Sharing expertise to quantify and mitigate GHG in the agriculture and land use sector in Argentina and the UK
Lead Research Organisation:
Scotland's Rural College
Department Name: Research
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Publications
Ryan M
(2023)
The UK Crop Microbiome Cryobank: a utility and model for supporting Phytobiomes research
in CABI Agriculture and Bioscience
| Title | INTA & SRUC: transferring knowledge for global challenges in agri-food production |
| Description | A presentation given for the A3 2024 conference (18-19 Sept, 2024, Inverness, UK) in the session on 'International Focus: Overview of developments in LATAM, Africa, Asia, Nordics and Australia'. Programme Day 1 - a3scotland.comThe presentation describes a BBSRC-funded international partnering project between SRUC, UK and INTA, Argentina. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| URL | https://sruc.figshare.com/articles/presentation/INTA_SRUC_transferring_knowledge_for_global_challeng... |
| Description | The Objectives of this project are based on knowledge sharing and exchange of expertise and ideas. The project is ongoing, but to-date we have reached the main objectives from two exchange visits (Argentina, Scotland), a research visit and associated internships (Scotland), and from regular on-line meetings and communication. This has resulted in: Sharing knowledge and expertise on existing farming systems, models (including a detailed process based model DNDC, and the more empirically based carbon footprinting tool Agrecalc), activity data, microbiome resources, and the farm environment in the UK and Argentina Training and a critical appraisal of the application of farm based carbon calculator and the process based model for Argentinian partners The implementation of targeted improvements to the Agrecalc model for application in Argentina The application of the Agrecalc and DNDC models to case-study farms in Argentina to quantify the carbon footprint and to make recommendations for mitigation opportunities Ongoing interactions are enabling: A joint appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of farm-based modelling to support agricultural GHG mitigation in the UK and Argentina in order to optimise future engagement with the farming community Development of further collaborative activities and networking actions to support sustainable agricultural systems in the UK and Argentina. |
| Exploitation Route | There are three main routes for the outcomes to develop: Peer-reviewed publications summarising the findings Securing future funding to support new / expanded ideas that are specific to the topics under investigation in this partnership Development of additional partnerships between INTA and SRUC to address other common topics in agrifood. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Environment |
| Description | The basis of this award was to develop the partnership between two organisations with common interests in agrifood production, SRUC (Scotland) and INTA (Argentina). One of the first areas of interest was in green house gas mitigation, and the different routes that could be used to address this. The partnership has been used by both countries to demonstrate various aspects of international partnering, showcasing the benefits and added value. This has been disseminated through a variety of means, from online webinars, in-person conferences, and for internal discussions. One of the tangible outcomes was establishement of a workshop between SRUC and INTA to explore more area of common interest and to provide a networking opportunity. Another outcome was to widen SRUC's engagement with other LATAM countries, e.g. with a presentation from Ecuador. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Energy,Environment |
| Description | Food Security Advisory Group - Applied Microbiology International |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://appliedmicrobiology.org/advocacy-policy.html |
| Description | Microbes 4 Climate: member of the Stakeholder, and Ethical Advisory Board |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | https://microbes4climate.eu/ |
| Description | Food Safety Research Network (FSRN) Seeding Award |
| Amount | £28,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 43266FSRN-2023S12 |
| Organisation | Quadram Institute Bioscience |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2023 |
| End | 02/2024 |
| Description | A Microbiome Approach for Healthy Soils - Lessons Learned from Across the Globe |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This event will centre around a panel of speakers from across the globe, who will share their local insights and advice on soil success stories and lessons learned to facilitate a global knowledge exchange. Led by Professor Brajesh Singh, winner of AMI's Dorothy Jones award in 2023, this panel of soil microbiology experts will offer a comprehensive exploration into what different areas of the world are doing in terms of a taking soil microbiome approach to soil health, and their experiences and opinions on doing so. The discussion will provide an international learning experience to help explore whether a microbiome-based approach to soils across the globe is possible, desirable and if so, how it can be implemented. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-calendar/past-events/microbiome-approach-for-healthy-soils... |
| Description | Farmers Weekly Question Time - panel member |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | I was an expert panel member, and representative member of SRUC. Farmers Weekly Question Time gives farmers the opportunity to speak directly with top politicians and industry leaders on issues affecting UK agriculture. Farmers face huge challenges, such as rising input costs, volatile markets, unpredictable weather and declining support payments. Question Time will give farmers a voice to raise these topics with the panel. The four events will be filmed in front of a live studio audience. Each debate will be covered in Farmers Weekly and FWi, with features, podcasts, and on-demand video. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.fwi.co.uk/sp/questiontime/sruc-02-03-2023 |
| Description | INTA & SRUC: transferring knowledge for global challenges in agri-food production |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | A presentation was given for the A3 2024 conference (18-19 Sept, 2024, Inverness, UK) in the session on 'International Focus: Overview of developments in LATAM, Africa, Asia, Nordics and Australia'. Programme Day 1 - a3scotland.com The presentation describes a BBSRC-funded international partnering project between SRUC, UK and INTA, Argentina. It links to other existing projects on crops & soils, livestock production & animal health, and green house gas mitigation & measurement |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://a3scotland.com/ |
| Description | SRUC_INTA workshop on Workshop to farm data models and activity data |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | An initial scoping workshop was held to share knowledge and understanding of farming systems in Argentina and the UK, with a focus on approaches to understanding GHG emissions and carbon sequestration. Different modelling approaches will be compared and the availability of activity data to drive the emission calculations assessed. Microbial functional traits with respect to nutrient cycling in the soil are included in the assessment. The socio-economic barriers and opportunities will be considered for the use of carbon calculators to support approaches to agricultural GHG mitigation. The workshop identified priority areas for improvement of the Agrecalc carbon footprinting tool, which is likely to require additional information on management activity, livestock breeds, crop and soil management, and climate. We summarised that it possible to add richness to GHG emission mitigation tools by adding data related to microbial functions associated with nutrient cycling in soil / on plants, their resilience and how environmental factors influence them. The UK team will visited three locations representative of main production systems in Argentina to gain the required knowledge about how the UK resources need to be adapted appropriately: the Pampas Region (San Antonio de Areco, Buenos Aires province, agriculture and beef production), Balcare (Buenos Aires province, beef production) and Rafaela (Santa Fe province, dairy production). A series of research visits were agreed on to provide Argentinian scientists the opportunity to visit the UK. A researcher will assess the utility of bioinfomatics tools to investigate microbial functional traits in nutrient cycling. Another will assess how regional emission factors could be implemented for calculating GHG emissions in an Argentinian context. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Talk: The UK Crop Microbiome Cryobank - A utility and model for Phytobiomes Research |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An online webinar organised by the Phytobiomes Alliance. > 250 signed up for the event with > 100 attending live. The event was videoed and available on the Phytobiome Alliance you-tube channel. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://phytobiomesalliance.org/events/the-uk-crop-microbiome-cryobank-a-utility-to-support-phytobio... |
| Description | The Power of Microbes in Sustainable Crop Production |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Applied Microbiology International organised a conference focused on the impact microbes have in crop production and our future food security. This event was held at the prestigious John Innes Centre, at the heart of crop research in the UK. Meeting the demands of a growing population, climate change, and the overexploitation of agro-ecosystems are all currently posing serious threats to aspects of global food security and sustainable land use. These detrimental effects include: a reduction in crop yields a decrease in the nutritional quality of major cereals lower livestock productivity an increase in the prevalence of invasive crops and pests. The conference gathered UK-based applied microbiologists specialising in food security and sustainable land management. Through breakout sessions, attendees evaluated the progress of microbiology-based solutions, identify evidence gaps, and establish priority areas. The outcome is a list of three challenges ranked by their potential impact on improving food security. Together we engaged in policy discussions, fostered networking, and facilitated collaboration. The AMI policy team subsequently wrote a paper 'Improving soil health in the UK: why a microbial approach is indispensable in attaining sustainable soils' as an output from the workshop. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://appliedmicrobiology.org/ems-event-calendar/the-power-of-microbes-in-sustainable-crop.html |