Adaptations of field crops, pastures and rangelands to climate change

Farmer strategies

Educating farmers about strategies that can help them use their land in a sustainable and productive way in the face of a changing climate will ensure their farms continue to be productive.

Farmers in NSW are adopting various strategies to cope with the problems of climate variability:

Using different plant breeds that might be better suited to particular environments.
Changing management practices, such as the time and pattern of planting, watering and applying fertiliser.
Changing harvesting patterns and rotation periods, and improving fire management through burning according to the type of landscape.
Improving soil moisture management and water efficiencies through increased on-farm capture and storage of water.
Improving residue management, that is, avoiding excessive use of fertilisers and herbicides.
Using seasonal climate forecasting to aid decision making (http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/resources/climate-and-weather/variability/betting-on-rain).
Changing the types of land uses to those which are more appropriate to the changed local climate conditions. For example, livestock industries are less susceptible to climate variability than cropping industries so there is economic incentive for producers to perhaps run more livestock in a more variable climate (provided other factors remain stable).

News stories

Crops

It seems that much of NSW will experience hotter and drier conditions in the future. Therefore planting a wider range of crop species and varying the planting windows will ensure continued high levels of production without risking crop or pasture losses.

Pastures

Under varying climate conditions, livestock producers may choose to grow a range of pasture types, forages and crops in order to be as self-sufficient as possible. Studies have been conducted to find the best combinations of pasture types for the different types of farming systems in reduced-rainfall scenarios.

Soils and carbon storage

Farmers already know that dark, carbon-rich soils are perfect for growing the best quality crops and pastures. These types of soils are also storing large amounts of carbon - you may have heard of the term soil carbon sequestration.

By adopting best management practices, farmers can increase the amount of soil carbon on their properties - this will improve the quality of their crops and pastures and help to soak up more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.