Climate Smart Farming: Smarter Farming and Stronger Voices
Australian farmers from more than thirty communities across the country are being empowered to engage confidently with leaders across Parliament, the media, and industry by Farmers for Climate Action’s (FCA) Climate Smart Farming program.
Farmers for Climate Action’s 8,400 farmer members have skills including advocacy, media, teaching, and of course, climate-smart farming. These skills can empower farmers across the country to grow their industry and protect the planet.
Farmers for Climate Action is the second-largest farmer representative group in Australia as measured by farmer membership, and, according to the initiative, the only to focus on the impact of climate change on agriculture. FCA’s Climate Smart Farming program has robust connections across the political spectrum and deep into the Canberra Press Gallery. In the past year, the Climate Smart Farming program has had significant policy wins in Australia on the global methane pledge and Australia’s electric vehicle policy. The initiative has had cut-through media moments on the topics of clean energy projects and the impact of climate change on food supply. With excellent media and strategic contacts, deep political experience, and a huge farmer base, FCA believes the Climate Smart Farming program is the initiative most likely to change Australia’s policy landscape.
FCA boasts some of the most proactive participants in any agricultural or regional organization, and a toolkit of webinars and workshops which empowers these farmers to showcase climate solutions on and off the farm. They can rally support for comprehensive, economy-wide climate policies that benefit both farmers and regional communities.

The Climate Smart Farming program includes webinars during which participants can talk to experts, share insights, and gather practical knowledge about future-proofing their farms. The workshops upskill farmers on relations with media and government, covering best practice techniques for framing, language, press briefings, social media, and interviews. FCA aims to create what the initiative calls a cohort of “trusted messengers” to spread change effectively and quickly.
The program’s extensive web of existing partnerships means it is data-driven, community-led, and nationally delivered. The program has already produced training materials on topics such as renewable energy, electrification, regenerative farming practices, and biodiversity.
And farmers are reporting significant productivity boosts while curbing their dependency on heavy fertilizers and reducing emissions. The initiative believes that the measures they are implementing through the Climate Smart Farming program could cumulatively lead to a significant transformation in agriculture.
The Climate Smart Farming Initiative has already delivered so much with so little. With more, the sky is the limit.
Learn more about the Climate Smart Farming Program
Written by Gilly Smith
Photos provided by Climate Smart Farming Program
