Farmers have made clear that climate change is their number one concern in the latest Australian Agricultural Insights study, carried out by Farmers for Climate Action (FCA).
FCA, which now represents more than 8,400 farmer members, released the results of its Agricultural Insights Study at its sold-out Farming Forever Summit held in Canberra earlier this month.
618 farmers were surveyed, and the results show:
• Biggest threat: 57% of farmers say climate change is the greatest threat to Australian agriculture (up from 55% in 2023) surpassing bureaucracy (16%) and rising costs (15%).
• Extreme weather: 93% of farmers have faced at least one extreme weather eventin the past three years. 74% of farmers reported experiencing unusual rainfall, up from 64% in 2023, and 52% said they had experienced drought, up from 39%. Those facing unpredictable growing seasons increased from 53% to 58%.
• 70% of farmers have already invested in emissions reduction measures on their farms, including soil health improvement, rotational grazing, and clean energy.
• 67% plan to expand climate-smart practices, but many face barriers such as outdated infrastructure, lack of trusted advice, and unclear government policies.
• Nearly 80% support urgent updates to energy infrastructure and regulations to ensure farmers receive the benefits of the clean energy shift.
• 65% of farmers are looking to produce and store clean energy on-farm.
