Dossier
Climate-Smart Agriculture
Agriculture emits greenhouse gasses and therefore contributes to climate change, but agriculture and food security are also threatened by climate change. The growth of the world population and increase of income levels has resulted in a increased demand for food. Yet, this demand is increasing faster than ever before because the number of middle and high income people in the world is growing rapidly. Climate-Smart Agriculture addresses on the one hand the reduction of the environmental and climate impact of agricultural activity and on the other hand the development of food production methods and crops that are well adapted to changing weather conditions.
Climate-Smart Agriculture was placed on the political agenda during the UN Climate Summit on 23 September 2014. In 2011, Wageningen University & Research already initiated a global research alliance on Climate-Smart Agriculture. The Dutch government has now taken this subject to the international political arena. In New York, 75 countries agreed that measures should be taken to drastically increase food production with substantial reduction of resource usage and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Netherlands and Climate-Smart Agriculture
The Netherlands can play a key role in designing Climate-Smart Agriculture plans. Wageningen University & Research develops state of the art knowledge for Climate-Smart Agriculture and collaboration with companies and governments results in cutting-edge innovations.
Since the Climate-Smart Agriculture - Science for Action statement was published in 2011, Wageningen University & Research has been working with various renowned organisations on a global research agenda for Climate-Smart Agriculture. The current state of affairs is summarised in the Position paper Climate-Smart Agriculture.
News on Climate-Smart Agriculture
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Fact check: just how harmful is methane?
- Methane contributes to global warming; it is therefore a greenhouse gas. Of all the methane produced in the Netherlands, 70% comes from livestock farming. A substantial percentage. But how harmful is it? Because, unlike other greenhouse gases, methane breaks down relatively quickly in the atmosphere. Theun Vellinga, senior researcher at Wageningen Livestock Research, explains. -
Polder rice in the Netherlands: will it succeed this year?
- Will it succeed this year to grow ‘polder rice’ in the Netherlands for the first time? Researchers at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and Leiden University are giving it another shot. Whereas the yield last year was minimal, this year the researchers work with 32 different rice varieties adapted to the cooler climate of the Netherlands. -
Measuring ammonia and greenhouse gases on De Marke experimental farm
- At WUR's De Marke experimental farm, sensors measure ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from dairy cattle. The study aims to clarify whether the system provides a suitable basis for granting environmental permits to livestock farmers. But it is not that simple. -
New project assesses methane mitigating feed additives and fat supplements
- An ambitious project has been launched focussing on assessment of efficacy of methane mitigating feed additives and fat supplements in dairy production. With the pressing need for reliable efficacy estimates in farming practices and national inventories, this project integrates state-of-the-art model development with simultaneous experimental testing of additives. -
Tests yield first successful methane sensor
- In order to measure the relatively low methane concentrations in naturally ventilated dairy houses, high requirements are placed on the measuring equipment. Until recently, no acceptably priced sensor was available to accurately measure these low concentrations. A process of inventorying, testing and validation conducted by Wageningen Livestock Research has yielded the first sensor that meets these requirements. -
5 million grant for breeding efforts to reduce methane
- Prof. Roel Veerkamp of Wageningen University & Research is going to lead a global program to coordinate and accelerate the worldwide efforts to breed cattle with reduced methane output. This program has been made possible by a 5 million dollar grant of the Bezos Earth Fund in collaboration with the Global Methane Hub and with the support of University Fund Wageningen. -
Joint manure fermenter may help reduce ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions
- Implementing a low-emission barn system, where sludge is removed daily to be fermented and stripped, could significantly reduce greenhouse and ammonia emissions in the dairy farming sector. This is shown by a modelling study on the possibility of achieving joint mono-manure fermentation in 26 dairy farms. -
Significant methane reduction through daily slurry removal
- A recent study conducted by Wageningen Livestock Research shows that daily slurry removal reduces methane emissions from finishing pigs, weaner pigs and lactating sows by some 90 per cent. This huge climate benefit enables the pig farm to take a critical stride towards climate neutrality. Combining daily slurry removal with other measures reduces emissions at the source. Reductions in ammonia and odour were also reported. Daily slurry removal benefits the environment, the air quality in the barn, and thus, the pigs’ well-being and health. -
Achievable climate goal for Dutch mineral agricultural soils
- Carbon sequestration in mineral agricultural soils, aiming to contribute to the climate issue while sustainably managing agricultural soils, is it possible? After five years of research in the ‘Smart Land Use’ research program, an assessment has been made. Conclusion: the climate goal of an additional 0.5 Megatons of CO2 sequestration in mineral agricultural soils is theoretically achievable. The condition is that measures contributing to this goal are applied sufficiently and skilfully by agricultural entrepreneurs. -
National Growth Fund invests in transition of agricultural sector: WUR participates in Re-Ge-NL
- The National Growth Fund is investing 129 million euros in the Re-Ge-NL programme; a groundbreaking programme designed to transform the Dutch agricultural sector into a regenerative, sustainable and future-proof sector. The programme was founded by a partnership of 54 companies and organisations, including Wageningen University & Research. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy announced that the Re-Ge-NL consortium has met all the conditions for this investment and that the allocation of funding is therefore final.
Projects on Climate-Smart Agriculture
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SENSE project: Synergies in integrated systems
- To what extent can integrated crop-livestock-forestry (agroforestry) systems be part of the solution to climate and biodiversity crises? The SENSE project develops scenarios for farm circularity and evaluates their (i) potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, (ii) resilience, using probabilistic risk analysis, and (iii) side effects on other societal goals. -
Microbiome in relation to CH4 and NH3 emissions
- Reduction of methane emissions can be achieved through an integrated feed and animal-oriented approach. Enteric methane production is largely influenced by feeding strategies and by control of the (rumen) microbiome. This project plan investigates the microbiome track and its influence through animal management. -
Low Carbon Dairy: working together on a 50% reduction of the footprint of milk
- Wageningen University & Research is working to achieve a 50% reduction in the carbon footprint of milk by 2030 through the four-year Low Carbon Dairy public-private partnership (PPP). We are doing this in partnership with Unilever’s dairy supply chains involving Ben & Jerry’s and CONO Cheesemakers, and Nestlé with Vreugdenhil Dairy Foods. Feed companies (Agrifirm, ForFarmers and De Heus) and Duynie (supplier of co-products), Lely (robots and data systems for dairy farms), and Rabobank are also participating. -
A global to local study of climate smart livestock in Kenya (PhD project - Annita Kirwa)
- The project approaches the governance challenge of addressing sustainable Development Goals (SDG) interactions from a global to local lens through a multi-level case study of the Kenyan dairy sector. The study focuses on the ways through which bilateral and multilateral donors as well as government ministries are coordinating to address trade-offs and build synergies within the climate smart livestock context. The study aims contribute insights on how coordination mechanisms can transform a fragmented SDG governance system towards a polycentric system for an effective SDG implementation. -
Roughage management in a circular dairy system: reducing nutrient losses
- The dairy sector in The Netherlands is under pressure to increase its sustainability. After the progress made inthe past 30 years regarding nutrient efficiency, further efforts are required to comply with new issues, raisedby societal concern: nitrogen emissions (ammonia), greenhouse gas emissions (methane) and closing regionalnutrient cycles (circularity). Dairy processors are working on this market shift by incorporating thesesustainability goals in their milk sourcing and quality strategy, both in their processing as well as in the primaryproduction phase. Dairy farmers therefore need to be supported to be able to make their operational andstrategic management more sustainable within their possibilities. -
Climate-smart cattle breeding
- Reducing the CO2 footprint of dairy products has become an essential aspect of sustainable dairy production. Since dairy cows’ methane emissions are a significant contributor to the CO2 footprint, and the Dutch agricultural sector faces the challenge of further reducing methane emissions with 2.1 Mega tonnes by 2030 and even more by 2050, farmers urgently need cost-effective and efficient ways to reduce methane emissions. Some solutions to reduce enteric methane emissions have been extensively researched. Additives or manure fermentation, for example. -
Microbiome in relation to CH4 and NH3
- Potential reduction measures via the feed and animal track - The integrated approach to methane and ammonia in dairy farming, with the aim of implementing the targeted reductions in 2030, means that for the ration, the entire chain of measures and practices to arrive at a ration (ensilage, grassland management, grass extraction, quality, grazing, fertilisation, etc.) must be investigated. The effects of this in practice will be tested on pilot farms and demonstrated on demo farms so that action perspectives can be given to farmers. -
Nature-based Solutions for Climate Resilient and Circular Food Systems
- Nature-based solutions are claimed to positively contribute to food security under climate change conditions. However, the knowledge underpinning this claim is fragmented and insufficiently existent. This project aimed to improve our understanding about nature-based solutions in the context of food systems at risks due to climate change. -
Egypt and Jordan - Climate-Smart Agriculture
- In this project, a perspective is being developed to stimulate Climate-Smart Agriculture in Egypt and Jordan in the coming years. Through a collaboration with partners working on projects in the two countries and local stakeholders, experience and knowledge from previous projects is included in the perspective that is being developed. -
Cow Act: Regional activation of Danone's sustainability strategy
- Key challenge: how to come to regional activation plans for milksheds in France, Spain and Poland to further develop and implement the sustainability goals of Danone on milkshed and dairy farm level.