ClimGen - : Climate Genomics for farm animal adaptation.

During September, Co-director of the Sustainable Places Research Institute, Professor Mike Bruford was in Paris for the launch meeting of the FACCE-JPI ERA NET programme on Climate Smart Agriculture presenting the project he co-ordinates called ClimGen: Climate Genomics for farm animal adaptation.

The Joint Programming Initiative on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change (FACCE-JPI) brings together 21 countries who are committed to building an integrated European Research Area addressing the interconnected challenges of sustainable agriculture, food security and impacts of climate change. FACCE-JPI provides and steers research to support sustainable agricultural production and economic growth, to contribute to a European bio-based economy, while maintaining and restoring ecosystem services under current and future climate change.

Mike presented the project ClimGen that focuses on the identification and use of ‘omics technology for building livestock resilience to climate change.  Mike has been given funding to bring together previous and ongoing national, EU and global efforts to understand livestock adaptation to climatic extremes, the project will seek to identify genomic tools and biomarkers that can be used to predict adaptation in livestock populations to thermal and related challenges. Alongside scientific investigation, ClimGen will also develop and assess the efficacy of modified breeding strategies that use ‘omics information to rapidly equip livestock populations with the resilience that will be required to withstand the predicted negative effects of climate change in the short, medium and long-term. ClimGen will also act as a source of relevant information for stakeholders, who will both participate in and influence the development of the project.

Later on in Septmber, the Climgem group attended the 14th symposium on 3rd millennium agriculture at the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.