Decisions Made by Farmers that Relate to Climate Change

Climate variability is one of many risks managed by Australian farmers. Policy making will be enhanced by policy makers having insight into how farmers perceive climate change in relation to their farming practices. This report fills a critical gap in our understanding of farmers decision making in the face of climate change. The report reveals that a majority of farmers are struggling financially in the short term in the face of a myriad of challenges which go beyond longer term trends in climate. Adaptive responses to climate change will present challenges to individual farmers and has the potential to lead to social change in some parts of rural Australia through changing farming practices, income levels and employment opportunities. The report highlights the need for policy makers to understand the dynamics of farm decision making. Not all farmers will respond to climate change challenges in the same way, and policies that enable structured adjustment need the flexibility to cope with this. This report is an addition to RIRDCs diverse range of over 2000 research publications and it forms part of our Global Challenges R&D program, which aims to address emerging and current issues through R&D, including global competitiveness, market access and trade barriers, productivity and climate change, that will lead to a globally competitive Australian agricultural sector.