Adapting Australian Farming Systems to Climate Change: a Participatory Approach

Past studies have shown that Australian farming systems are higly vulnerable to climate changes thatare likely to happen over the next fewdecades. These studies have focused on either cropping or grazing systemsandhave used general and simple representations of both systems rather than portraying real systems which require more complex decision making. In the few studies where the benefits of adaptations have been quantified, the adaptations studied have been a simple subset of those likely to be used and their has been no farmer input in their practicality or utility.

Supported by the Australian Greenhouse Office, this project is a collaboration between the BCG, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Mingenew Irwin Group (WA), Brigalow Jimbour Floodplain Group (Qld) and RMCG Consulting. The project is exploring options to increase the resilience of mixed farming systems across Australia to climate change. It is assessing how a range of scenarios of possible climate change will affect farming systems in the three regions, how the systems are vulnerable and identifying feasible adaptation options to these changes.

The project will be completed by April 2008 and the final report will be available from the site.

An interim article was published in the 2007 Season Results Book, see 'On- farm management in a changing climate: A participatory approach to adaptation'.

An early the article 'On-farm managment in a variable and changing climate: A paticipatory approach to adaptation' was published in the 2006 Members manual.

View the poster presented to farmers in the Mingenew-Irwin region of WA 'Adapting Australian farming systems to climate change: a participatory approach'.