Agriculture and forestry
future farm industries
Future Farm Industries CRC (FFI CRC) is a unique co-investment and integration of activities between three major agricultural R&D investors, Australia’s largest agribusiness company, and the combined research might of six state agencies, four CSIRO Divisions and four universities. These Participants work together with companies, catchment management organisations and farm research groups to enhance the CRC’s adoption and commercialisation activities. FFI CRC is developing new and adaptable farming systems for Australia by creating new land-use systems which will make agriculture more productive, adaptable to climate variability, sustainable and diverse. The use of perennial plants is a primary focus of the CRC’s research because their deep-root systems are more adaptable to climate variation and can lower water tables in low-lying, saline areas. of FFI CRC’s research is built upon the foundations of its predecessor, the CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity, which made significant headway in creating new ways to make saline lands more productive and sustainable. FFI CRC headquarters is located at The University of Western Australia. Its research, education and training collaborative activities are sited at 40 locations across southern and eastern Australia.
Uncertain Harvest: The predicted impacts of global warming on Australian agriculture
Farmers can expect less rainfall on average, increased evaporation, and increased frequency and severity of extreme events. These effects will combine to decrease productivity in many parts of the nation. Many commercial crops and livestock in Australia are already at the limit of their natural range and are vulnerable to this added stress.
Climate change in rural and regional Australia.
This report aims to assist rural and regional Australia manage the impacts of climate change, harness the benefits of greenhouse emissions reductions and sustain natural resources for the long term. Agriculture and forestry cover 60 per cent of the Australian continent. Economic activities stemming from these industries create wealth, regional prosperity, and social richness. Day-to-day or year-to-year variations in climate are a normal part of managing the Australian landscape. Much is known about the way these variations influence productivity, sustainability and regional prosperity over relatively short timeframes; and we understand the risks. Climate change, however, turns this around. Concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are continuing to increase as a result of human actions. A future Australia will be warmer, mostly drier, and likely subject to more extreme weather events such as storms, drought and floods. The agriculture and forestry industries will need to manage additional climate risks, especially over the medium to longer term.
Carbon dioxide fertilisation and climate change policy
In Australia, policy interests relating to effects of elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) on plant productivity are based on the fact that these effects will flow directly - one way or another - into the economies of Australia’s agricultural and forest industries, and thus will impact on the economic and social well being of all Australia’s rural communities. The report assesses our current understanding of the likely effects of increasing atmospheric CO2 on plant growth in Australia under a changing climate. It aims to: clarify the current state of science, from a policy perspective, and identify the important areas of science where there is not yet consensus, as an indication of the most important research challenges for the coming years.
Agriculture Industry Partnerships - Climate Change Action for Multiple Benefits
This booklet outlines the main ways that Government-industry partnerships are continuing to ensure that the Australian agriculture sector remains strongly competitive and sustainable in the face of a changing climate. Australian farmers are renowned for their commitment to sustainable natural resource management. Reducing the impacts of climate change depends on reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, and agriculture can play an important role. Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and land management represent the loss of valuable resources from the production base. Cost-effective actions to reduce emissions therefore provide opportunities for capturing productivity and financial gains, as well as delivering broad-based environmental benefits.
Climate change. Issues and challenges for Australian agriculture and forestry. Vol 14 No. 3.September Quarter 2007
In this article, the potential impacts of climate change and climate change mitigation and adaptation responses in the agriculture and forestry sectors are discussed. Opportunities and challenges in incorporating these sectors in a domestic emissions trading scheme are also explored