Climate Change and Agriculture

​​​​​​​​​​​Agricultural sceneCowsFarmer in field talkingPicking grapesFarmer in field talking

Project supported by Renewables, Climate and Future Industries Tasmania​

Carbon and Emissions on farm​​

The Making Cent$​​​ ​of Carbon and Emission On-farm booklet provides examples of actions that farm businesses can take to improve their emissions performance on-farm under key action areas.  The booklet is aimed to help farmers take control of their situation and consider options to improve resource efficiency of their operations.

Tasmanian case studies​​

The fact sheets below provide real Tasmanian case studies on ​how producers are improving farm efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.​

Case studies include:

Case studies were produced by the Tas Farming Futures project led by RM Consulting Group with funding from the Australian Government.

Farm Emissions Reduction Planning Information Guide​​

The Farm Emissions Reduction Planning Information guide provides a guide for the development of Farm Emissions Reduction Plans (ERPs). This guide is intended for advisors and consultants preparing farm plans for their Tasmanian clients but can also be used by farmers to develop their own plans. 

​​Carbon Accounting Tools

Greenhouse Accounting Framework (GAF) ​

The Beef (B-GAF), Sheep (S-GAF) and Grains (G-GAF) Farm Greenhouse Accounting Framework tools align with the Australian National Greenhouse Gas Inventory (NGGI) method, to measure the scale and sources of greenhouse gas emissions from farms. They primarily calculate the direct (Scope 1) emissions and Scope 2 (electricity and fuel) emissions, but also include a calculation of carbon sequestration in trees.

Calculators can be found on the following websites:

FarmGAS Calculato​​r ST​​

The FarmGA​S Calculator is an online platform developed by the Australian Farm Institute that allows farmers, land managers, researchers, and advisors to investigate how different management and production practices might alter the greenhouse gas emissions profile of a farm business or farm enterprise activity.  Producers can use the FarmGAS Calculator to create and compare different enterprises and management scenarios for an induvial or multiple farms. 

​CSIRO LOOC-C Tool​​​

The landscape options and opportunities for carbon abatement calculator (LOOC-C​)​ is not a carbon accounting tool​​. It assesses the outcomes of carbon abatement projects and gives you an idea of opportunities for projects on your property. 

The Cool Farm To​​​ol​

​​The Cool Farm Tool is an online platform that was developed by Unilever, the University of Aberdeen, and the Sustainable Food Lab. It is maintained through the Cool Farm Alliance which includes industry, academia, NGO's, and consultancies and quantifies on-farm greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon sequestration.  Emissions calculations are based on grower inputted data and site sensitive empirical research from a broad range of published data sets and IPCC methods. The platform is one of the few that includes calculations of soil carbon sequestration based on results of published studies built from over 100 global datasets. This platform requires a greater level of data input and training to interpret. 

Carbon Farming and Markets 

The Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme​ outlines how the scheme works, the different project types, eligibility requirements etc for the Australian Government’s carbon markets that they deliver. 

Working with farmers to increase soil carbon storage (PDF)​ is the stories from six Tasmanian graziers who have experimented with pasture management techniques on their farms.  Each case study highlights how graziers can make changes to pasture management to best suit their local environment and farm business.  

Soil Carbon Stories

Working with farmers to increase soil carbon storage (PDF) is the stories from six Tasmanian graziers who have experimented with pasture management techniques on their farms.  Each case study highlights how graziers can make changes to pasture management to best suit their local environment and farm business. 

​​Impacts of climate change on Tasmanian agriculture​

​Information Sheets

Impacts of climate change on agriculture is a joint production of the Tasmanian Government and the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA). The following information sheets focus on opportunities and risks associated with climate change across a range of Tasmanian agricultural enterprises: 

 Impact of Climate Change on Tasmanian Agriculture Overview (PDF 3Mb)

 Impact of Climate Change on Extensive Dryland Pastures - Opportunities for Graziers (PDF 3Mb)

 Impact of Climate Change on Irrigated Pastures - Opportunities for Dairy Farmers (PDF 2Mb)

 Impact of Climate Change on Meander Valley - Opportunities for Agricultural Enterprises (PDF 2Mb)
(barley, poppies, pyrethrum, blueberries and hazelnuts under irrigation)

 Impact of Climate Change on Wheat Production (cereals) - Opportunities for Growers (PDF 3Mb)

 Impact of Climate Change on Wine Grape Production - Opportunities for Growers (PDF 3Mb)

 Impact of Climate Change - Farmers Talk About Their Options (PDF 4Mb)

TIAR logo

The material in the information sheets was developed from outputs from the Climate Futures for Tasmania project. In particular, from the Impacts on Agriculture Technic​al Report (Holz et al 2010)​, available on the Climate Futures website.

Photo montage credits (l - r) Suzie Gaynor, Rachael Brown, Suzie Gaynor, Stefanio Lubiana Wines, Suzie Gaynor