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INNOVATION IN PRACTICE
Australian farmers can increase income while tackling climate change
As Australia’s climate becomes increasingly unpredictable, the agricultural sector is looking for ways to reduce its carbon footprint while diversifying income streams. Carbon farming and emissions reduction offer opportunities for Australian farmers to diversify their income and contribute to environmental sustainability.
pollutant when thinking about climate change. In farming systems carbon is a key driver of plant and livestock productivity. All plants and animals depend upon and contain carbon. For this reason, building a strong understanding of and effectively managing the carbon cycle on farms is crucial. Agriculture businesses contribute significantly to greenhouse gases: methane from livestock, nitrous oxide from fertilised soils, and carbon di- oxide from deforestation and soil cultivation. In addition, using fossil fuels in farming equipment
As a superfine wool grower, I established trees belts to protect stock, particularly during lamb- ing, and to manage salinity risks. Today I could also generate revenue by creating carbon credits from those trees. Australian farmers understand and live with the impacts of a changing climate. A more variable cli- mate with higher temperatures, changed rainfall, and increased risks of flooding and fire pose sig- nificant challenges to the sector. It is somewhat ironic that carbon is viewed as a
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