Overview
This topic examines steps you might want to take to prepare to engage in carbon farming, starting with understanding your purpose or motivation. The topic then sets out some considerations you need to take into account when planning for your carbon farming activity or project. Once you understand these considerations, you can start to decide which carbon farming activities, practices or programs are most appropriate for your operation.
Topic 2 looked at carbon farming activities and practices you can implement, either outside of any private or government program or by participating in the ACCU Scheme, Climate Active or another program.
Conducting an ACCU Scheme project or seeking Climate Active certification have requirements with which you must comply. This topic examines some Climate Active requirements and refers you to other useful sources of information relevant to the Climate Active program, while Topic 5 expands on ACCU Scheme requirements. Topic 5, as well as the Clean Energy Regulator’s website, will help ensure you are accessing the most up-to-date information about the ACCU Scheme.
Learning outcomes
After completing this topic, you will be able to:
- identify your purpose or motivation to engage in carbon farming
- recognise important considerations for planning a carbon farming activity or project, including existing relevant plans, carbon farming opportunities, requirements, available advisers and support, and the feasibility of your preferred activity or project, including estimated revenue and costs
- describe greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting requirements
- determine the most appropriate carbon farming activities or practices for your operation.
Watch this video
In this video (2:20 minutes), presenters Gail Reynolds-Adamson, Matt Woods and Nigel Sharp introduce Topic 4 and provide important context.
MATT WOODS: Welcome to topic four, planning carbon farming activities. This is where the rubber really hits the road as we start to look at some of the actions, pathways, and decisions you'll need to make before embarking on carbon farming.
GAIL REYNOLDS-ADAMSON: We'll also get our hands dirty. As we start to plan carbon farming activities for emission management and restoration based on what we've covered in this package so far, by the end of this topic, you'll have carefully considered which carbon farming activities are most useful for your sector, farming system, location, and particular circumstances.
WOODS: We'll explore key sector specific carbon farming techniques and technologies and hear their benefits and drawbacks firsthand from experts, including farmers who are using them.
REYNOLDS-ADAMSON: This topic will also guide you with your decision about whether or not to participate in an Australian Carbon Credit Unit or ACCU scheme or seek Climate Active certification.
And importantly, it will help prepare you through focused questions to have informed discussions with advisers before making any final decisions.
If you are considering participating in an ACCU scheme, then the next topic will explore this in detail.
NIGEL SHARP: This topic is laying out a systematic process that farmers can use to decide their carbon farming purpose.
The process starts with farm planning, which should inform your objectives and what drives you to carbon farming.
Do you want to earn carbon credits?
Do you only want on farm co-benefits like healthy soil, water, and produce, more productive livestock, and better managed pastures?
It's essential to be clear about your purpose because some purposes, like earning carbon credits, have lots of work and responsibilities you might not want to take on.
What is your purpose for carbon farming, and what sort of factors did you take into account when deciding to do it?