Primary sector preparedness for climate change

Rapid and slow-onset climate changes to the primary sector: evaluating the role and cost of adaptation on resilience

Climate change presents unprecedented challenges to our primary sector. Yet significant gaps exist in our understanding of its impacts on agriculture, the costs of these impacts, and the most effective and equitable ways to adapt.

Through a suite of approaches incorporating physical science, agricultural productivity models, economic approaches and social science, this project intended to fill some of these gaps.

The research informed the National Adaptation Plan, following from the National Climate Change Risk Assessment, and was intended to support government agencies and sector bodies to provide adaptation guidance through He Waka Eke Noa, the Primary Sector Climate Change Commitment.

Detailed modelling and analysis focused on dairy, due to its current economic dominance, but the research is transferable to other sectors, and users of these findings should find they are of immediate use across the agricultural sector.

The research represents an important link with the Resilience Challenge, and complements other research across the SLMACC programme, wider National Science Challenges, and Endeavour programmes. 

Read a plain-language summary of this project here.

This project in the media:

• New Zealand farmers and growers are already adapting to changing climate conditions – just not enough, RNZ