Climate and Agriculture

Understanding climatic conditions is very important for farmers and farm businesses. Most farm business managers who have profited from agriculture over the past 150 years have been expert risk managers. Substantial variability in rainfall, temperatures and extreme weather events have long characterised farming in Victoria, but our farmers are now facing increased climate variability. These webpages provide information, expertise and links on climate science to support planning and action within the Victorian agricultural sector.

Seasonal Agriculture - Climate Outlook and Variability Grain growers can access seasonal climate risk information in one easy location in "The Break" and "The Fast Break" Climate Risk Newsletters. The newsletters describe credible seasonal outlooks, generate potential crop yields from decision support computer tools, provides link and highlight topical climate risk information. Current and recent rainfall data are available with both monthly rainfall totals and rainfall deciles for selected sites across Victoria. Click here for links to other useful climate outlook websites.

Climate change facts and projections In Victoria, average annual temperatures are projected to rise by 0.3 to 1.6 degrees Celsius by 2030. Farm businesses are likely to experience a drop in average rainfall, reduced water supplies and greater frequency and severity of droughts, storms and bushfires. Increased soil degradation and erosion are likely. Trees stressed by fires and drought will be more vulnerable to insect and disease attack, and aquaculture businesses may also be affected by declining stream flows. The impact of climate change may vary across the State. While rising temperatures may increase productivity in temperate regions such as the south west, they may lessen agricultural productivity in the drier areas of Victoria. The Victorian Government's Climate Change website has published climate change projections for all regions of Victoria. The South Eastern Australian Climate Initiative (SEACI) is a research program investigating the causes and impacts of climate change and climate variability across south eastern Australia. The SEACI website has published a number of factsheets including the flyer Answering questions about climate in South Eastern Australia that describes current and future climates and climate forecasting.

Adaption and Mitigation for Industries Without adequate preparation, understanding and adaptation, climate change will impact severely on Victoria’s farm production. The Farmers Taking Action case studies demonstrates positive and practical climate change action in the Victorian farm sector. Farmers are adapting their business decision making, exploring new processes and technologies, working collaboratively to investigate possible solutions and, in some cases, changing their farming systems. A new Carbon Toolkits in Agriculture Network has been formed to help farmers and farm service providers stay informed about the range of greenhouse gas accounting tools available and to share their on-farm carbon accounting experiences. The Victorian Climate Change Adaptation Program (VCCAP) is an initiative under the Victorian Government’s Sustainability Action Statement (2006), which includes actions for understanding the potential impacts of climate change and developing Victoria’s ability to respond. In collaboration with VCCAP, the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has developed a research program called DPI VCCAP ensuring Victoria’s agricultural industries can adapt to a changing climate. FarmPlan21 is a DPI pilot program delivered in the Wimmera and North Central Regions of Victoria and is free to join. The purpose of FarmPlan21 is to provide information on the latest technologies and practices so that farmers can make the right decision for their properties and futures. The Victorian Government, in partnership with the NSW Government, has commissioned this report to advance thinking on agriculture and greenhouse gas mitigation policies. The report identifies policies that can facilitate cost-efficient and innovative mitigation of greenhouse gases in the agriculture sector. Read the Agriculture and GHG mitigation policy: options in addition to the CPRS (PDF 208MB), (Word 4.3KB).