International research collaboration on mitigating climate change in agriculture

Background and Objective

The European Green Deal aims at making the EU climate neutral in 2050. Agriculture also has a role to play here, as it contributes about 10% of the EU's total greenhouse gas emissions. The Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA) provides a good entry point. The GRA aims to increase cooperation in research activities to help reduce the emissions intensity of agricultural production systems. The Thuenen-Institute supports Germany‘s commitment to the GRA following its term as GRA Chair (2018-2019) and especially promotes research activities in Europe. This project aims to strengthen research collaboration on mitigating climate change in agriculture at European level.

Approach

As a first step, we plan to create an actor map which provides an overview of all current European public and private actors working on mitigating climate change in agriculture that are already or potential member, partner or affiliate of GRA. This helps to identify topics for research collaboration projects and topics that might need further attention especially with regard to the European Green Deal. In addition, we will analyze the social network structure of the actors to determine effective communication channels.

In a second step, we will use these results to foster knowledge transfer and exchange within the network by applying different communication tools. Workshops and conferences, organized in-person or virtually, should improve the coherence of research activities, especially in the areas of mitigation measures and implementation processes. The possibility to discuss research results with policy makers and practitioners supports the design of policy relevant research and at the same time provides the opportunity for evidence-based policymaking.

Data and Methods

We will apply qualitative research methods (document analysis) to create an actor map. The network analysis will be conducted by using quantitative research methods, country-specific socioeconomic (Worldbank) and agricultural production (FAOstat) statistics as well as trade data (UNComtrade). We also conduct surveys and evaluate GRA documents and UNFCCC reporting documents.

Our Research Questions

• Who are key actors with regard to strategies for mitigating climate change in agriculture in the EU?
• What factors influence knowledge sharing within international research networks?
• How can the development and implementation of climate mitigation measures be evaluated?

Links and Downloads

GRA homepage: globalresearchalliance.org