High-Level Week
14:00 - 15:15
| Event title | Finding ways to achieve sustainable food production without growing greenhouse gas emissions- Activities of the GRA - |
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| Contents | Agriculture is a sector vulnerable to climate change as well as responsible for nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This means that the key to sustainable food production is GHG mitigation in agriculture in developing countries where both the necessity and potential of increased productivity in agriculture are high. The Global Research Alliance on agricultural greenhouse gases (GRA) was launched in 2011 to provide a framework to increase cooperation and investment in research activities to find ways to achieve sustainable food production without growing greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector. Currently 48 countries from all regions of the world including developing countries are participating. More than five years have passed since the establishment of the GRA and the alliance has achieved research results that can now be shifted to the implementation stage. Japan has participated actively in the GRA since its establishment and has led the Paddy Rice Research Group, which is one of its four Research Groups. In addition, Japan became the Chair of the GRA at the 7th GRA Council Meeting, held in Tsukuba, Japan on August 29-30. Japan and the GRA will organize the side event at COP23, in which the invited speakers from the GRA Members and Partners will introduce: (1) overview of the GRA, (2) international collaborative projects of the GRA, with the GRA Members and Partners to reduce GHG emissions, and (3) GRA activities to support capability building in developing countries as well as Japan’s contribution to the GRA. Furthermore, by exchanging views between participants, we will raise awareness of the importance of the GRA’s aim to bring countries together to find ways to achieve sustainable food production without growing greenhouse gas emissions". |
| Keywords | International collaborative research, agriculture, mitigation |
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Final Programme
Opening remarks（5 min.）
- Mr. Masamichi SAIGO (Advisor to the Minister, MAFF, JAPAN, the Chair of the side event)
Presentation（10 min. each）
Activities of the GRA-Overview of the GRA-
- Mr. Hayden MONTGOMERY (GRA Special Representative)
The 7th GRA Council Meeting, The way forward of the GRA - Dr. Masa IWANAGA (GRA Chair)
International collaborative projects of the GRA
MIRSA Project and APEC Fund
- Mr. Naoaki KAMOSHIDA (Director, MAFF, JAPAN)
FACCE-JPI Project and GRA Science Conference
- Dr. Claudia HEIDECKE (Thünen Institute of Rural Studies, Germany)
Activities of the GRA Partners in developing countries with the GRA
Efforts to disseminate technologies to farmers (in Southeast Asia) and GRA partnership
- Ms. Helena Molin VALDES (Head, CCAC Secretariat)
GRA Partnership and Capability Building
- Dr. Lini WOLLENBERG (Flagship Leader, CCAFS, CGIAR)
Discussion（10 min.）
Closing remarks（5 min.）
- Mr. Masamichi SAIGO
Session Summary
The Global Research Alliance on agricultural greenhouse gases (GRA) was launched in 2011 to provide a framework to increase cooperation and investment in research activities to find ways to achieve sustainable food production without growing greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector. Currently 49 countries from all regions of the world including developing countries are participating. More than five years have passed since the establishment of the GRA and the alliance has achieved research results that can now be shifted to the implementation stage. Japan has participated actively in the GRA since its establishment and has led the Paddy Rice Research Group, which is one of its four Research Groups. In addition, Japan became the Chair of the GRA at the 7th GRA Council Meeting, held in Tsukuba, Japan on August 29-30.
On the occasion of COP23, Japan and the GRA organized the side event entitled “Finding ways to achieve sustainable food production without growing greenhouse gas emissions- Activities of the GRA -”.
After the opening remarks by Mr. SAIGO, the Chair of the side event, the outline of the GRA was explained by Mr. MONTGOMERY, GRA Special Representative, and activities of the GRA by Dr. IWANAGA, GRA Chair. Subsequently, presentations were given by Mr. KAMOSHIDA, Director, MAFF, Japan and Dr. HEIDECKE from Thünen-Institute, Germany on examples of international joint projects to mitigate GHG emissions. In addition, GRA Partners, Ms. VALDES (CCAC) and Dr. WOLLENBERG (CCAFS) introduced to the audience their activities in developing countries with the GRA. Furthermore, by exchanging views among participants, the importance of the GRA’s aim to bring countries together to find ways to achieve sustainable food production without growing greenhouse gas emissions was reaffirmed.
Key Messages
Agriculture is a sector vulnerable to climate change as well as responsible for nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this side event, by introducing international collaborative projects on mitigation of GHG emissions and the activities of the GRA Partners and the GRA in developing countries, we called the participants’attention to the existence of the GRA, and have succeeded in raising awareness of the importance of the GRA’s aim to bring countries together to find ways to achieve sustainable food production without growing greenhouse gas emissions.
Name and organisation of the person(s) who prepared the summary
Norihito KANAMORI, Deputy-Director, International Research, AFFRCS, MAFF, Japan
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