Top ag scientist to advise PM
A highly experienced agricultural scientist with specialist knowledge of the dairy sector is the Prime Minister's new Chief Science Advisor.
The funding comes from MPI’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory Research annual funding round, which recently opened for research proposals with $2.1 million available.
Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Control (UNFCCC), New Zealand must annually report its emissions through the Greenhouse Gas Inventory. This calculates and records greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and industry in the country, as well as carbon sequestration from forests. MPI administers the agricultural side of this report.
Steve Penno says, this year, MPI is seeking proposals on nine priority areas, ranging from methane to the effects of plants on emissions.
“We’re seeking research proposals to maintain and improve our agriculture, forestry and land-use inventory. It will also be used to account for mitigation technologies as they are developed and implemented on farms in New Zealand.”
Penno says the research fund is an important tool in enabling reporting to the NZ Greenhouse Gas Inventory and the UN under the Paris Climate Agreement.
He adds that accurate information is essential for developing policy and verifying that efforts to reduce agricultural emissions across the country.
In Budget 2022 the Government committed $339 million through the Climate Emergency Response Fund to accelerate development and uptake of high-impact agricultural mitigation technologies. Of this, $1.5 million was added to the Greenhouse Gas Inventory Research fund for 2022/23, taking available funding to $2.1 million for new projects over the next 12 months.
Penno says the fund also contributes to international efforts to drive down agricultural emissions.
“As one of the only developed countries with a largely pasture-based agricultural economy, we’re also able to share our research outcomes with less developed countries with similar agricultural sectors to boost their knowledge,” he adds.
The Greenhouse Gas Inventory Research funding round is opened on 14 July and closes on 12 August, with successful proposals expected to be announced in October.
