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Reducing agricultural emissions

Tasmanian farmers are improving their energy and irrigation efficiency, with the help of the Emissions and Energy Reduction for Tasmanian Agriculture project, funded by a ClimateConnect grant.

NRM North are running the project in partnership with Hydro Tasmania and Agricultural Resource Management. The group also received funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry through FarmReady, part of Australia’s Farming Future.

Eight properties participated in the pilot project. These included dairy farms, intensive cropping farms and mixed farming enterprises.

"The project identified issues for landholders, including water availability, changed seasonal patterns, the potential impact on profitability, and how to leverage good outcomes so we can compete nationally and internationally," NRM North CEO James McKee said.

As part of the project, a series of fact sheets was produced to explain the science and policy behind climate change, readily available resources, carbon offset schemes and the range of farm greenhouse gas calculators.

"An energy efficiency self audit tool was developed that will enable landholders to independently complete their own audits and action plans," Mr McKee said.

The self audit tool provides detailed energy efficiency checklists and identifies where the major energy costs are and highlights potential savings.

Given that irrigation accounted for between 70 and 80 per cent of farm energy costs in the audits, the action plans were extended to include an irrigation energy efficiency calculator.

"The irrigation calculator summarises current costs and estimated pumping cost savings for reduced system pressure. This is a versatile tool that could be utilised by the irrigation industry as well as farmers," Mr McKee said.

"Landowners also asked us to create a 'Farm Carbon Story,' which summarises annual emissions, annual sequestrations and the amount of carbon preserved under existing and modified management practises. This provides a snapshot of the property’s carbon balance presented in tables and a map," Mr McKee said.

The project will enable landholders to implement more energy efficiency measures, ensuring the agricultural sector is better prepared for the risks and opportunities offered by climate change.

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