The Challenge: Research that leads to the development of practical and safe ways to manipulate rumen microbial processes or ruminant physiology in grazing ruminants such that:

• methane per unit of feed intake is sustainably reduced
• animal health and nutrition is maintained
• animal productivity is maintained or increased.

Notes: Challenge 1 is targeted at the processes leading to the formation of methane in the rumen. It can accommodate a wide range of possible approaches (e.g. inhibition of methanogens, alternative hydrogen sinks, and host animal effects) and does not specify or favour any particular approach.

Successful projects can span the spectrum from basic to applied research but all projects need to demonstrate a holistic context for the work and clearly articulate how it will advance the development of applied solutions.

The Challenge: Research that will further develop and extend practical and cost-effective methods of manipulating nitrification and de-nitrification processes in soils to consistently reduce nitrous oxide emissions and nitrogen losses to the environment from soils under grazing livestock and within a broad range of geographic and climatic conditions.

Notes: Challenge 2 is aimed at the further development of known technologies, and/or the development of new technologies and practices that provide farmers with practical and cost effective tools to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from grazing animals under a broad range of climatic and management conditions.

The Challenge: Research that identifies and quantifies management practices that can increase long-term soil carbon storage, or reduce the rate of loss of soil carbon, in grazing livestock systems under varying (and changing) climatic conditions, different soil conditions and management histories while maintaining or increasing pasture and animal productivity.

Notes: Increasing the quantity of soil carbon stored in soils has been identified as a potentially important route by which agriculture can contribute to decreasing net greenhouse gas emissions.

Challenge 3 focuses on how the identified potential to increase, or reduce the rate of loss of, soil carbon in soils can be realised. To do this, the most cost-effective and practical management practices have to be identified and their efficacy confirmed and quantified. It is anticipated that this will involve both empirical and modelling approaches.

The Challenge: Research and development to reduce GHG emissions by taking advantage of new advances in development and uptake of ‘precise’ farm technologies. This might include the application on-farm of current technologies and practices or the development of new technologies and practices. The aim should be a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions intensity of grazed livestock systems without compromising productivity and profitability.

Notes: Challenge 4 addresses the issue of new technology development and uptake, both in the application of new and existing information and in the development of modified/new tools and practices that facilitate a more ‘precise’ approach to pastoral livestock farming.

Successful proposals will be able to demonstrate that the approaches being studied have the potential to bring about significant improvements in greenhouse gas emissions intensity at the farm system level – targeting multiple processes rather than the mitigation of a single gas. Consideration of methodologies for uptake and implementation is also important.