Agricultural research receives funding

The federal government has announced funding for 31 agricultural research projects that will focus on helping farmers adapt to a changing climate and reduce methane emissions.

Announced by Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Joe Ludwig, 15 universities, research and development institutes and private groups will share $30 million in funding.

The funding is part of the ongoing Filling the Research Gap Program to support research that helps farmers and landholders develop methods to reduce emissions.

The program has initial funding of $201 million allocated over six years to 2016-17. It aims to help farmers and landholders participate in the Carbon Farming Futures Program to reduce emissions, improve their farm sustainability and diversify their farm income. The Carbon Farming initiative, in turn, sits under the government’s $1.7 billion Land Sector Package.

Successful applicants in this round included the Queensland University of Technology, which will receive $1.8 million for three projects, and the University of Western Australia, which won $4.45 million to support five projects.

The research will focus on reducing emissions from livestock production systems, reducing nitrous oxide emissions, increasing soil carbon, farm system design, adaptation to climate change and international collaboration.

The grants build on last year’s first round, for which $47 million was awarded to 57 projects. It also progresses the work conducted under the Climate Change Research Program, which has supported the development and approval of a method relating to methane capture in piggeries. This method is now being used by piggery farmers to earn carbon credits under the Carbon Farming Initiative.