Calls for climate strategy to protect agriculture

Australian farmers need to be protected from the effect of climate change, according to a recent Australian Farm Institute report.

FARMING communities are most likely to feel the heat of climate change and are in need of an overarching climate change strategy, according to a recent report.

The Australian Farm Institute’s Change in the Air report called for a national strategy on climate change to be adopted by the Federal Government.

Farmers for Climate Action chair Lucinda Corrigan in the report said climate change was “a wicked challenge representing a serious threat to the viability of Australian agriculture”.

“As farmers, we are on the frontline of climate change and we need to be a part of its solution,” Ms Corrigan said.

“My hope for this research report is that we can harness the energy for change in our physical and political environments to effect great policy for the future of food, families, and farming.”

According to the report, a national strategy for climate change and Australian agriculture “must be underpinned by research” to enable systematic adaptation.

Australian Farm Institute executive director Richard Heath said the key message was that, without a co-ordinated whole-of-agriculture strategy for climate action, “we will continue to have a piecemeal approach less likely to deliver the sort of outcome we need”.

“It’s really important to point out … agriculture is doing the heavy lifting already in terms of reducing gas emissions and effects of climate change. It’s the only sector, other than waste, that has reduced greenhouse gas emissions from 2000 to 2018,” Mr Heath said.

“Other areas have increased, but agricultural direct gas emissions have reduced while almost doubling the value of Australian agriculture.”

The report highlighted possible challenges for the agricultural sector in the face of the absence of a dedicated climate strategy, including a fall in production, a drop in farm profits, increased food insecurity, an adverse effect on rural health, and more.

“The agricultural sector is exposed to the effects as much, if not more so than other areas,” Mr Heath said. “There’s a lot of opportunities to be had by agriculture embracing change and setting the agenda on climate change action.”