Summary

This project aims to co-design scalable diversification options and drought resilience practices for northern Queensland cotton, grain and cattle enterprises, and quantify the economic, social and environmental values and risks of these options.

Whole farm level systems participatory research will examine:

• current farm resources and business performance
• co-designed time sensitive responses to drought and market volatility
• information and tools needed for adoption
• the impact of extreme climate events on productivity and sustainability
• the level of climate information accuracy and timeliness required for economic value
• how climate variability influences the risk of not adopting available solutions
• whole farm economic models for assessment of on-farm produced grains and/or forage crops when grown in cropping systems for cattle feed,
• existing environment stewardship frameworks alignment with north Queensland mixed farming systems, agri-business and community regional development vision and
• what are appropriate stewardship guidelines and self-assessment options for balancing the costs, legislation, social license and value chain demand and opportunities?

Expected outcomes

This project will support north Queensland farmers and rural communities with information and skills needed to profit from agricultural commodity booms and identify scalable business plans for re-investment in resilient crop-livestock systems that deliver a legacy of economic, social and environmental prosperity for rural northern Queensland. The drivers for this change are high land and commodity prices, climate variability, cattle biosecurity and market risk, emerging carbon markets and policy settings. This project brings together experienced public and private researchers and value chain actors in a coordinated approach to enable cotton led farm diversification as part of a sustainable cropping systems that benefits cattle producers.