What carbon farming activities are West Australian farmers willing to adopt?

Abstract

Transferring carbon from the atmosphere into terrestrial sinks through carbon farming has been proposed as an important component in Australia’s efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. We use a Best- Worst Scaling survey to determine which carbon farming practices mixed crop-livestock and cropping-only farmers in the northern wheatbelt of Western Australia would be most and least likely to adopt. The survey was distributed via grower groups in Western Australia in August 2013. Farmers had strong preferences for stubble retention and no-till cropping. The practices that farmers were least willing to adopt were applying biochar and applying mulch. Farmers ranked improved soil quality and reduced soil erosion as the most important potential co-benefits of carbon farming. The research outcomes are discussed with respect to the implications for Australia’s broadacre cropping industry and Australia’s greenhouse gas abatement policies.