Climate-Smart Solutions for a Sustainable Farming Future

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You may have heard the recent chatter about climate-smart agriculture, and could be finding yourself questioning what it really is and what purpose it serves.

Climate-smart agriculture is a term originally coined by the UN Food & Agriculture Organisation. It summarises the concept of ensuring that agriculture is resistant to the effects of global warming, and is able to meet the food and nutritional needs of the world.

Essentially, there is an urgent need to find solutions to heal the planet and ensure food security for all. In order to do so, our agricultural practices will need to be swiftly adaptive to resist patterns of climate change, and inventive enough to match growing demand for food.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) are able to track climatic trends by using atmospheric, terrestrial, and marine sensors. As well as evaluating past trends, they also employ global climate model simulations to form climate change projections for areas all over Australia. The key predictions for the Southern parts of Australia (which includes the Northern Agricultural Region) have been detailed by Climate Change in Australia, and state the following patterns will occur:

  • Average temperatures will continue to increase in all seasons (very high confidence).
  • More hot days and warm spells are projected with very high confidence. Fewer frosts are projected with high confidence.
  • A continuation of the trend of decreasing winter rainfall is projected with high confidence. Spring rainfall decreases are also projected with high confidence. Changes to summer and autumn rainfall are possible but less clear.
  • Increased intensity of extreme rainfall events is projected, with high confidence.
  • Mean sea level will continue to rise and height of extreme sea-level events will also increase (very high confidence).
  • A harsher fire-weather climate in the future (high confidence).
  • On annual and decadal basis, natural variability in the climate system can act to either mask or enhance any long-term human induced trend, particularly in the next 20 years and for rainfall.

Source: Climate Change in Australia | Regional Climate Change Explorer

There is no doubt that Australian farmers are facing both challenges and opportunities around meeting food demand while resisting climate change patterns. Australia has a current population of approximately 26.8 million, with a population growth rate of 2.5% per annum, while our neighbours are among the largest populations of the world.

Indonesia is the world’s fourth largest populous nation and has a current population of approximately 281 million, and the Philippines currently sits ranked at 13th in the world, with a population of approximately 118 million.

Source: CIA’s World Factbook | Comparing Country Populations

There are many opportunities for the Australian agricultural industry to move toward climate-smart practices to build resilience and meet population demands. Some of these include:

  • Transitioning towards lower emissions agriculture
  • Balancing soil health, plant health and environmental health including holistic approaches to pest management, weed management, and soil management
  • Efficiently preserving and utilising water and rainfall
  • Reducing harvest losses and production waste
  • Seizing production opportunities and implementing sustainable practices, innovation, and technology that help to build resilience
  • Creating sustainable rural and regional communities that support human health and wellbeing

NACC NRM’s Sustainable Agriculture team, guided by our Regional NARvis goals, support landholders in the Northern Agricultural Region to learn more about climate-smart agriculture, pursue related opportunities, and adopt climate-smart agricultural practices on farm.

For more information, please contact NACC NRM Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator Katrina Sasse. 0447 361 335 | katrina.sasse@nacc.com.au

Sustainable Agriculture Facilitators are supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program.

Katrina Sasse – Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator

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In 2020-21 I talked about ‘raising the bar’. In 2021-22 we worked on setting the bar on fire. Over the last 12 months, the team at NACC NRM has not stopped.

The Sustainable Agriculture team has extended the program’s reach through collaborations with grower groups in the regions. Specifically, the Beyond Reasonable Drought project and Grower Group Alliance – South West WA Drought Innovation Hub – Geraldton Node project. The Beyond Reasonable Drought partnership with grower groups supported farmers across the region to improve the environmental sustainability of their agricultural production and drought resilience. The outcomes of this project have been consolidated through our successful Expression of Interest to the South West WA Drought Innovation Hub, with support from grower groups across the region, to host the Geraldton Node of the Hub. The program continues to focus on working with agricultural networks to share technical expertise and provide opportunities that will improve land management practices in agriculture across the region.

The conservation outcomes of ranger teams have expanded through work on several land tenures. Maintaining Heritage sites such as Willi Gulli, Racecourse Paddock and Buller River has long been a priority. During 2021-22, the teams have increasingly focused on threatened species and ecosystems.

To this end, Western Mulga rangers have improved management across 19,000 ha for the conservation of Malleefowl through firebreak and access management. They completed the maintenance of water holes and supported the monitoring of over 90 Malleefowl mounds.

Similarly, the Kwelena Mambakort Aboriginal Corporate ranger team have contributed positively to Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo populations by installing artificial hollows and habitat restoration.

All ranger teams have collected native seed, propagated native plants for restoration, and planted native vegetation in key locations across the NAR. Seed collection provides valuable industry experience and has facilitated the planting of over 100,000 seedlings during the year.   

In September 2021, the NACC NRM team delivered the WA Threatened Species Forum, held in tandem with the National Malleefowl Forum. Given the impact of COVID and the timing of this event, having more than 100 delegates from all over Australia was a significant achievement. The two Forums brought together 12 events over five days and featured 14 local artists, 25 businesses and 36 youth participants.

Following the successful relaunch of our updated NARvis, NACC NRM was invited to help lead a significant piece of strategic planning work for the region with Mid West Development Commission and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. With funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, the consortia delivered a Regional Drought Resilience Plan covering the shires of Northampton and Chapman Valley and the City of Greater Geraldton, along with significant technical analysis of drought vulnerability for the South West land division. The development of this plan also included extensive community consultation to ensure that local knowledge and technical advice guided the development of priorities for action.

This planning work links to existing NACC NRM on-ground projects, including Beyond Reasonable Drought and the Chapman Catchment Collaborative regeneration project.

It was a busy year for events with face-to-face events becoming commonplace again. During 2021-22 we hosted events in Gingin, Moora, Dalwallinu, Cervantes, Jurien Bay, Walkaway, Nabawa, Perenjori, Kalannie and Morawa. We supported events in Karakin, Thundellara, Perenjori, Paynes Find, Wubin, Cataby, Warradarge, Northampton, Yuna, Dalwallinu and Dandaragan.

We also supported on-ground works throughout the region, including at the following locations Yuna, Dalwallinu, Dandaragan, Merkanooka, Goodlands, Kalannie, Bunjil, Yardarino, Canna, Kondut, Latham, Kadathinni, Nabawa, Red Gully, Sandy Gully, Waddy Forrest, Devils Creek, Perenjori, Bowgada, Ellendale, Wandana, Namban, Hill River, Warradarge, Gillingarra, Regans Ford and Moonyanooka.

Our region is vast – slightly larger than Tasmania, which for comparison, is serviced by three separate NRM organisations. Covering the NAR region and its many environmental threats is challenging. We continue to focus on partnerships and collaboration to address this challenge. We know that by working with our community through passionate delivery of collaborative on-ground projects and education, the community will value and actively protect our region’s natural capital.

This year we have launched a new Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The RAP Working Group consulted widely and developed an Innovate RAP which Reconciliation Australia approved in March 2022. The activities to fulfil these commitments are now in full swing.

Sadly, at the end of 2021, we farewelled former NACC NRM CEO Shelley Spriggs, who lost a long battle with cancer. Shelley was an inaugural inductee to the NRM Leadership Honour Roll. I will always be grateful for her guidance and no-nonsense approach, not to mention her passion for life.

While we have said farewell to some, we have welcomed many new faces across all programs, including our Administration team. We have also hosted a school-based trainee from Nagle Catholic College who has been working towards a Certificate II in Conservation and Ecosystem Management. This trial position has been very successful, and we look forward to making this opportunity available again in 2023.

During 2022 we have taken on new projects that align with our organisational and program objectives, and we have successfully completed some great initiatives that support continued conservation and sustainability outcomes. I want to thank the whole team who continue to go above and beyond for the organisation and each other proving their ongoing commitment to our purpose and our values.