Tools that claim to prepare farmers for future droughts are just out of reach for Western Plains farmers, as the national pilot program for climate data skips the Western region. 

The $5 billion Future Drought Fund has produced two key investments that are said to deliver the best available climate data to prepare for future drought and climate change. 

The Drought Resilience Self-Assessment Tool (DR.SAT) and Climate Services for Agriculture (CSA) platform saw the federal government dish out $32 million, hopefully providing the answer to a question that has remained unsolved by farmers and the world: how to predict the future. 

Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud said the tools will provide historical climate data, seasonal forecasts, and future climate projections at a 5 kilometre square resolution across the country. 

“Climate information for cattle, wheat, sheep, almonds, apples, barley, canola, and lupins is now available,” Mr Littleproud said. 

“This means that farmers can easily assess how the climate variables that matter to their business could change in future- for example, a wheat producer can see how the timing and intensity of seasonal rainfall in their region might change into the future, how that might impact the way they farm, and whether they need to consider changes,” Mr Littleproud said.

Farmers living within the DR.SAT pilot regions will be able to identify their land and the potential impact climate will have on its productive capacity, followed by the generation of a tailored set of practical options and resources to manage those impacts. 

Outside of the pilot regions, farmers will still be able to access limited parts of the tool, with the capacity to explore the current and past conditions of their property, and the availability of a survey to assess how they are tracking in terms of financial performance and wellbeing. 

“While our farmers are highly skilled at managing climate variability, the intensity and frequency of drought is a challenge that requires additional support,” Mr Littleproud said. 

Farmers for Climate Action President Charlie Prell sees merit in a similar approach, where farmers are engaged in what he calls ‘climate smart agriculture’.

“That includes education about what the forecasts are for the climate, and also includes options for farmers to implement to help them through all the weather systems,” Mr Prell said. 

“We’re urging farmers to become climate literate and climate smart by adjusting farming systems to take care of maintaining financial, environmental, and biological problems,” he said. 

The CSA website derives a plethora of data from a single postcode, from how future climate scenarios could affect specific commodities, to historical and projected surface water data, that gauges the evaporation levels in each location. 

The pilot period of the tools will see engagement with the farmers in pilot regions, where consultation will allow further development of the programs. 

While some data is available online, the development will continue into 2024, until both tools are progressively expanded and ultimately provide national coverage.