Report says farmers will need to be climate-agile

Farmers will need to be agile managers in order to meet the challenges presented by climate change, according to a Westpac NZ and Lincoln University report.

The report said there are already a range of existing management options available to assist farmers in strengthening the physical resilience of their farming systems and to help them meet New Zealand’s 2030 agriculture climate targets, with only a few requiring an initial investment of capital.

Westpac NZ’s head of agribusiness, Tim Henshaw, said the report was designed to provide farmers and growers with impartial information about the way climate change may affect their location and type of production, and how they can respond.

“However, applying these options more widely will require uptake of best practice farm management,” Henshaw said.

“This may require a significant uplift in skills and training to ensure a greater number of farmers have sufficient expertise to both reduce emissions and adapt to climate change.”

The Westpac NZ Agribusiness Climate Change Report makes information relevant to farmers and growers by exploring credible case studies.

It looks at the effect of drought on a dairy farmer in Canterbury, and the impact of warming winters on kiwifruit growers in the Bay of Plenty.

The optimal response to climate change would be different for every producer.

Henshaw said there is no single “off-the-shelf” solution.

“I’d encourage primary producers to think about how the climate is changing in their part of the country, and what effect that will have on production.”

Henshaw said farmers would need to consider what expertise they have available to adapt their operations, and plan to fill that gap if it exists.

Opportunities may arise for producers who adapt quickly.

The report’s lead author, Lincoln University Professor Anita Wreford, said adaptation would be crucial.

“There are very useful actions farmers should consider in the short and medium-terms.

“However, if temperatures rise significantly, there will come a time at which current adaptations are no longer effective.

“That’s one of the many reasons it’s critical every effort is made to avoid as much warming as possible.”

Wreford said there was scope for further research into the enduring effectiveness of adaptation practices under a changing climate.

The report was produced as part of a wider body of work undertaken by Lincoln University for Westpac NZ looking at the impact of climate change on agriculture.