I spent an interesting couple of days last week at the first Senior Officials’ Meeting of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (“the GRA”).  

An idea first floated by New Zealand in the run-up to last year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the GRA is made up of 29 nations committed to working together to develop and disseminate science-based methods of producing substantially more food while reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural sector. Agriculture produces approximately 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions, yet the sector is often neglected in climate change research and investment.  

One neglects the sector at one’s peril. As populations continue to increase, we will need to significantly increase food production, which could result in escalating environmental degradation if not carefully managed. There is a particularly dangerous catch-22 in the cycle because the world’s food supply is especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The anticipated work of the GRA addresses this conundrum and touches a variety of critical interrelated issues facing the planet in the coming years, including food security, sustainable development, poverty reduction, rising sea levels, and environmental protection.  

The GRA was formulated and pushed forward by close cooperation between the United States and New Zealand. As U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack noted in a blog post on December 16, 2009, the U.S. has already committed up to US$90 million over four years, far more than any other country, to advance the GRA concept. The U.S. delegation was the largest at last week’s meeting and was co-headed by Dr. Roger Beachy (the director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture) and me.  

Agricultural emissions are generated in a wide variety of ways, and not just by these guys.

Dr. Beachy announced the establishment by the U.S. Government of the Borlaug Fellowships specifically to support the work of scientists from developing countries engaged in research related to the GRA’s goals, the first such commitment by an Alliance member. More information about the Fellowships and how to apply can be found at the following link: fas.usda.gov.  

Part of what makes the GRA concept so powerful and laden with potential is that it is focused on scientific solutions — not political debate — and is being driven largely by scientists. Although there is always the usual political puffery in such gatherings, the Senior Officials’ Meeting got down to real business relatively quickly by focusing on three particular areas of anticipated research and establishing working groups for those areas.  

Japan took the lead on rice paddy management issues. The U.S. took the lead on cropping and arable land management. The Netherlands and New Zealand handled discussions of livestock issues. Each of the three working groups identified short lists of area-specific activities and cross-cutting issues on which the future work of the GRA will be focused. The full Alliance agreed on a 12-month initial work plan.  

Thanks and congrats to Ministers David Carter and Tim Groser for hosting this first meeting. Things ran very smoothly and efficiently.  

The Alliance members who sent delegations to the meeting were Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, United Kingdom, U.S.A., Uruguay, and Vietnam. Brazil, China, and South Korea have not joined the GRA but sent delegations to observe the proceedings.  

If politics can be held in check, this will be an effort worth watching. Fingers crossed.