Expert Panel #4

Cultivating a greener future – toward sustainable use of biomass for carbon sequestration

Nina GrassnickAxel DonVincent LogahSam McnallyVirginia Pravia
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This expert panel focuses on best practices to boost and retain carbon sequestration in soils and biomass in different regions of the world.

The GFFA expert panel is organized as part of the project “Alliance for the Climate – Dialogue on Climate and Agriculture between New Zealand and Germany (Agri-DENZ)”. It focuses on best practices to boost and retain carbon sequestration in soils and biomass for a better understanding of defining, measuring and implementing sustainable production methods – here with focus on soil carbon sequestration – in different regions of the world.
Best practice examples to boost soil carbon sequestration in different land uses from Germany/EU, Ghana/West Africa, New Zealand and Uruguay will be presented. Afterwards, the following points will be discussed:
• How big is the potential for soil carbon sequestration in the region?
• What are the best measures to use the soil carbon sequestration potential in the region to the full extent?
• What are challenges for implementation of those identified measures in the region and what are solutions to overcome them?
• Which policies or incentives have proven to be most successful in encouraging soil carbon sequestration among farmers and land managers?
Finally, this session aims on learning from best practice examples from other partners/regions that are attending the expert panel as audience.

Short description of expert panel

The GFFA expert panel is organized as part of the project “Alliance for the Climate – Dialogue on Climate and Agriculture between New Zealand and Germany (Agri-DENZ)”. It focuses on best practices to boost and retain carbon sequestration in soils and biomass for a better understanding of defining, measuring and implementing sustainable production methods – here with focus on soil carbon sequestration – in different regions of the world.

Best practice examples to boost soil carbon sequestration in different land uses from Germany/EU, Ghana/West Africa, New Zealand and Uruguay will be presented. Afterwards, the following points will be discussed:

  • How big is the potential for soil carbon sequestration in the region?
  • What are the best measures to use the soil carbon sequestration potential in the region to the full extent?
  • What are challenges for implementation of those identified measures in the region and what are solutions to overcome them?
  • Which policies or incentives have proven to be most successful in encouraging soil carbon sequestration among farmers and land managers?

Finally, this session aims on learning from best practice examples from other partners/regions that are attending the expert panel as audience.

Agenda

  1. Welcome and short overview of Agri-DENZ project: Dr. Nina Grassnick – 10 min.
  2. Best practice examples – Germany/EU: Prof. Dr. Axel Don – 10 min.
    Prof. Dr. Axel Don will present, amongst others, results from the project “CarboSeq: Soil organic carbon sequestration potential of agricultural soils in Europe”.
  3. Best practice examples – Ghana: Prof. Dr. Vincent Logah – 10 min.
    Prof. Dr. Vincent Logah will present, amongst others, case study results for Ghana from the project “C-arouNd: Refining Soil Conservation and Regenerative Practices to Enhance Carbon Sequestration and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions”.
  4. Best practice examples – New Zealand: Dr. Sam McNally – 10 min.
    Dr. Sam McNally will present an assessment of the national potential to reduce losses and increase soil carbon stocks under grazed grasslands using different management practices in New Zealand as a case study.
  5. Best practice examples – Uruguay: Dr. Virginia Pravia – 10 min.
    Dr. Virginia Pravia will provide insight into increasing soil carbon stock in temperate agriculture production systems and the role of carbon models in the Uruguayan legal requirements of the national “sustainable soil/land use and management plan” (PUMRS).
  6. Discussion with guiding questions (see above): All speakers and audience – 35 min.
  7. Wrap-up and closing: Dr. Nina Grassnick – 5 min.

Organizer

Thünen InstituteMinistry of Primary Industries (MPI), New ZealandGlobal Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (GRA)AgriDENZBMEL

Panelists

Moderators & Panelists

Nina Grassnick

Nina Grassnick

AgriDENZ project coordinator

Thünen Institute

Axel Don

Axel Don

Deputy director of Thünen Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture

Thünen Institute

Vincent Logah

Vincent Logah

Head of Department of Crop and Soil Sciences

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Ghana

Sam Mcnally

Sam Mcnally

Senior Researcher

Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand

Virginia Pravia

Virginia Pravia

Associate Researcher in the national program of pastures and forages

National Agricultural Research Institute (INIA), Uruguay