Engaging farmers with climate projections: integrating long-term climate risk into farm business resilience planning

Abstract

Supporting climate adaptation efforts in agriculture is an urgent issue requiring practical pathways to integrate climate risk into plans for action. Although prior research extensively covers various aspects of climate adaptation, two key gaps remain: (1) the limited use of multi-decadal climate projections to support long-term climate adaptation and resilience, and (2) the under-examined role of intermediaries in integrating climate projections into farm business planning. We address these gaps by identifying how engaging farmers with long-term climate risks through farm business planning processes can improve outcomes for on-farm climate adaptation and climate resilience. In a case study based in Queensland, Australia, we engage with intermediaries delivering business planning to farmers for climate resilience. Using a co-development methodology, two workshops were organised, with the help of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and local partners to demonstrate how farm business plans can support improved adaptation to future climate risks. We set out an engagement framework that, with appropriate contextual adaptation, has potential applicability beyond agricultural settings to other sectors engaged in resilience planning. A key finding from this case study is that the institutionalisation of long-term climate risk planning programs within existing governance structures can enable broader adoption and scalability. Furthermore, planning for long-term climate risk needs to become part of the regular cadence of business planning, regularly revisited and adapted to ensure plans to address climate risks are monitored and updated.