Research and demonstration grants totalling $72.5 million have been awarded as part of the first round of the Federal Government’s  Filling the Research Gap and Action on the Ground programs that are part of the $429 million Carbon Farming Futures program.

 

The Filling the Research Gap program has been allocated a total of $201 million to fund research into new technologies and practices for land managers to reduce emissions and store soil carbon.

 

The Action on the Ground program will invest a total of $99 million to assist industry and farming groups test and apply research outcomes in real farming situations.

 

The first round of the Filling the Research Gap program will invest $47.3 million into 58 projects in five key research areas including reducing methane emissions (from livestock and manure), reducing nitrous oxide emissions (from fertilisers and soils), increasing soil carbon and improving modelling capability.  The Filling the Research Gap program has been allocated a total of $201 million to fund research into new technologies and practices for land managers to reduce emissions and store soil carbon.

 

The first round of the Action on the Ground program will invest $25.2 million into 59 projects involving 424 properties around the country which will trial and demonstrate on–farm technologies and innovative practices that store carbon, reduce or mitigate emissions of nitrous oxide and methane and improve farm productivity.


The next funding round for Filling the Research Gap will be announced later this year.  The second round of Action on the Ground is expected to open for applications in the first quarter of 2013.

 

For more information on the successful projects visit Climate Change.