Farmers applying seasonal climate forecasting for profitable sustainable resource use

Product Information

Seasonal climate forecasts (SCFs) are being promoted as a technology to reduce uncertainty and aid rural industries to better respond to opportunities and risks in relation to production and natural resource management. While there have been recent advances in understanding and predicting climatic variations, much uncertainty remains about the usefulness of forecasting technologies in the management of typical broadacre farming systems in Australia.

This project will draw on advances in forecast accuracy and in the economic theory of valuing information, to evaluate the role SCFs may have in improving farm profitability and sustainable resource use. The significance of any such benefits will be evaluated in the context of broadacre farming systems in Central West NSW.

How this project fits with MCV objectives Providing better information on the economic value of SCFs will contribute to improved use of SCF by industries and resource managers and assist the development of improved seasonal climate forecasts by highlighting the attributes of an SCF of most significant value.