Filling the Research Gap

Filling the Research Gap is a component of Carbon Farming Futures and will invest $201 million to support research into emerging abatement technologies, strategies and innovative management practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the land sector, sequester carbon and enhance sustainable agricultural practices.

Filling the Research Gap is building on research undertaken through the Climate Change Research Program. Projects will target current research gaps around abatement technologies and practices. Research priorities are reducing methane emissions, reducing nitrous oxide emissions, sequestering carbon and improving modelling capability.

Research outcomes will underpin the development of new abatement methodologies that land managers can use to participate in the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI). The CFI voluntary carbon offsets scheme allows participating land managers to earn additional income from reducing emissions and storing carbon in the landscape.

Research could include cattle genetics and feed alternatives to reduce livestock methane emissions and waste management strategies, new fertiliser technologies and management strategies to reduce soil nitrous oxide emissions, and new crop species to build soil carbon.

Research on soil carbon must be consistent with or complementary to methods developed under the Soil Carbon Research Program. Further information about methodologies currently used for sample collection and analysis can be found in the CSIRO report National Soil Carbon Research Program: Field and Laboratory Methodologies. 

Filling the Research Gap is also funding a national common practice survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This survey will identify common farming practices across various production systems and farming regions.

This information will be used to underpin the CFI additionality test and development of offset methodologies.

The application period for Filling the Research Gap round one is now closed and no further applications will be accepted. Future funding rounds will be announced at a later date.

Filling the Research Gap program guidelines and DAFF funding deed are available for reference.

More information

Please call the Filling the Research Gap Hotline on 1800 108 760 or email Filling the Research Gap.

For current Climate Change Research Program investment findings, please follow the links below:

Filling the Research Gap is administered by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. To find out more about the other programs administered by the department under the Carbon Farming Futures, please follow the links below:

Last reviewed:
06 Feb 2012
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