How Climate Change Is Affecting Australian Agriculture Sector

 

The Australian agriculture sector is crucial to the society and the economy of Australia. It fills millions of Australian bellies with food, offers a variety of job options, and boosts the economy through exports. It is also one of the sectors most vulnerable to climate change, being susceptible to variations in temperature, rainfall, and extreme weather.

” Agriculture is a major cause, life in Australia gets affected by the issue even though it is susceptible to the effects of a changing climate, agriculture must change, then how can we keep feeding the country and having the food options we desire if climate change threatens our current farming practices?”

Australia’s agriculture-based economy

Australia’s agricultural sector is essential to providing for our needs. Australians consume more than 90% of domestically produced food. The success of agriculture not only sustains us but also many Australians and communities in regional towns, with the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries industries employing close to 3% of Australia’s workforce, of which 82% dwell in regional locations. Two-thirds of the food and fibre produced is exported, making up 11% of all products and service exports in 2018–19. Agriculture also generates a considerable amount of export revenue. More than half of Australia’s land is used for agricultural purposes, which is a significant environmental factor.

If we wish to keep growing the quantity and quality of food we need on the limited amount of arable land we have, this land must be managed responsibly.

Australia As a Food Exporting Country

Due to the fact that the majority of food produced in Australia is exported, farmers there are subject to the whims of international markets, prices associated with inputs like fertilisers and pesticides, threats to biosecurity, and increasingly severe and frequent unfavourable weather conditions. Compared to farmers in many other nations, Australian farmers only get a little amount of government support. Just over 2% of Australian farmers’ income in 2016–18 came from government assistance. This is much below some of the nations that receive the highest subsidies, such as Norway (61%) Switzerland (55%) and Japan (17%), as well as the average for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (46 per cent).

Agriculture includes not only the farm but also the industries that help farmers and the supply chain from the farm to the customer. All participants gain from procedures that increase efficiency throughout the supply chain. Consumers, particularly in Western nations, are increasingly expressing a preference for food that is produced in an environmentally sustainable manner, as well as for food that is wholesome and produced ethically, in addition to flavour, practicality, and cost. Food waste reduction along the entire production chain, including at home, can help to lower demand and boost sustainability.

How Australian agriculture is being impacted by climate change?

Australian farmers are under additional stress as a result of the recent rise in extreme and intense drought, flooding, and temperature unpredictability linked to climate change in Australia. Farmers now need to adjust their agricultural operations to be productive and economical amid changing climatic circumstances in addition to being vulnerable to market swings.

Although there have been complicated changes in Australia’s climate over the past century, rainfall has generally increased in the north while decreasing in the south. Increases in the frequency of extreme weather events, such as longer droughts and uneven rainfall distribution, go hand in hand with these developments. Australian farmers are being put to the test by climate change, and they will need to keep adapting their methods to keep up productivity in the agricultural sector.

Farmers already employ methods to lessen the impact of Australian climate change. One of these is no-till farming, which prevents soil erosion by not cultivating (ploughing) the field before planting and leaving crop residue on the ground, increasing the amount of carbon that is added to the soil. These methods improve soil structure and fertility, increase water efficiency, lower input costs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in addition to absorbing carbon and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

The Australian Government’s response to the situation

Although prominent government officials, such as the Nationals leader Michael McCormack, frequently emphasise that Australia’s environment has traditionally been characterised by periodic drought and flood, climate change is making the drought in that country worse.

The $5 billion drought future fund, the centrepiece of the Coalition’s drought strategy, will disburse $100 million a year to increase resilience.

Read More: Affects of Climate Change on Australian Agriculture Sector