Adapting grain to climate change
WHILE there has been heated debate in agricultural and political circles about whether climate change is real, data being presented at the Grains Research and Development Corporation’s Grains Research Updates in Goondiwindi shows the average temperature for the region has increased since 1950, while annual rainfall totals have dropped.
Climate experts forecast this pattern of change will continue, so the question is what can grain growers do to adapt?
This hot topic will be addressed by an expert from the Australian National University as part of a keynote speech at the GRDC Grains Research Update in Goondiwindi on March 5-6.
Steven Crimp, a climate applications scientist with the Climate Change Institute at the Australian National University, will open the annual update with a presentation detailing the impact of climate change on NSW farming systems, including what has already occurred, what is forecast and how grain growers can adapt to these changes.
His role in the CCI is to examine opportunities for improved climate risk management within primary industries, both in Australia and internationally, as well as seeking opportunities to work more closely with multinational and global food producers.
“An increasing body of scientific evidence regarding the impact of human activity on Earth’s climate has shifted debate from ‘is climate change real?’ to ‘what can we do about it?’” Dr Crimp said.
“Adapting current management activities can include considerations of both climate variability and change.”