The Northern Australia Climate Program: Overview and Selected Highlights

Abstract Since 2017, the Northern Australia Climate Program (NACP) has assisted pastoral grazing industry to better manage drought risk and climate variability. The NACP funding is sourced from beef cattle industry, government, academia, representing program’s broad range of aims target beneficiaries. program funds scientists in United Kingdom Australia, addition extension advisers called “Climate Mates” across a region that supports 15 million head cattle. Many Mates are employed sector have existing relationships their communities capacity meaningfully engage with intended beneficiaries—red meat producers. prime example successful end-to-end program, integrating model improvements (research) tailored forecast products (development), through direct stakeholder engagement (extension), on-ground application technologies (adoption), improvement community resilience (impact). information needs stakeholders also feed back research development components, ensuring scientific directly addresses end-user requirements. For any output measurable real-world impact represents key challenge. This more difficult cases where several steps away customer’s needs. paper gives an overview highlights, discussing how framework could be adapted applied other regions industries. It seeks provide roadmap for groups follow produce targeted identifiable benefits.