Agriculture and Land Sectoral Plan

The need for a plan

Australia’s agriculture and land sectors are already feeling the effects of climate change.

Australian producers and land managers are innovative and are adapting. But the size of the future challenge can be reduced through strong global action to reduce emissions.

That’s why the Australian Government signed up to the Paris Agreement and committed to ambitious emission reduction goals including reaching net zero by 2050.

Achieving those goals is in Australia’s long-term interests, including ensuring a profitable and sustainable future for our producers and land managers.

Many agriculture industry groups have already committed to playing their part.

Meeting climate goals will help position Australia’s export-oriented agriculture sector to take advantage of shifts in markets. It will better position the sector to meet expectations from supply chains and the finance sector from the global transition towards lower emissions.

What will be covered?

The Australian Government is developing a net zero plan which will outline how transitioning to a net-zero economy can be achieved.

Six sectoral plans will support this work, including one for agriculture and the land sector.

Emissions in related areas like freight transport and manufacturing of farm inputs will be covered by other sector plans.

The plans will explore ways to contribute to economy-wide goals to reduce emissions. They will provide the certainty needed to support the new investment required to secure Australia’s low emissions future.

Seizing opportunities in a low emissions world

All parts of the economy have a role to play in reaching our national goals. As a sector, agriculture made up 16.8% of national greenhouse gas emissions in 2020-21. Emissions and sequestration associated with the management of land, including agricultural land, are estimated separately. Land management is currently a net carbon sink, contributing -13.7% of the national total in 2020-21.

Continuing with a proactive approach will allow the industry to seize emerging opportunities. It will also help to reduce risks associated with climate change. For example, action will:

• improve Australia’s position as a global supplier of sustainable food and fibre
• support the agriculture sector to meet emerging expectations from supply chains, export markets, capital markets and consumers around emissions
• build farm and landscape resilience through carbon storage and deliver co-benefits from vegetation management and tree plantings
• accelerate the adoption of renewable energy for on-farm use. This can build energy security, reduce emissions and lower costs.

Public consultation for the Agriculture and Land Sector Plan

We have closed public consultation for the development of the Agriculture and Land Sector Plan.

The Agriculture, Land and Emissions discussion paper was released on 7 November 2023. We received over 230 submissions.

We held workshops online and in-person in major capital cities. We also joined the Future Drought Fund public forums in regional areas.

A wide range of stakeholders provided feedback, including:

• farmers and producers
• landholders
• industry representatives and organisations
• research and academia
• Rural Research and Development Corporations
• not for profit organisations
• state and territory governments
• members of the public
• and many more.

We will continue to engage with stakeholders to develop the plan.

What we heard

Stakeholders provided feedback on a number of issues including:

• large-scale coordinated funding and long-term investment
• capacity building for trusted advisors and landholders
• system level investments such as improved greenhouse gas accounting.

The feedback we received through the public consultation process is now being considered. It will help inform the development of the Agriculture and Land Sectoral Plan. Submissions to the discussion paper have been published on the Have Your Say project page.

To subscribe to updates for the Agriculture and Land Sectoral Plan development, visit the Have Your Say project page