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... -
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... -
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... -
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... -
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...
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... -
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... -
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... -
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... -
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...