55% of Australia’s land is currently used for agricultural purposes, uniquely positioning Australian farmers to play a leading role in climate action. We have provided a list of eleven practical opportunities for farmers to become climate stewards and play an active role in local climate mitigation and adaptation.
If you would like to learn more about any of these initiatives, contact the SEAOAK team.
If your actions inspire others to learn more and do more, then you are a leader.
Understanding your carbon footprint Understanding current emissions across the farm and operations will equip farmers with a strong foundation for reducing emissions. There are online tools available for farmers to do this themselves. If it is too complicated or you don’t have time you should consider engaging a consultant to do this for you. Your carbon footprint should consider emissions across scope 1, 2 and 3. Scope 1 refers to direct greenhouse gas emissions that occur from sources owned and controlled by the company i.e. methane from cattle, diesel used for tractors. Scope 2 refers to emissions from the production of purchased electricity i.e. heating, cooling, lights. Scope 3 refers to emissions up/down the value chain, as well as farming inputs such as fertilisers and herbicides.
Understanding climate-related risks There are two groups of climate-related risks for farmers to consider – physical and transitional. Physical risks refer to direct and material effects of a changing climate on the agribusiness, land or assets. Examples include drought, bushfire, flooding, extreme weather events, heat-stress related animal conditions, increased prevalence of pests, and supply chain disruptions. Transitional risks refer to potential impacts to the farm, business or assets from the global decarbonisation / clean energy transition. Examples include increasing market pressures and demands, changes to import/export requirements, changes to carbon policies and regulations, mandatory climate reporting policies. Farmers that take the time to understand the climate-related risks for their land, businesses and assets are more resilient and better equipped to recover from disasters in the future.
Being ahead of mandatory climate reporting The Australian government recently introduced new legislation for mandatory climate-related financial disclosures. Reporting requirements include greenhouse gas emissions (scope 1, 2 & 3), climate-related risks and opportunities, climate targets and governance structures. Many agribusinesses and farms will be affected by this new legislation, either directly or indirectly. Farmers can take steps now to understand how they might be impacted and what types of information they may need to provide to up/downstream supply chains.
Soil carbon sequestration Soil organic carbon is essential for thriving crops, pastures, ecosystems and biodiversity. Long-term sequestration of carbon in soil is also an important part of mitigating manmade climate change. Farmers can improve soil carbon through practices such as zero or low tillage, planting cover crops, nutrient cycling and composting, and manure application. Australian company, Loam Bio, has also developed a world leading microbial soil carbon improvement product that is suitable for most crop-based farms.
Farmers would have the opportunity to register soil carbon projects on the carbon market and earn revenue through carbon credits, or they could consider carbon insets to offset their own farm emissions and become carbon neutral.
Active management of farm dams World leading studies by Deakin University’s Blue Carbon Lab showed that farm dams are a significant contributor to manmade climate change, producing the equivalent daily emissions of 385,000 extra cars on the road in Victoria alone. Farmers can reduce emissions from farm dams by incorporating native vegetation and reducing the amount of nutrients entering the water and therefore the amount of greenhouse gases coming out.
Carbon forests A single tree can absorb between 10kg and 40kg of CO2 per year or averaged out at 18kg. If farmers reforested just 20 acres (8 hectares) of land, they could expect to sequester approximately 24 tons of carbon per year. Farmers would have the opportunity to register these projects on the carbon market and earn revenue through carbon credits, or they could consider carbon insets to offset their own farm emissions and become carbon neutral.
Protection of riparian zones A riparian zone is the interface between land and a river or stream, and they are a very important part of the ecosystem. Riparian zones can protect against some of the effects of climate change by sequestering carbon in the vegetation and soils, improving water quality, providing protection for native wildlife, regulating water temperatures and helping to mitigate floods and erosion. Farmers and landowners can protect riparian zones by fencing them to keep livestock away and managing weeds and pests. Local landcare groups and Catchment Management Authorities (CMA’s) are a great place to start and can help farmers with planning, undertaking and maintaining these types of projects. In Northeast Victoria / High Country, some of the larger local landcare groups and CMA's include Northeast Catchment Management Authority, Upper Ovens Valley Landcare Group and Kiewa Catchment Landcare Group.
Renewable energy Agrivoltaics refers to the integration of renewable solar energy into agricultural landscapes, with a focus on enhancing land and biodiversity conservation alongside solar farms. Agrivoltaics has the potential to significantly scale renewable energy generation capacity across Australia - and increase economic, social, ecological and biodiversity benefits. A recent study by NSW Community Power Agency also found that agrivoltaics could have a positive impact on the short- and long-term carbon cycles if a regenerative farming approach was adopted. Farmers can consider renewable energy partnerships on their land, which will also help with diversifying revenue for the farm. It is important to consider local and community views and partner with reputable renewable companies that have the genuine interests of regional and rural communities in mind.
Conservation covenants Land Covenantors Victoria supports landowners who protect private land habitat and are actively managing it for the benefit of biodiversity and future generations. Farmers can consider implementing a conservation covenant on parts of their land to ensure the long-term protection and conservation it. Read more here.
Environmental and climate education Studies have shown that young people are more likely to experience climate-related anxiety than older generations, and they are more likely to take an active role in climate initiatives. By partnering with local landcare groups and schools to provide educational workshops and tours, farmers can provide an outlet for the community to get involved in local climate action initiatives.
Revenue diversification Revenue diversification as part of a broader climate resilience strategy is an important opportunity that farmers should be considering. Diversified revenue streams can come in many ways and may include incorporating the sale of new services or products from across your farm, or passive revenue from the land itself. Some of the climate steward initiatives we have mentioned in this document provide an opportunity for farmers to participate in carbon or nature-repair markets either for offsetting (revenue diversification through carbon credits) or insetting (offsetting your own farm emissions to become carbon neutral).
If you would like to learn more about any of these opportunities or understand how some of them might apply to your farm, contact the SEAOAK team.
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Ebony Greaves
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, SEAOAK Consulting
+61 412 103 291
Ebony is a highly experienced business and technology strategist who is passionate about working with clients in the agriculture sector to improve farm profitability, productivity and resilience through nature-based strategies. Ebony is also passionate about developing nature-based climate resilience and adaptation solutions for regional, remote and rural communities.
Key competencies and areas of interest
Agribusiness
Nature-based Solutions
Organisational resilience
Climate risk, adaptation and mitigation
Carbon and nature-repair projects
Social / behavioural drivers and influences
Stakeholder engagement and strategy
Business and technology advisory
Sustainability and decarbonisation strategy
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