Drought and Climate Adaptation program

2021 - ongoing

South East Queensland

Summary

Enhancing the capacity of farmers to prepare for drought conditions

Healthy Land and Water’s Drought and Climate Adaptation program is helping South East Queensland landholders to prepare for drought and changes in climate instead of responding to it.

The program is building the capacity of landholders so they can successfully manage drought and its consequences, building farm and community resilience, improving planning and decision making.

By extension this will help bolster their capacity to continue to be successful business operators, contribute to strong rural communities, maintain a competitive advantage in the global market and result in a more sustainable environment.

About the project

Ensuring landholders prepare for rather than respond to drought.
Improving soil health, water use efficiency and pasture and land condition.
Helping landholders adopt more sustainable land management practices.
Building on existing relationships between Healthy Land and Water, peak farming groups, State agencies, producers and consultants.

Why this project is important

Drought affects the productivity, profitability and wellbeing of the communities who rely on the rural sector, as well as significantly impacting on the environment.

As a consequence, land management practices can be neglected due to the financial and environment conditions and constraints and can lead to a reduction in financial and social capital in regional communities.

This project is being supported by Healthy Land and Water through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund Natural Resources Management Drought Resilience Program – Landscapes Project.

Outcomes

This program will support landholders who have been struggling with the impact of Drought and the variability of climate conditions by building capacity to be adaptable to changing conditions.

By preparing strategies and actions for the high frequency & severity of environmental changes they will continue to be successful business & enterprise operators, landscape managers, risk managers and contribute to a strong and robust community that is built on resilience and local champions.

The development of a knowledge base approach, Planning & Preparation, Property Management Plans incorporating drought strategies, understanding soil ecosystems, pasture and livestock knowledge will build capacity to change to a more sustainable Land Management Practice to minimise the impact of drought not only on the environment but also on the community.

Building rural community capacity to change to adaptable practices and be able to adapt to changes in the environment will ensure the long-term success of a stronger local community, local businesses and services to ensure a prosperous and sustainable future.

Action on the ground

The program will share the latest on planning, practices and technologies with landholders to build resilience, maximise efficiency and build environmental and economic buffers.

A variety of projects, innovative demonstration trials, climate adaptation workshops and property planning workshops, case studies and workshops and fact sheets will be delivered as part of the program.

The program will also support the establishment of on-farm trials which will include the detailed monitoring and evaluation of practices of particular interest. The types of trials include multi-species cover cropping, recycled organics, soil moisture monitoring technology and regenerative practices.

The regionally focused program will build on existing relationships between Healthy Land and Water and peak farming groups, State agencies, producers and consultants including Growcom, Queensland Dairy farmers Organisation, Subtropical Dairy, Agforce and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Drought and Climate Adaptation program