Transformational adaptation: agriculture and climate change

Abstract

Abstract. Climate change presents the need and opportunity for what the Stern report called 'major, non-marginal change'. Such transformational adaptation is rapidly emerging as a serious topic in agriculture. This paper provides an overview of the topic as it applies to agriculture, focusing on the Australian situation. It does so by first defining transformational adaptation, distinguishing it from other more incremental but overlapping modes of climate change adaptation and positing its emergence in agriculture as a response to both drivers and opportunities. The multiple dimensions of transformational adaptation are highlighted before two types or cases are focussed upon in order to tease out issues and highlight two major examples of transformation in agriculture in the past. Four key issues about climate change adaptation in agriculture particularly pertinent for transformational adaptation are then reviewed: the identification, level, distribution and management of the costs of adaptation; the definition, potential for and need to avoid maladaptation; the capacity demands that this level of adaptation presents; and the role of government in adaptation. Overall, transformational adaptation poses potential great gains but also great risks. It reinforces the realisation that agricultural research can no longer remain insulated from off-farm, non-science or non-agricultural knowledge or processes. Support and guidance of transformational adaptation requires that we understand how Australian agriculture is currently, and could be, positioned within the landscape, rural communities, and broader social, political and cultural environment.

Opening and Closing the Future: Climate Change, Adaptation, and Scenario Planning

“…These calls for a more holistic approach to adaptation align with the so-called 'contextual vulnerability' approach (rather than 'climate science approach') to understanding adaptation needs (see, for example, O'Brien et al, 2007), which highlights some groups' ongoing 'adaptation deficits' in adapting well to present-day climatic stressors (Burton, 2009). A holistic approach to adaptation also, somewhat differently, aligns with a reading of adaptation as ideally a route to societal transformation, reflecting a first-wave environmentalist sense of climate change as the epitome of industrialism undermining species survival (Rickards and Howden, 2012) and more recent questions about the underexamined fundamental contradictions inherent to the win-win notion of 'sustainable development' (Bulkeley et al, 2013).…”

Epilogue - Future challenges for the national climate change research strategy

“…In the short to medium term, incremental and systems adaptations may allow agriculture to adapt to the biophysical impacts (Rickards and Howden 2012). However, towards the latter half of the 21st century the biophysical impacts of climate change are likely to require more radical transformational adaptations in some areas (Rickards and Howden 2012).…”

“…It reinforces the realisation that agricultural research can no longer remain insulated from off-farm, community and social knowledge or processes. Support and guidance of transformational adaptation requires that we understand how Australian agriculture is, and could be, positioned within landscapes, rural communities, and broader social, political and cultural environments (Rickards and Howden 2012).…”

Prepared for climate change? A method for the ex-ante assessment of formal responsibilities for climate adaptation in specific sectors

“…In both definitions, climate change adaptation is about dealing with the effects of climate change, which may be negative but also positive, providing new opportunities and benefits. Adaptation can take various forms-it can be planned or take place autonomously (Brooks and Adger 2005), be incremental or radical (or ''transformative'') in nature (Rickards and Howden 2012), etc. In ''Responsibilities for climate adaptation'' section, we will elaborate on the specific categorisations of climate adaptation we employed in our method.…”