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A small team of researchers from the WA Department of Agriculture and Food, private consultants, The University of Western Australia and Curtin University are examining how broad-acre farms are adapting to a variable and seemingly changing climate.  The team has now been awarded national funding under priority research to assist Australian communities prepare for climate change.

The project will draw on farm data over many years to assess how broad-acre farm businesses adapt to climate change.  Researchers hope to identify successful adaptation strategies and associated farm and farmer characteristics.

The research is led by Professor Ross Kingwell, chief economist in the WA Department of Agriculture and Food and professor in the UWA School of Agricultural and Resource Economics.  He has received a grant of $189,500 under the Climate Change Adaptation Research Grants program.

"The project will bring together rich data sets and a combination of skills and disciplines that may yield practical and interesting insights," Professor Kingwell said.

"The project will include farm management consultants, statisticians, rural sociologists and agricultural economists.

"Discovering what helps farm families remain viable in the face of volatile prices, different seasons and a changing climate is a knowledge worth sharing," he said.

The project reflects one of the highest priority areas of research into adaptation in Australia.  The research will be managed by the Government's National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) which leads the research community in setting Australia's adaptation research priorities.

Media references

Professor Ross Kingwell (School of Agricultural and Resource Economics)  (+61 8)  9368 3225
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 5563  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716