The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) has issued a statement declaring that Climate Change is on the edge of Australian agriculture with farmers soon having to contend with higher temperatures and lower winter rainfalls.
According to ABARES, Climate Change is having an impact on Australian agriculture but despite the challenges many farmers are adapting and adopting new technologies and practices to offset the effects.
ABARES’ latest figures show that the climate adjusted productivity in Australia’s broadacre industries grew by 0.6% per year on average between 1988–89 and 2021–22.
In the climate exposed grain production industries, climate adjusted productivity increased 1.4% per year on average, compared to a growth rate of 0.9% not adjusted for climate and weather effects.
The figures show that climate exposed grain production industries and climate adjusted productivity increased 1.4% per year on average, compared to a growth rate of 0.9% not adjusted for climate and weather effects.
Executive Director at ABARES, Jared Greenville said the result demonstrated Australian farmers adapting and adjusting production systems to help offset the negative effects of a changing climate.
“Significant advancements in technology and management practices were essential in achieving this result and we need that to continue,” Dr Greenville said.
“ABARES have previously found that on average $1 invested in public research and development has yielded a return of around $8 in agricultural Gross Value Added,” he said.
“ABARES today has also released updates to farm performance by size statistics that confirm the trend towards fewer, but larger farm businesses.”
It reported that in the three years to 2021–22, the largest 10% of broadacre farms produced around half of total output, while the smallest 50% of farms produced around 10% of total output.
“An important consequence of this structural trend is that industry level farm performance is increasingly driven by the performance of the largest farms,” Dr Greenville said.
ABARES latest climate statistics on adjusted productivity statistics can be accessed at this PS News link and statistics of farm performance by size at this link.
