The Social-Ecological System of Farmers’ Current Soil Carbon Management in Australian Grazing Lands

Abstract

Soil carbon sequestration programmes are a way of offsetting GHG emissions, however, it requires agricultural landholders to be engaged in such initiatives for carbon offsets to occur. Farmer engagement is low in market-based programmes for soil carbon credits in Australia. We interviewed long-term practitioners (n = 25) of rotational grazing in high-rainfall lands of New South Wales, Australia to understand their current social-ecological system (SES) of soil carbon management (SCM). The aim was to identify those components of the SES that motivate them to manage soil carbon and also influence their potential engagement in soil carbon sequestration programmes. Utilising first-tier and second-tier concepts from Ostrom’s SES framework, the interview data were coded and identified a total of 51 features that characterised the farmers’ SES of SCM. Network analysis of farmer interview data revealed that the current SES of SCM has low connectivity among the SES features (30%). In four workshops with interviewed farmers (n = 2) and invited service providers (n = 2) the 51 features were reviewed and participants decided on the positioning and the interactions between features that were considered to influence SCM into a causal loop diagram. Post-workshop, 10 feedback loops were identified that revealed the different and common perspectives of farmers and service providers on SCM in a consolidated causal loop diagram. Defining the SES relationships for SCM can identify the challenges and needs of stakeholders, particularly farmers, which can then be addressed to achieve local, national and international objectives, such as SCM co-benefits, GHG reduction, carbon sequestration targets and SDGs.

The effect of grazing management and legumes on soil organic carbon stocks in pastoral systems relevant to the Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme: a critical review

“…Additionally, there is a social dimension to adoption of new management activities. Examination of long-term practitioners of rotational grazing in the New England Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, showed that soil carbon management was focused more on the co-benefits of managing soil carbon for plant production, soil health, and overall farm sustainability than the opportunity to earn ACCUs (Amin et al 2023a). While the two management activities assessed in this paper are already at reasonable levels of adoption Australiawide, especially grazing management, 'carbon farming' is reported at 12% of Australian farmers in a recent survey of farm practices (Coelli 2021), with the adoption of a carbon soil project closer to 0.4% of Australian farmers (Fitch et al 2022).…”

Social‐ecological systems approach for adaptation to climate change

“…In particular, adaptation to climate change requires an understanding of complex SES in which dynamics arise from the interactions and feedbacks between social and ecological systems (Amin et al, 2023;Folke, 2006;Hossain, Ramirez, Szabo, et al, 2020). Building on our own and others' previous work, Figure 1 provides a simplified depiction of the way adaptation to climate change is influenced by SES dynamics.…”

“…From an SES perspective, climate change is a cross‐cutting and complex iterative process (Butler et al, 2016; IPCC, 2014a, 2014b; IPCC, 2022) that demands a rethinking of the way we manage and govern SES (Baird et al, 2014; Eriksen et al, 2021; Yang et al, 2022). In particular, adaptation to climate change requires an understanding of complex SES in which dynamics arise from the interactions and feedbacks between social and ecological systems (Amin et al, 2023; Folke, 2006; Hossain, Ramirez, Szabo, et al, 2020). Building on our own and others' previous work, Figure 1 provides a simplified depiction of the way adaptation to climate change is influenced by SES dynamics.…”