Wheat and sheep production in a changing climate: Western Australia

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Australia’s wheat - sheep production zone covers 35 million hectares in southern and eastern Australia. Its 15 700 wool-producing farms contain 55% of the nation’s sheep. Annual rainfall in the zone is 300–600 mm.

Climate change threatens the productivity of Australia’s wheat and sheep industries. It reduces the value of historical climate knowledge and increases uncertainty about the bounds of future climates, making farm decisions more complex.

While Australian farmers are already adapting to a highly variable climate, adapting to significant climate change is a challenge. Here we provide a case study of the Yarra Yarra – Greenough – Moore Hill region in the central west of Western Australia.