South-West WA Hub Update

February 2026

Dry Season Resources

Dry Season Resources podcast

Find the latest episodes of the SW WA Hub's Dry Season Resources podcast below. Be sure to subscribe on your favourite podcast platform to never miss an episode. 

Have feedback or suggestions?

If you have ideas for topics we could cover, we’d love to hear from you.
Email us at swwadroughthub@gga.org.au.

General News

Bursaries available for drought resilience research

Are you a PhD or master’s student looking to make a real impact on agriculture? Or know someone who is?

The SW WA Hub is offering a small number of bursaries of $5,000 to $25,000 to support students to include an extension component in their drought resilience research in 2025/26-2026/27.

This is a fantastic opportunity to integrate practical extension activities into your research while contributing to drought resilience and on-the-ground change in WA agriculture.

Find out more about the bursary program.

Who can apply?

• Enrolled in a PhD or MSc at Murdoch University, UWA, ECU or Curtin University,
• Able to complete the extension component by 30 April 2027,
• Research aligned with drought resilience priorities.

How to apply

Submit an expression of interest through our online form. Applications close 30 April. 

Upcoming Hub Events

Agricultural natural capital as an asset class webinar – 12 March

There is growing interest in how natural capital – like the plants, animals, air, water, soil, and minerals on the land – can be recognised and valued as an asset. However, there is limited shared understanding of how these opportunities can be practically designed, governed, and scaled within Australian agricultural landscapes. 

Through a project supported by the Hub, the University of Western Australia (UWA) explored the barriers and opportunities for agricultural natural capital to function as a viable asset class. The focus was on understanding how producers, Aboriginal corporations, investors, and regional organisations can be better aligned to enable investable, place-based natural capital outcomes that support both environmental uplift and farm resilience.

Join our webinar with project leads Associate Professor Ram Pandit (UWA) and Tom Picton-Warlow (MobileGlobal) to learn more about the outcomes of this project.

Date: 12 March 2026
Time: 12.00 pm – 12.45 pm
Location: Online (MS Teams)

Early Insights for Resilient Communities workshops – 23 March to 23 April

Rural, regional and remote communities can experience rapid shifts in resilience during and after events like drought, bushfire, flood, storms, or economic shocks. Yet, community leaders often lack timely data to guide decisions – relying instead on anecdotal evidence.

The Early Insights for More Resilient Communities project addresses this gap by providing up-to-date, localised data to help communities track resilience over time and identify early warning signs of stress.

Anyone working in rural communities across agriculture, health, finance, land management, disaster recovery, and more is invited to join a free workshop to help shape a national dashboard tracking resilience where it matters most. With your input, the dashboard will be designed to utilise data and indicators that are relevant to your region and community.

Busselton 23 March | Albany 24 March | Esperance 25 March | Kalgoorlie 26 March | Merredin 27 March | Moora 20 April | Geraldton 21 April | Carnarvon 22 April | Karratha 23 April

Transformative Aboriginal Agricultural Methods webinar – 26 March

The Hub-supported Transformative Aboriginal Agricultural Methods project explored how Aboriginal knowledge and regenerative farming systems can work together to build drought resilience in contemporary broadacre farming.

Co-led by the Centre for People, Place, and Planet at Edith Cowan University (ECU) and Maaman Marra Boodjar (MMB), this 18-month pilot project aimed to generate practical, evidence-based insights into combining cultural knowledge with modern farming systems to restore soil function, slow water loss, and support long-term farm resilience. 

Join our webinar with Clint Hansen (MMB), Associate Professor David Blake (ECU) and Professor Janine Joyce (ECU) to learn more about this place-based collaboration.

Date: 26 March 2026
Time: 12.00 pm – 12.45 pm
Location: Online (MS Teams)

Investigation of methane emissions from farm dams webinar – 1 April

This webinar will feature insights from two GGA-led projects exploring methane emissions from farm dams in Western Australia and nationally, and the broader opportunities to improve water quality, biodiversity, and on-farm climate resilience.

Bonny Stutsel (DPIRD) will share the practical realities of measuring methane emissions from farm dams in real-world farming environments, including the challenges and complexities of field monitoring. These insights come from the Hub-supported project Preliminary Investigation of Methane Emissions from Farm Dams in Western Australia.

Martino E. Malerba (RMIT University) will provide a broader overview of methane emissions from farm dams, why they matter for Australian agriculture, and what growers should consider when managing emissions alongside productivity and environmental outcomes. He will also highlight the role of The Ripple Effect project in supporting knowledge sharing, collaboration, and extension activities to drive adoption of innovative practices.

Date: 1 April 2026
Time: 12.00 pm – 12.45 pm
Location: Online (MS Teams)

Vitivoltaics in the Valley returns on 22 April with trial results

A first‑of‑its‑kind solar array in Western Australia is now operating above a commercial vineyard at Plume Estate, exploring how agrisolar can provide alternative energy options in Western Australia’s viticulture industry while maintaining high‑quality grape production.

The site is capturing soil, climate, vine, yield and quality data to model production and economic impacts. The work forms part of the University of Melbourne–led Plant Production Agrivoltaics project, funded by AgriFutures and coordinated in Western Australia by the SW WA Hub.

If you’re interested in the trial results and economic modelling behind integrating sustainable energy solutions into a viticultural operation, or you’ve heard about “agrisolar” and want to understand it better, register for our Vitivoltaics in the Valley event to tour the demonstration site and explore the concept in more depth.

Date: 22 April 2026
Time: 10.00 am – 2.30 pm
Location: Plume Estate, Bickley WA
Cost: FREE

Hub Projects in Focus

Hub Team Out and About

Sustainability front and centre at the 30th GRDC Grains Research Updates

Sustainability took centre stage at this year’s GRDC Grains Research Updates, marking 30 years of innovation in Western Australia’s grains industry.

The SW WA Hub team joined more than 900 growers, researchers and industry leaders in Perth to explore the latest insights on soil improvement, carbon management, nitrogen efficiency, automation, the growing role of grain legumes, and much more.

These themes are shaping how Western Australian grain producers adapt to a drying climate while strengthening long‑term farm and community resilience.

Read the full wrap‑up on our website to dive into the key takeaways.

Regional Nodes

Scott Wandel's catchment tarps and daisy dam cover. Photo supplied by SEPWA.

Catchment linings and dam covers to improve water reliability

As part of their Regional Node role with the SW WA Hub, the South East Premium Wheat Growers Association (SEPWA) has been awarded a small grant to demonstrate and quantify how two practical farm-scale interventions – lining dam catchments with second-hand CBH tarps and installing a daisy dam cover – improve farm water reliability by:

• increasing runoff into dams,
• reducing evaporative water losses, and
• ensuring retained water remains fit-for-purpose for crop spraying and livestock.

This project will generate locally measured evidence to support grower decision-making in the Esperance Port Zone and wider South Coast region. It is a dual-purpose demonstration combining water quantity and water quality measurements at one site, supported by a comparison dam (uncovered).

This demonstration builds on work already underway through the Community Water Supply program, with contributions from SEPWA, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER), ASHEEP &BEEF, the grower hosts, and the program.

Keep an eye out for a field day coming soon, looking at the cover in depth.

Soil Stories

L-R: Dr Tamara O'Keeffe, Project Lead, SoilsWest, Luke Dawson, Grower Relations Manager - West, Grains Research and Development Corporation, Dr Fran Hoyle, Director, SoilsWest and Peter Bird, Senior Regional Manager - West, Grains Research and Development Corporation launch Soil Quality Courses at the Grains Research Updates - Perth. Credit: Lumens Photography/GRDC

New online learning platform! Introducing Soil Quality Courses

By Bridget Watkins, Regional Soil Coordinator

Land managers, producers, researchers, advisors, students and farm workers can now access a free learning platform on soil and plant nutrition.

The SoilsWest team, in partnership with the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and Murdoch University, recently launched the Soil Quality Courses at the Grains Research Updates in Perth on 16 February 2026.

The first of three courses, Fundamental Soil and Plant Nutrition, includes content on soil formation, soil groups and classification, soil attributes, plant growth and nutrition, and on-farm assessment and monitoring. Designed to be practical and informative, the self-paced lessons are freely available online for anyone with an interest in soil.

Bridget Watkins is the South-West WA Regional Soil Coordinator (RSC). The RSC project provides opportunities for researchers, primary producers and community groups to collaborate and share knowledge related to soil health and management. The project is supported by the Australian Government's Climate-Smart Agriculture Program under the Natural Heritage Trust, and in South-West WA is led by the SW WA Hub in partnership with SoilsWest at Murdoch University.

Relevant News, Events and Resources

Workshops highlight support available through FDF Community Impact Program

Community organisations are invited to learn what resources are available to support the continued development of local preparedness for the social impacts of drought and a changing climate within the FDF’s Community Impact Program. Register today: Mount Barker (3 March), Katanning (5 March). Beverley (10 March), Mukindubin (11 March), Moora (12 March).

Join the Impact Leadership Program — Apply by 6 April

Applications are open for the Impact Leadership Program ‘First Five’, delivered by the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation with support from the Future Drought Fund. Five fully funded places (valued at $12,000 each) are available in the Wheatbelt and Coastal and Inland Great Southern region, and cover immersive learning, travel and expert coaching. Apply by 6 April.

National Mentoring Initiative: 12 months of peer connection and support

Join the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation’s National Mentoring Initiative. Bringing together mentees from agriculture-dependent communities who want to contribute to their community’s drought resilience with experienced mentors through a flexible, 12-month virtual mentoring program designed to build leadership. This initiative is part of the Future Drought Fund’s Communities Program.

Grants available for regional communities

The Foundation For Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) has a range of grants currently available to regional communities. Here's a round-up of the programs that are currently open and accepting applications:

• Strengthening Rural Communities, which is open across two streams:
  • Small & Vital for grassroots solutions to local issues. This round also includes additional funding for digital initiatives to support adults, including a targeted Larger Leverage stream, offering grants up to $50,000.
  • Prepare & Recover for resilience and recovery initiatives in climate-impacted communities.
• In a Good Place, which offers grants up to $20,000 for community-driven initiatives that strengthen mental health and wellbeing.
• FRRR ABC Heywire Youth Innovation Grants to support issues identified at the 2026 Heyire Regional Youth Summit.
• Community Led Climate Solutions, which offers up to $20,000 grants to drive local climate solutions specific to local needs.

Check out the program pages linked above for the program objectives and criteria, key dates and how to apply.

Locally Relevant News from the Future Drought Fund

Future Drought Fund 2024–25 annual report released

The Future Drought Fund 2024–25 annual report is now available. The report showcases progress in strengthening drought and climate resilience for farmers and regional communities, including:

• 42 additional regional drought resilience plans finalised, bringing the total to 57
• more than 59,000 people benefiting from leadership opportunities or locally led actions
• establishment of a First Nations Advisory Group
• over 67,000 farmers accessing training and 36,600 users engaging with the My Climate View online tool
• design and development of the inaugural First Nations targeted grant, Strengthening drought Resilience on Country
• development of a new Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Framework.

The report provides insights into how programs, like the SW WA Hub, are helping farmers and rural communities plan and respond effectively to drought and climate challenges.

Find out about the 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.