Farming the future: the role of government in assisting Australian farmers to adapt to the impacts of climate change

• House Standing Committee on Primary Industries and Resources

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Image: the girl in the blue scarf / flickr

17 March 2010Government should invest research funding in high priority areas such as soil carbon sequestration, according to this report. The report also wants the Government to develop a strategy to capture, evaluate and disseminate farmer driven innovations such as the use of perennial grasses, holistic management grazing, engineered woodlands and other options that have a significant capacity to increase the resilience and productivity of farm enterprises.
 
The bipartisan report’s 15 recommendations include:

• Supporting rural counselling and support groups, and placing funding for such groups on a permanent and regular basis;
• Establishing a national Continuously Operating Reference Station network;
• Increasing investment for research into energy efficiency in the agricultural sector;
• Increasing funding for research into improving weather and climate forecasting at a seasonal and regional level;
• A commitment to funding for climate change research pertaining to Australia’s agricultural industries, with attention to regional needs as well as national priorities;
• Effective national coordination of the research effort;
• Better integration of local and regional organisations into the overall response to climate change, including providing additional funding to local and regional organisations;
• The use of targeted, industry and issue specific, incentives, to facilitate adaptation; and
• Placing funding for local and regional organisations supporting adaptation upon a permanent and regular basis.

Image: 'Hay Bales', the girl in the blue scarf / flickr