The National Farmers Federation (NFF) and its agricultural delegation will be at the World Climate Conference (COP27) in Egypt this week with a major goal in mind - to share Australia's approach to the climate challenge with the world and inform policy makers that we can take action on climate, while meeting global demand for food and fibre.
Our delegation includes representatives from the Australian Forests Products Association, Macdoch, former Member of Parliament Joel Fitzgibbon, farmer Mark Wootton and Asparagopsis producer Sea Forest.
I will share with conference delegates how Australian farmers are well invested in ensuring the world achieves its climate goals because we are one of the sectors that live and breathe climate every day - and in a climatic zone where we believe the impacts of climate change will be more extreme.
According to the sixth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, land-based mitigation measures represent some of the most important options currently available.
Our industry is one of the few - if we get the data, the science and the technology right - that can both lower emissions as well as sequester more carbon.
Done right, this will provide substantial land management and production benefits for farmers, as well as possible co-benefits for other industries and for the economy as a whole.
Done badly, it punitively targets our industry, driving family farmers off their farms, and with impacts on global food supply chains at a time when the demands have never been greater.
It could also have impacts on our global ability to sustainably produce sufficient food, feed, fuel and wood, potentially driving production away from some of our most sustainable areas and exacerbating trade-offs with the conservation of habitats, adaptation, biodiversity and other environmental outcomes.
As custodians of about 75 per cent of Australia's landmass, Australian farmers have an interest in ensuring the best possible deployment of mitigation, adaptation and resilience measures on farms - and are well advanced in this work.
We recognise that while we have the will, we still have to make sure we find the way, and with more than 95pc of Australian farms held by family farmers, working collaboratively together - with industry, stakeholders and government - is critical.
With more than $2 billion a year to invest from both farmer levies and matching government co-contributions to farmers' research dollars, our historic Australian research and development structure has been - and continues to be - instrumental to us confidently being able to set targets, and also to achieving our goals.
This science-led approach to climate-smart farming and forestry is already achieving great results.
Our sector has lowered its emissions by 53pc since 2005 and - as we continue to research our sequestration capabilities in varied production systems and across the country - each of our commodities has set their own net zero goals.
Collectively the NFF, on behalf of all our members, has endorsed an economy-wide target of 2050 and the interim steps to get us there.
As one of the industries that receives the lowest rate of agricultural subsidies anywhere in the world, our farmers exist by farming smarter, not harder, and they lead the world in the adoption of new technology and sustainability innovations.
While we're doing everything we can in our own industry, and in our own country, to achieve our own targets, we know that the world must work together in achieving our global goals.
We strongly believe that the pathway to net zero - and to sustainability - must be principles-based.
