BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Australia’s climate is highly variable, with lower average rainfall and higher rainfall variability than most other nations.
As a result, Australian agriculture is subject to more climate related risk than almost any other country in the world. While Australian farmers are accustomed to climate variability, the emergence of climate change is presenting new challenges. Climate models predict changes in future rainfall patterns and more severe droughts and floods. Over the last 20 years, large changes in Australian climate have already been observed including reductions in average winter rainfall in southern Australia and general increases in temperature. Climate Services for Agriculture (CSA) is a foundational program of the Future Drought Fund and is an online platform that supports users to make decisions
based on the risks and opportunities of future climate scenarios. Farmers, businesses, and communities that better
understand their climate risks, resilience, and adaptation pathways are more likely to take action to manage drought
risk.
What is the CSA Platform?
- A free online platform designed to make climate information more accessible and useful for farmers, industry, and rural and regional communities.
- Aims to build resilience by enabling users to:
- Anticipate future climate conditions
- Draw comparisons with recent weather
- Consider what it could mean for the commodities they produce
- Consider information on what can be done to prepare for future drought
- Developed through co-design processes
ACTIONS
- Initially tested within 8 pilot regions, covering 2 commodities. As of February 2023, this has expanded to 17 commodities
- By December 2023, the program is expected to have extended, delivering nation-wide coverage, and covering approx. 27 commodities
- 5km2 data resolution
Users can access the CSA platform using a digital device by first identifying their location on a continent wide map and stepping through various options – from accessing
commodity specific seasonal indicators (such as heat risk for productivity for sheep or spring heat risk for barley crops), through to historical records and forecasts. As a
large continent with considerable climate variability, CSA provides for site specific and commodity specific climate information.
User engagement and feedback continues to support the development of the platform with ready feedback options available. Initial improvements are focused on enabling
faster data loading and responsiveness, and enhancements to web design for improved access via mobile devices.
RESULTS
Project impacts on sustainable development include:
Social: Communities can make informed decisions, adopt risk management practices, and implement activities that improve their resilience to drought.
Environmental: Farmers are making informed climate decisions to better manage their natural resources through drought.
Economic: Farmers are using integrated climate information to make business decisions to improve business resilience, reduce financial exposure to drought, and manage income streams.
Further developments to enhance the tool include:
- An ‘Extreme Years’ feature has been added, which allows users to compare past extremes with potential future extremes in climate
- Tailored climate impact information for a greater number of commodities
- User customisation of temperature and rainfall thresholds and date ranges
- A new Temperature Humidity Index for beef, dairy, and sheep
- A News and Events section
- Updated FAQ and About pages
- Updates to user interface focused on ease of use of the data and interpretation based on user testing
- Further enhancements to web design for improved access via mobile devices
SUCCESSES AND LESSONS LEARNED
As of January 2023, the CSA platform has more than 1,800 returning users. Feedback on the prototype has been largely positive. Constructive feedback and advice from users continue to guide further developments to the platform.