The Australian grains industry faces significant risks due to its unpreparedness to meet escalating expectations for reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the impacts of climate change. The agricultural sector, accounting for 16.8% of national GHG emissions in 2020-21, needs scientific approaches to monitor, manage and report emissions to remain competitive. Despite many products claiming to reduce emissions, most lack credible evidence. A situational analysis of the Australian grains industry highlights the need for understanding GHG accounts, emissions intensity (kg CO-equivalent/tonne grain) and low-emission agricultural practices. Additionally, there is a pressing need for improved national coordination and collaboration to enhance efficiency, reduce duplication and improve the quality of research and data availability for adopting low emissions strategies.

In response, the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) has launched the Low Emission Intensity Farming Systems (LEIFS) Initiative to demonstrate the benefits of greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring and management at the farm scale in order to lower emissions intensity, improve production efficiency and capture market value. The LEIFS Initiative will build knowledge, tools, technology and data through an information and knowledge platform. LEIFS will foster collaboration, provide practical options for reducing emissions and establish a trusted national body of evidence to support grower decisions, regulations and policies for the Australian grains industry. The Initiative endeavours to instill confidence among growers and advisers to participate in GHG markets and credentialling opportunities. This requires understanding data requirements and associated risks to make informed entry decisions.

The Initiative includes five integrated programs, one of which is subject to this Tender request. Applicants are invited to apply for the Program Office.

Program Office

The Program Office will oversee consistent data governance and stewardship, as well as monitor and evaluate the impact of LEIFS. It will also facilitate connectivity and knowledge exchange between programs: Capturing Grower Value, National Data Analytics and Insights, Accessible Greenhouse Gas monitoring, and Action Research Networks. This ensures that activities contribute to purpose-driven outcomes.

In collaboration with the Management Committee, the Program Office partner will develop a data governance framework, including minimum datasets and their standards, and specifications for each program. This framework emphasises data security and lifecycle considerations, producing trusted and interoperable data sources beyond the lifespan of LEIFS. Collating and curating a measurement catalogue will enable a distributed data model, fostering data sharing among partners.

The Program Office partner will ensure that insights from various programs inform purpose-driven outcomes, enabling accessible GHG monitoring and accounting. Additionally, the Program Office will establish and coordinate a communication plan, as well as a monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) framework. These plans will include metrics suited to both participatory and traditional research outcomes. Approaches will be developed to assess the adoption of existing and emerging sustainability practices, both ex-ante and measured, as well as reductions in GHG intensity, to support the adoption of low emissions intensity farming systems.