant, assistant deputy minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada representing Canada as chair of the alliance, says collaboration is helping understand how to reduce losses of carbon and nitrogen -- as greenhouse gases -- in crop or livestock production systems.

"This translates into producing more with the same amount of input," Merchant says. "For example, Canadian researchers are discovering how to improve nitrogen- and water-use efficiency in irrigated production systems, which means more crop production for the same amount of nitrogen and water and more profit for producers."

Source: FCC Express Newsletter