Research

NZAGRC’s current Science Plan consists of 11 active Research Objectives which align under five key areas:

Mitigating methane emissions (joint programme with the PGgRc)

• Reducing emissions through small molecule inhibitors and vaccines and indirectly through feeding and changes in animal phenotypes

Plants and GHGs

• Identifying and prioritising plant traits for low GHG emissions;
• Mitigation practices to maintain soil carbon and reduce nitrous oxide emissions at paddock scale; and
• Defining the achievable soil C stabilisation capacity of New Zealand grassland soils

Integrated farm systems

• Promoting profitable, practical and low GHG-emitting sheep, beef and dairy farm systems

Māori-focussed research

• Assisting the Māori pastoral sector to increase resource efficiency and farm productivity while lowering GHG emissions

Policy support

• Conducting research and analysis to ensure that policy makers have current and validated science upon which to base their decision-making

Within these five key areas we have several science programmes, which deal with specific areas of research. Details of each, and a snapshot of the progress being made, are found from the menu on the left.