Supporting farmers to engage in environmental market transactions to build natural capital and improve resilience to climate change
This trial evaluated an approach led by Regen Farmers Mutual in collaboration with community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) groups. The approach, called the Regen Farmers Mutual Accelerator, aimed to help CBNRM groups adopt inclusive governance and engagement approaches to enable farmers and landholders to participate in environmental market transactions, build natural capital through effective land management, and ultimately increase adaptive capacity.
The challenge for this trial was that farmers and landholders need to manage land to build climate resilience and adaptive capacity, but that only 'early adopters' are changing their practices. The goal of the trial was to support innovation in governance and engagement by CBNRM groups, who regularly interact with farmers and landholders. We hoped that this would address farmers' and landholders' barriers to participation in environmental markets, and therefore build adaptive capacity.
There were multiple target audiences and behaviours in this trial:
Community Based NRM (CBNRM) groups were the primary target audience for the behaviour change intervention. CBNRM groups include representation from Landcare, community conservation groups, farming systems groups, farmers, landholders, technical experts, and service providers.
The target behaviours for these groups were (1) to adopt inclusive governance and engagement approaches, and (2) engage with farmers and land managers to manage for natural capital and climate resilience.
Farmers and landholders were the secondary target audience. The target behaviours for these groups were to (1) adopt environmental market entry and participation behaviours, and (2) enact sustainable land management practices.
The Regen Farmers Mutual Accelerator intervention was a 12-week program based in the Traprock region of south-east Queensland, Australia. During the program, several groups of participants ("Landscape Impact Groups") learn about environmental markets, the actions needed to assess, prepare, and manage land for participation in markets, and developing a plan for a landscape scale environmental transaction. More information is provided on the Regen Farmers Mutual website.
We conducted surveys and interviews to evaluate the Regen Farmers Mutual Accelerator and its effects on the target audience and behaviours in the Traprock region, Queensland. We also used a cross case comparison to compare the setting, intervention, and outcomes with two other programs: in New South Wales, the Local Land Services' Environmental Markets Leadership Program, and in Victoria, the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority's investigation of environmental markets' impacts on climate resilience.
Contact us or email stefan.kaufman@monash.edu to receive the evaluation report for this trial when it is published.
