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Welcome to the November update for the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (SW WA Hub).
Did you know new Future Drought Fund (FDF) grants worth up to $3 million each are on offer? If you are interested in applying, read on to find out how the Hub can provide assistance to applicants and register for an information webinar on November 22.
In other news, the SW WA Hub is seeking Expressions of Interest for student bursaries focused on extension and adoption. Scroll down to find out more.
Please feel free to forward this monthly newsletter to colleagues, friends or clients.
Hub offering assistance to grant applicants
The SW WA Hub is offering practical assistance to potential applicants for grants worth up to $3 million each which are aimed at driving large-scale farmer adoption of drought resilience practices and technologies.
Those considering applying for the recently announced $14.3m FDF Extension and Adoption of Drought Resilience Farming Practices grant round are urged to contact the SW WA Hub to maximise their opportunities for success.
Caption: Extension and adoption is a focus for SW WA Hub bursaries available to university students.
Bursaries on offer for university students
WA university students are encouraged to apply for SW WA Hub bursaries worth up to $8000 each.
The Hub seeks Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for bursaries that are focused on extension and adoption activities that will increase the drought resilience of primary producers.
GGA Innovation Manager snaphot
Meet GGA's Innovation Manager Jo Wisdom who is collaborating on innovative initiatives such as a project using technology to monitor the impact of cover crops on water in vineyards.
This project is funded by the Australian Government’s Agricultural Innovation Hubs Program, with support from The University of WA (UWA), and was initiated through the SW WA Hub. Led by UWA, it also involves Wines of WA, the Agricultural Produce Commission, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and AxisTech. It is one of 10 local innovation projects
resulting from the Hub's reinvestment of $2.5 million provided by the Australian Government to allow it to expand its remit beyond drought to include agricultural innovation.
Dr Wisdom's appointment was also facilitated by this Australian Government investment as well as funding from AgriFutures Australia. In her role, she aims to increase innovation uptake by producers, stimulate collaboration and increase commercialisation outcomes. Find out more about Dr Wisdom on the GGA staff bio page.
Drought resilience tools updated
Two online tools that give farmers crucial drought and climate information specific to their farms have been upgraded following consultation across eight agricultural regions.
The FDF’s Drought Resilience Self-Assessment Tool (DR.SAT) and Climate Services for Agriculture (CSA) platform have been updated with new functionality.
Improvements to the tools include new climate insights, more commodities, and region-specific forecasts for CSA and more commodities and regions in DR.SAT.
Assess your farm’s resilience via DR.SAT here.
See the potential impact of climate variability on your farm via CSA here.
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.
To receive regular email updates directly from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, subscribe via the ‘Have your say’ webpage.
