1 November 2022. By AgForce CEO Michael Guerin.
Sssh, I have a secret…
No, I’m not Batman (my wife can vouch for that).
But what if I told you I knew of a way for landholders to measure their natural capital condition, broaden their income streams, AND reduce their carbon footprint?
Well, it just so happens that I do. This year has seen the launch of our ground-breaking AgCarE initiative, which enables farmers to do just that.
And as Australia signs up to the Global Methane Pledge, the time has come to share the good work that AgForce and our producers are already doing to save the planet.
While the nation waits to see what action the Federal Government will take to contribute to the Pledge’s methane target, Queensland farmers are already on the job.
Through AgCarE, our producers are actively identifying potential carbon saving projects on their land, which enables them to offset their emissions and sell off the difference.
What sets this apart from other carbon schemes is that it has been developed by farmers for farmers and therefore considers the types of issues – the rewarding and the challenging – that come from years of first-hand experience working the land.
Importantly, it puts landholders in the driver’s seat, allowing them to take control of their natural assets and giving them a voice they otherwise might not have.
What’s more, AgCarE benefits not only producers and agriculture, but also our landscapes and the environment.
With this in mind, it’s time the Government acknowledged that farmers are doing the right thing and made good on its promises not to impose taxes and restrictions on agriculture as a result of the Global Methane Pledge.
As responsible custodians of the land and our nation’s true environmentalists, our farmers will never shy away from playing their part when it comes to helping reduce our country’s carbon emissions.
But if the work we do continues to go largely unrecognised, there will come a point when we’ll look around at what everyone else ISN’T doing and ask, “Are we simply being taken advantage of?”