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Welcome from the Director
Welcome to the January update for the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (SW WA Hub).
As we embark on the New Year, it's timely to reflect on recent achievements including the Hub's facilitation of investment into the State that directly benefits producers.
In total, the Hub is now involved with 12 drought resilience projects that have received $14 million in Future Drought Fund (FDF) funding.
The Hub has also delivered 10 'innovation' projects worth $5m as part of its expanded remit.
More information about these projects is available on the Hub webpage.
Our team also continues to help drive investment addressing drought resilience priorities that the Hub has identified following a comprehensive process.
Recently, we assisted more than 70 organisations and individuals in relation to the FDF grant round focused on extension and adoption, which required applications to align with Hub priorities.
Scroll down to find out more about this support.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to colleagues, friends or clients.
Mark Holland | Hub Director
South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub
Hub strengthens grant applications
The SW WA Hub team recently facilitated collaboration and strengthened applications during the FDF grant round 'Extension and Adoption of Drought Resilience Farming Practices'.
It connected people across WA and the nation with similar ideas; assisted potential applicants to interpret and meet the guidelines, which included addressing Hub drought resilience priorities; and reviewed and provided feedback on project ideas and applications.
In total, the Hub facilitated 40 project ideas involving more than 70 organisations and individuals. Team members spoke to many additional stakeholders who appreciated the Hub's availability to assist.
Dozens of letters of support were provided for applications that aligned with Hub drought resilience priorities.
With the grant round focus being on extension and adoption (E&A), team members experienced in this area provided specific advice to applicants on how to strengthen their E&A approach.
Submitted applications addressed many issues ranging from soils through to fodder conservation, rangelands management and early sown crops.
Hub team member in focus
Meet KJ Pritchard
Monitoring progress and continuous learning are essential in ensuring that any project stays on track.
Led by the GGA, the SW WA Hub reports regularly to the FDF – about how it is working towards its objective of working collaboratively to build the drought resilience of producers.
Key to making this happen is Hub Project Manager Kellie-Jane (KJ) Pritchard.
Working closely with Hub Director Mark Holland and other team members, she is responsible for reporting requirements such as the Hub’s operational plan; six-monthly progress reports; monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) plans; and collecting in-kind data from Hub Consortium Partners.
Ms Pritchard is well equipped for the role, having led innovative projects during years spent working in Australia and internationally on projects, including managing AGWEST International.
She was inspired to apply to join the Hub when she tuned into the inaugural FDF Science to Practice Forum in 2021 while based in New Zealand.
“I was so excited by some of the people who presented at the event and the hook for me was the opportunity to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders,” she said
“I’m originally from a farm in the WA Wheatbelt and I have loved coming back and working more closely with growers.”
More information about Ms Pritchard is on the GGA staff biography page.
Hub project in focus
Developing Automated Technology to Assess Natural Capital on Pastoral Leases
- Funding: Australian Government’s Agricultural Innovation Hubs Program, with support from the Southern Rangelands Pastoral Alliance (SRPA). Initiated through the SW WA Hub
- Lead organisation: SRPA grower group
- Project participants: SRPA, AxisTech, Challa Station
- Location: Southern Rangelands.
Caption: Project participants from Challa Station and AxisTech testing a Point-to-Point Wi-Fi signal near a recently installed camera box.
Natural capital technology installed
The ability to calculate ‘natural capital’ – an area’s natural resources and environmental features – offers new opportunities for producers, but the huge scale of Southern Rangelands properties presents challenges for its measurement.
A new project is tackling these challenges by investigating the potential of technologies installed in the field to measure natural capital – cost-efficiently and on a large scale.
The project scope is to digitise the measurement, management, and processing of biodiversity and soil organic carbon information.
Grower group Southern Rangelands Pastoral Alliance (SRPA) is leading the project and an additional project titled 'Drone mounted species recognition', after successfully submitting applications for innovation project grants offered through the SW WA Hub.
Technology at four sites has been installed on ‘Challa Station’, at Mt Magnet, with the project team currently working to address technical challenges relating to connectivity for the remote camera feeds.
Data generated from the devices is being transmitted through data platform ‘AxisStream’ and run through machine learning tools to develop plant species identification capability.
Four SensorC carbon probes have been installed, enabling the team to determine its potential to accurately measure soil carbon remotely across the Southern Rangelands.
This short-term project is among 10 diverse innovation projects that have commenced in WA after grants were awarded in 2022 by the SW WA Hub.
The grants were made possible by $2.5 million provided by the Australian Government to the SW WA, enabling it to expand its remit to include agricultural innovation.
Hub project in focus
Drone‐mounted species recognition
- Funding: Australian Government’s Agricultural Innovation Hubs Program, with support from the Southern Rangelands Pastoral Alliance (SRPA). Initiated through the SW WA Hub
- Lead organisation: SRPA
- Project participants: SRPA, Remote Piloted Aircraft of WA, Autonomous Technology, Global3D, Jingemarra and Meka stations, University of New England.
- Location: Southern Rangelands.
Caption: Chatting at the SPRA’s Pastoral Industry Forum about the potential of drones to monitor feral species are GGA Project Manager Daniel Kidd, left, pastoralist Mayne Jenour, Nigel Brown, Autonomous Technology, and GGA Innovation Manager Jo Wisdom.
Drones show feral species management potential
Feral animals pose significant challenges for pastoralists, including by competing with livestock for valuable feed resources.
A new WA project aims to help pastoralists to economically monitor and manage feral animals such as wild dogs by using drones mounted with ‘species recognition’ software systems alongside baiting systems.
Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking of feral animals offers scope for these animals to be managed economically and long-term monitoring has the potential to provide a data base of their movements and interactions with other livestock and the environment.
Discussing ‘Drone-mounted species recognition’ on the South Australian Country Hour recently was project participant Nigel Brown, Managing Director of Autonomous Technology, who said the system had potential for use in hard-to-reach places or to achieve more efficient coverage across large areas.
“The system is up and running on Jingemarra and Meka stations over areas of extensive ridgelines which are located on those properties,” Mr Brown said.
“I see the system as another tool in the toolbox for pastoralists which can complement ground baiting and trapping.”
To hear the interview, go to the SA Country Hour website (interview is from 17.17 to 13.37 min).
Caption: Discussing drought resilience priorities last year are members of the South West Regional Advisory Committee and SW WA Hub staff.
Drought resilience priorities shaping investments
Drought resilience priorities identified by the SW WA Hub are shaping significant investments by the Australian Government's Future Drought Fund (FDF).
The priorities address local research, development and extension (RD&E) gaps and were identified after a comprehensive consultation process conducted by the Hub in 2021 and 2022.
Four situational analyses (for each of the four agro-ecological zones covered by the Hub) identified the topics, which were further refined by the Hub's Regional Advisory Committees and then by grower groups and farmers through Regional Node Leads.
The priorities are helping to tailor FDF drought resilience investments, with the recent grant round 'Extension and Adoption of Drought Resilience Farming Practices' requiring applications to align with two or more Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub regional priorities.
The coming FDF grant round 'Long Term Trials of Drought Resilient Farming Practices' may also require applications to align with Hub priorities.
The SW WA Hub priorities can be viewed on the Hub webpage.
Long-term trials grant round to open soon
The FDF is set to release a new grant program early this year that will support long-term trials to build the drought resilience and profitability of cropping and grazing farmers.
The $40 million program will invest in trials until 2027-28 that test drought resilience practices and produce robust data on their effectiveness, so farmers can be confident to try it themselves.
Head to the Australian Government Community Grants Hub for more information.
DR.SAT updated to help more farmers
The Future Drought Fund’s Drought Resilience Self-Assessment Tool (DR.SAT) has been updated with new functionality after consultation across Australia’s agricultural regions.
Improvements to the free tool include easier farm boundary mapping, access to practical examples of tried and tested drought resilience strategies (to help tailor your own farm business solutions) without needing to log into the tool, and environmental resilience content that covers more commodities and regions.
Access commodity and region coverage maps here.
DR.SAT users can access:
- Farm-specific satellite imagery and remote sensing data covering past and current landscape conditions. The latest updates include ‘vegetation cover’ (fractional cover) data and 3D terrain view modelling.
- Climate projections for their farm for 2030 and 2050.
- Self-assessments for whole-of-farm strategic planning, including environmental, financial, and personal and social signals.
- Links to more resources to help prepare for and adapt to a more volatile climate.
Assess your farm’s resilience at: drsat.com.au
Want to help shape the future of the tool? Register now to take part in focus groups in early 2023: help@drsat.com.au
Find out about Future Drought Fund
The Future Drought Fund (FDF) provides secure, continuous funding for drought resilience initiatives and will help Australian farmers and communities prepare for the impacts of drought.
