Farmers will soon be able to access commodity-specific information to enable them to make decisions on reducing emissions for their businesses thanks to an Australian Government initiative.
As part of the Carbon Farming Outreach Program, more than $1.8 million in Gap Analysis grants will be available to Research and Development Corporations. The program aims to find where commodity specific information on emissions reduction and carbon farming is lacking, and to find the best ways to get this information to producers.
Deputy Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Policy Matt Lowe said the grants had been developed following consultation on the Agriculture and Land Sector Plan.
“From our conversations with farmers, a lot of people were telling us they wanted more information on how to reduce emissions, particularly across different commodities,” Mr Lowe said.
“There’s no one way to be reduce emissions, and what works on a cattle property isn’t necessarily going to work in horticulture or broadacre cropping.
“What these grants will do is find where that industry-specific knowledge is missing, so that appropriate information can be developed in an appropriate format and included in a knowledge bank that farmers can easily access.
“Our farmers are at the forefront of the impacts of climate change. They openly acknowledge that the sector has a role to play in reducing emissions and have been working towards sustainable farming for decades. They are investing to become more efficient, remain sustainable, and increasingly competitive as consumer demand grows both domestically and overseas for sustainably produced goods.
“By providing appropriate and accessible information on the options and opportunities that come from reducing emissions, we can make it easier for our farmers to make informed and sustainable business decisions.”
