Carbon sequestration can boost agriculture productivity: UTAS

A series of workshops, led by the University of Tasmania and the Australian National University aimed to shed light for producers on the benefits of carbon sequestration.

IMAS/UTAS Professor Philip Boyd and ANU Professor Michael Ellwood lead the workshops.

Professor Boyd said agriculture had been highlighted as an industry that could benefit from carbon sequestration.

"What's pretty clear is that we need to do more than cut emissions and we need to actively take that carbon from the atmosphere and store it elsewhere, whether that's in the ground or somewhere else," he said.

There are many ways carbon can be taken from the environment and used to benefit farmers, such as by increasing food and soil security, boosting water and nutrient retention, improving habitat biodiversity and building ecosystem resilience, Professor Boyd said.

"Farmers are the custodians of our land and they know better than anyone what's happening out there; the last thing they need is a bunch of scientists telling them what to do," he said.

"But if we can demonstrate how these techniques can be mutually beneficial, then we are improving productivity and taking carbon out of the environment."

Agriculture and farming have been hit hard by climate change, as farmers are faced with harsher summers and less rainfall. Also, the agricultural sector, particularly the red meat sector, has borne the brunt of a lot of criticism over the impact production has on the environment. However, Professor Boyd said there was a lot of negative discourse around climate change but the focus should be on the positive action being taken instead.

"There's not really any point in playing the blame game, what we need to do now is focus on the positives and it's onward and upward," he said.

Action would be what would bring the best rewards - and it's not just the environmental benefits farmers can reap from carbon sequestration.

Professor Boyd said potential revenues from carbon and biodiversity credits could also provide farmers with additional income streams to encourage changes in practice.

"Reducing emissions is vital but we also need to actively remove large quantities of CO2 from the atmosphere to keep global warming below two degrees."

An online virtual hub will be launched in 2020 to bridge the gap between scientists and producers on climate change solutions.