Climate Services for Agriculture

The Climate Services for Agriculture (CSA) online platform gives Australian farmers and communities climate information for their local area to help them better prepare for climate risks.

CSA provides users with historical data (1961-current), seasonal forecasts (1-3 months) and future climate projections (2030, 2050, 2070). It also includes additional climate insights for business planning, like:

specific insights for individual commodities
customisable rainfall and temperature thresholds
a temperature humidity index for beef, dairy and sheep
general climate trends.

CSA is best viewed on a desktop computer using Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Safari.

System performance may vary in some locations in Australia.

Explore CSA

Explore the CSA platform.

Users can provide feedback within the platform or by emailing CSAEnquiries@csiro.au

Delivery approach

The CSA platform is funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund delivered by CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology.

The platform combines climate science and agriculture expertise and is designed in collaboration with end users.

User engagement in pilot regions

CSA is developed with input from users in 8 pilot regions:

Queensland Dry Tropics
Condamine and the Northern Tablelands
Victorian Mallee and south-east South Australia
Western Australian Wheatbelt
Tropical North Queensland
Central West New South Wales
Riverina and Goulburn-Murray
Gippsland and Northern Tasmania

People working in agriculture in each pilot region can take part in user engagement activities until late 2023.

This includes farmers, advisers, extension officers and natural resource managers, as well as businesses servicing agriculture, such as agricultural suppliers and people working in business financing and banking.

Delivery timeline

March 2021	Initial pilot regions established. User engagement commenced to support the development of prototype platform
July 2021	Prototype platform launched, including: Historical and future looking climate information at a 5km² scale across the country. Historical and future projected rainfall, temperature, heat risk, frost risk and evapotranspiration provided nationally. Climate impact information for wheat and cattle production in pilot regions.
July – November 2021	Engagement with farmers, advisors, state government agencies and peak industry groups in pilot regions to support development of the platform (including joint workshops with DR.SAT).
December 2021	Update to the live platform to provide: Tailored climate impact information for more commodities in pilot regions, now including beef, sheep, wheat, almond, apples, barley, canola and lupins. Agriculturally relevant seasonal forecasts of rainfall targeted to your location. Information modules on water availability, agricultural productivity, and natural capital available for early access and evaluation by invitation. New and improved mobile-friendly layout based on user feedback. Faster data loading and responsiveness.
January – May 2022	Further engagement with farmers in pilot regions to support development of the platform (including joint workshops with DR.SAT).
June 2022	Update to the platform to provide: Climate impact information for more commodities in pilot regions, including sugarcane, tomatoes, grapes, oranges, sorghum, dairy, and mangoes. Further enhancements to seasonal outlook products. Further enhancements to web design for improved access via mobile devices. Information modules on social resilience, finance, and markets.
February 2023	Update to the platform to provide: Climate impact information for more commodities including mangoes, potatoes and bananas. User customisation of temperature and rainfall thresholds and date ranges. A new Temperature Humidity Index for beef, dairy and sheep. A News and Events section. Updated FAQ and About pages.
March - September 2023	Further engagement with farmers in pilot regions to support development of the platform (including joint workshops with DR.SAT).

Funding information

Find details of the payment information for Climate Services for Agriculture as required under Section 27A of the Future Drought Fund Act 2019 below.

Download

Future Drought Fund: Climate Services for Agriculture (PDF 201 KB)
Future Drought Fund: Climate Services for Agriculture (DOCX 674 KB)

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