Climate Change

In 2008, QFF conducted a major Climate Change project for the intensive agriculture industries. The summary findings are found in A Farmers' Guide to Climate Change in Queensland - October 2008.

The topic of climate change has continued to be ramped up with a move from the “change the light globe” scenario to harsher realities that reducing green house emissions will come at a significant cost to business and consumers. Agriculture has been left out in the cold to some extent, yet is probably the industry to be most affected by climate change.

Australians have been very fortunate over the years in that they have not had to face food shortages, other than for some brief periods of rationing during the war. However, with agriculture this could well change in coming decades as a changing climate adds to the challenges and risks farmers face in terms of higher temperatures, lower rainfall, more extreme events and more uncertainty. Australian farmers have a proud record of managing one of the most variable climates in the world, and the challenges of the future are not beyond us. But, preparing for the future means understanding what that future might mean, and making the adjustments now to minimise risk and maximise opportunity. 

That is very much what this report is about, and the climate change adaptation project undertaken by QFF in 2007-8 aimed to kick-start. However, while industry needs to play its part in preparing to adapt to climate change, there is a broader agenda. Australia needs to start to develop an overarching food strategy under which policies can be developed when dealing with climate change, water policy and other regulatory issues adding to the costs of farming. Development of an appropriate strategy would ultimately need to involve all levels of government. Similar consideration must be given to ensuring that our fibre and foliage industries also remain viable. 

While it is probable that agriculture will not be included in the first round of an emissions trading scheme, there will still be significant impacts on input costs which will need to be
passed on if farmers are to have any hope of remaining viable. There may be alternatives to actual inclusion in an ETS, such as recognising that the good farm practices that have been
or are being developed as adaptations to climate change will also in many cases provide mitigation outcomes. 

I wish to thank the many people involved in producing this report, which represents a marvellous and unique collaboration between climate experts, scientists, rural industry bodies
and producers. The greatest lesson of this project and this report is that only by sharing what we know can we build a better future for Australian agriculture.

To download a copy of A Farmers' Guide to Climate Change in Queensland, click here.

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