A Growing Case for Carbon Farming

Net zero commitment may waver politically, but our changing climate still spells trouble for the future of farming.
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Net zero commitment may waver politically, but our changing climate still spells trouble for the future of farming.

Late last year, the Coalition abandoned a commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050 if elected, but there’s little doubt global pressure will remain on Australia to do so through the Paris Agreement and market demands. So, understanding greenhouse gases, emissions, carbon farming and their connection to every farm’s future will remain as topical as ever.  

Did You Know?

Reducing global greenhouse gas emissions is about limiting global temperature increase to below 2°C, and ideally closer to 1.5°C. Warming above 1.5°C is expected to “cause widespread crop failures and food insecurity, more extreme weather events…” and more. ABC News, November 2025

A good news story for our cropping farmers is that typically, cropping emits relatively low greenhouse gas emissions – compared with the livestock sector, for instance. Still, there are areas where cropping farmers can improve. If you are a livestock producer and you are not already thinking about ways to reduce emissions – it is definitely time to start doing so. This space is rapidly advancing and farmers must get on board to learn new tricks for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, especially methane.

The national Carbon Farming Outreach Program (CFOP) has recently wrapped up, with workshops delivered locally by Mingenew Irwin Group and others, as outlined back in July. CFOP was all about connecting you with “un-biased, expert carbon farming knowledge, and no bull”.

If you weren’t able to get to a workshop, the great news is that the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has a free, self-paced CFOP online training package covering all you need to know. There are five topic areas, with each topic taking only about an hour to complete, and links for further reading.

Why is carbon farming needed?
Farmers and land managers will increasingly play an important role in achieving the targets set by large international companies for reduced greenhouse gas emissions in their supply chain. Pressure to report on carbon emissions is expected to ramp up towards 2050, with many large companies matching their nation’s net zero emissions target or developing their own to meet sustainability goals.

The video below outlines the policies and supply chain pressures at play, and what farmers and land managers can do to respond to these.

How will the Carbon Farming Outreach Program training package help?
Check out this Welcome video, which gives you an introduction to the program, the training package structure and content, and how it can help you take the next steps.

As Matt Woods outlines in the video, in most cases, good carbon farming practices will improve the profitability and health of your land, so the big question is – why would you not try them out?

Over the next few months, we’ll be sharing more topics with you to help you work through the CFOP package. If you can’t wait for each instalment of our series, you can always visit the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s website anytime for the full Carbon Farming Outreach Program training package.

The Future Farm Foundations project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program.

Yvette Hollings - Sustainable Agriculture Project Officer

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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.