Climate Friendly has welcomed the announcement by the Australian Government to prioritise the integrated farm method for development in 2022.
This new holistic method will modernise carbon farming in Australia and better align with how land is managed on the ground, creating new opportunities for regional investment, sustainable agriculture, and environmental stewardship. Climate Friendly’s analysis indicates that implementing this method could create up to 5,000 new carbon farming projects covering 65 million hectares, generating up to 2.5 billion tonnes of carbon abatement over the next ten years.
“Prioritising this integrated approach for carbon farming is a win for rural Australians, a win for sustainable agriculture and conservation, and a win for an Australian net zero economy that can prosper in a changing climate” says Skye Glenday, Co-CEO of Climate Friendly and Co-Chair of the Carbon Market Institute’s Landscape Taskforce.
The integrated farm method is a ‘whole-of-property’ carbon farming approach that combines multiple land management activities to store carbon in vegetation and soil. It builds on existing land sector methods and combines them into a single holistic method.
Climate Friendly is excited to see the prioritisation of this integrated approach, which reflects the detailed Agricultural Land Management and Production Method blueprint that was submitted to the 2022 method prioritisation process by the CMI Landscape Taskforce. The blueprint was developed through broad consultation and collaboration of carbon, agricultural, technology, financial, resources and conservation organisations, with contributions from Traditional Owners, state governments and researchers.
“There are tremendous opportunities for land managers and Traditional Custodians, including diversified income. This method can provide a broad array of social, cultural, agricultural productivity and environmental benefits” adds Glenday. “Together with the prioritised improvements to the savanna fire management method, we anticipate the integrated method will improve viability and enable more widespread adoption of carbon farming by land managers and Traditional Custodians.”
The integrated farm method will be developed over the next year and is expected to be implemented in 2023.
Media Enquiries:
Nigel Smith
E: nigel.smith@climatefriendly.com M: 0491 638 615
Resources:
Whole of property carbon farming – explainer video
CMI Taskforce submission
