The Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases was officially launched in Rome. Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine stated that Ireland fully supports and will continue to participate actively in the work of the Alliance which seeks to foster research to help deliver more food without growing greenhouse gas emissions.
Ireland has been a founder member of the Alliance since its establishment in December 2009, with the formation of research groups working on emissions from livestock, croplands and paddy rice systems. However, the signing of its Charter at the Summit in Rome today marks its official launch and a move forward from the establishment to a fully operational phase.
In his Statement delivered at the Summit the Minister said “We fully support the aim of the Alliance to focus on research, development and extension of technologies and practices that will help to reduce the emission intensity of agricultural production and increase carbon sequestration through improving the efficiency, productivity, resilience and adaptive capacity of agricultural systems. We recognise the importance of research and science in efforts to meet these challenges and the important role the Global Research Alliance can play in this regard.”
Ireland has consistently raised the urgent need to address the parallel challenges of increasing food output to meet the growing worldwide demand and at the same time dealing effectively with climate change both in terms of adaptation and mitigation. World food production must be increased by 70% by 2050 while at the same time there is a need to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
The Minister said in conclusion “Ireland is among the leading countries conducting agricultural GHG related research and we also have a very well developed advisory and extension service. I believe, therefore, that we have much to offer the Alliance and so my officials and our research community will continue to actively engage in this important work in the months and years ahead.”
