The climate is changing. Regardless of whether man-made or natural forces are the main driving force, the wool and sheep industry can contribute to reducing the impact of greenhouse gases and potentially generate an additional income stream through carbon trading.

However, the climate change issue is complex, technically and politically with many unknowns. Collaborative research will aim to unlock some of the unknowns in relation to Australian agriculture, and provide opportunities for woolgrowers to participate at an optimal level.

Climate change is likely to result in a range of impacts, short and long term, affecting the resilience and capability of grazing enterprises to respond to risk.

While woolgrowers are adapting their systems constantly to address new threats, grazing businesses require adaptation strategies to ensure long term business sustainability.

Australia’s landscape is fragile and woolgrowers take pride in improving the landscape for the benefit of this and next generation. Land Water and Wool demonstrated that woolgrowers can make a valuable contribution to the sustainable management of the Australian landscape essential for long term food and fibre production and social outcomes.

Improving environmental outcomes in concert with productivity gains, provides the ideal win:win situation. Markets and consumers are increasingly interested in the provenance of wool fibre and environmental sustainability and improvement throughout the supply chain.To meet consumer expectations a Wool Lifecycle Analysis (LCA) will be completed for use in marketing initiatives to demonstrate the wool industry’s carbon footprint, and to identify further research and development opportunities. In addition, to demonstrate continuous improvement to the market and provide underpinning credibility to the industry’s environmental footprint, verification processes will be investigated and methods to transfer the environmental story through the supply chain.

Current Projects under AWI’s Strategy 3: The Environment, Climate Change and Carbon (PDF 7.69Mb):

• WP186: Biocontrol of Paterson's Curse
  Date Started: June 2007
  Scheduled completion: July 2013
  Programs: Reducing pesiticide use
  This project redsitributes two drought tolerant biocontrol agents for Paterson's Curse in drier areas, and trains weed personnel in Paterson's Curse biocontrol to achieve a self sustaining biocontrol network.
• WP475: Communication and extension of practical management strategies arising from the SA Livestock Adaptation to Climate Change Program
  Date Started: August 2010
  Scheduled completion: June 2012
  Programs: Opportunities to participate in carbon markets, adaptability to climate change
  This project directly engages woolgrowers to better understand how climate (current and future) may physically and financially impact on their business and what are some practical management strategies to enhance their environmental and financial sustainability. This project is directly driven by farmers harnessing their experience and knowledge and blending it with the latest science.
• WP504: Farm level modelling of greenhouse emission mitigation and sequestration options for the Australian wool industry.
  Date Started: March 2011
  Scheduled completion: August 2011
  Programs: Monitoring the impact of policy on wool industry, market access and trade
  This project carries out financial modelling of a range of different options and scenarios and reports on the outcome of the modelling to assist woolgrowers, the wool industry and policy makers in gaining a better understanding of the complexity of the decisions that confront them.
• WP534: Climate Change Research Strategy for Primary Industries (CCRSPI)
  Date Started: July 2011
  Scheduled completion: June 2016
  Programs: Adaptability to climate change
  Climate Change Research Strategy for Primary Industries (CCRSPI) is one of seven cross sectoral strategies under the PISC driven primary industries National Research, Development and Extension (RDE) Framework, which aims to achieve greater co-ordination among RD&E providers and improve efficiency and effectiveness of national RD&E capability.
  For more information visit http://www.ccrspi.org.au/.
• WP540: Grazing Management For Efficient and Sustainable Production
  Date Started: July 2011
  Scheduled completion: June 2014
  Programs: Optimal land and resource management
  This project delivers a better understanding of optimising per head animal performance, and achieving NRM outcomes from implementing intensive grazing management. Research at the Orange EverGraze Proof Site demonstrated intensive rotation grazing enhanced ground cover, standing herbage mass and overall production per hectare from higher stocking rates but per head production was lower.
  The project identifies an efficient grazing system, in terms of stocking rate, paddock number, rotation speed for typically productive native and introduced pastures that can deliver a sustainable increase in production under a changing climate.
• WP544: Carbon credentials for the Australian wool industry
  Date Started: July 2011
  Scheduled completion: June 2014
  Programs: carbon credentials, opportunities to participate in carbon markets
  This project delivers a full and comprehensive assessment of the contribution that wool production systems make in terms of carbon balance in the landscape. The project assists AWI to demonstrate and market the industry’s environmental stewardship.
  The project undertakes an assessment of the carbon stores and fluxes in the landscape for two wool producing systems - mixed sheep/cropping in WA and high rainfall specialist wool production in the Western Districts of Victoria, delivered as case studies and visually through regional carbon maps.
  The project provides a demonstration of the type of data required to build benchmark scenarios to support design of offset methodologies under the Carbon Farming Initiative, enabling a starting point for wool producers to engage with carbon markets.
• WP516: Environmental Assessment of Australian Wool Production using Life Cycle Assessment
  Date Started: May 2011
  Scheduled completion: April 2013
  Programs: Opportunities to participate in carbon markets
  This project produces a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for the on farm stage of the Australian wool industry (cradle to gate). The key environmental issues being covered by this project are:
  i. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) (emissions and sequestration).
  ii. Water use
  iii. Energy use
  iv. Eutrophication
  v. Land use
• WP531: Modelling the impact of a carbon tax on the Australian wool industry
  Date Started: May 2011
  Scheduled completion: June 2011
  Programs: Opportunities to participate in carbon markets
  This project models the potential impact of a range of potential carbon taxes on the input costs of sheep and wool enterprises. This information is critically important in providing an understanding to industry of the potential impacts of this major reform of the Australian economy.
• WP305: FFI CRC Commercialisation of Lotus cultivars and development of accompanying knowledge for their on-farm use and management
  Date Started: August 2008
  Scheduled completion: June 2012
  Programs: Optimal land and resource management
  This component of the project aims to obtain Plant Breeders Rights (PBR) for five Lotus cultivars developed in AWI project EC344 which concluded in June 2008. As a part of the commercialisation process it also aims to produce enough seed to supply the following; (i) seed necessary for commencing commercial seed production, (ii) seed for research purposes, (iii) seed for extension activities, (iv) seed for INIA Uruguay (breeding partners in AWI project EC344) and (v) seed which will be retained as breeder’s seed for future access. These activities will be necessary to complete the protection and commercialisation of four Lotus corniculatus cultivars and the protection and seed increase of one Lotus australis cultivar.
  For more information visit: http://www.futurefarmonline.com.au/research/future-livestock-production/lotus-commercialisation.htm.
• WP313: Greenhouse Gas Abatement
  Date Started: May 2008
  Scheduled Competion: June 2014
  Programs: Opportunities to participate in carbon markets
  This project develops practical techniques for measuring methane emissions from individual sheep to enable the estimation of methane emissions as a function genotype, management practices and environment. For more information visit http://www.sheepcrc.org.au/research/sheep-and-their-management/greenhouse-gas-abatement.php.
• WP548: EverGraze IV 2012 – 2014
  Date Started: July 2011
  Scheduled completion: June 2013
  Programs: Optimal land and resource management
  This project builds on a portfolio of evidence on EverGraze Farming Systems. It is driven by the need to “place” technologies appropriately in a farming systems context to suit the regional and individual business needs and aspirations of meat and wool producers in the high rainfall zone. Two of the six Proof Site (Orange and Chiltern) research experiments will confirm outputs and integrate native and introduced pastures. Component work at Tamworth forms sound conclusions and recommendations for the compatibility of lucerne in mixtures with tall fescue and phalaris, and the competitiveness of lucerne in mixtures with tropical grasses.
  For more information visit: http://www.evergraze.com.au/ and http://www.wool.com/Grow_Pastures-and-Nutrition_Grazing-Management_EverGraze.htm.

Background and glossary

Download the background and glossary of agricultural climate change terms here (PDF 101Kb).