The latest news, events and opportunities from the SW WA Hub
No images? Click here
Welcome from the Director
Welcome to the September edition of the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (SW WA Hub) newsletter.
It has been another busy and rewarding month at the SW WA Hub, with plenty of activity highlighting the value of collaboration and innovation in building drought resilience across our region.
Two Future Drought Fund grant rounds are now open: the Drought Resilience Innovation Challenges Pilot Program and Strengthening Drought Resilience on Country. The Hub team is collaborating with stakeholders to develop project ideas, and we welcome conversations with anyone interested in applying or exploring how their ideas might align with these opportunities.
This newsletter also features two new podcast episodes. Farmanco’s final episode in their renewables series looks at how regional communities can stay ahead of the renewable energy curve, while our own Sandy Soils series begins with highlights from the 2025 Sandy Soils Conference.
Earlier this month, our study tour to Victoria and Tasmania gave a group of WA farmers, researchers and agronomists valuable insights into practical approaches to climate adaptation, ranging from water-efficient vineyards, multispecies pastures and robotic dairies to agrivoltaics, virtual fencing and technology-driven horticulture.
Closer to home, field days in the Mid West, Wheatbelt and Great Southern showcased Hub-supported projects, including innovative biopolymer sprays to improve water efficiency in wheat, and place-based methods, led by ECU and Maaman Marra Boodjar, to rehydrate landscapes.
Finally, we’re pleased to celebrate bursary student Huyen Pham’s acceptance into Beanstalk Agtech's Drought Resilience Lab. This is a recognition of her exciting research into root traits that can improve crop resilience.
I hope you enjoy this month’s stories. If this newsletter was forwarded to you, why not subscribe to receive the SW WA Hub’s latest updates, events, and opportunities directly in your inbox?
Kind regards,
Dr Jo Wisdom | Hub Director
South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub
FDF Funding Opportunities
FDF Grants: Innovation Challenges and Drought Resilience on Country
Two Future Drought Fund (FDF) grant rounds are currently open. As per previous grant rounds related to drought and climate resilience, the SW WA Hub can assist Hub consortium partners and GGA members by facilitating introductions to interested parties in the industry, and providing high-level advice on how to best meet the grant criteria. Find the relevant contact details below for each grant opportunity.
Drought Resilience Innovation Challenges Pilot Program
The Innovation Challenges Pilot grant round offers $20 million over three years to support transformative, challenge-based solutions that strengthen drought and climate resilience across Australia’s agricultural sector. Projects will address one or more of the following innovation challenges:
- Advancing Natural Capital and Biodiversity for Drought Preparedness and Resilience
- Innovating Water Management for Enhanced Drought Resilience in Australian Agriculture
- Enhancing Community Resilience to Drought in Agricultural Regions
Applications close 22 October 2025.
Hub contact: Innovation Specialist and Broker, Doug Hamilton douglas.hamilton@gga.org.au | 0427 741 775
Strengthening Drought Resilience on Country
First Nations businesses, organisations or consortia (with a First Nations lead) are invited to apply for the Strengthening Drought Resilience on Country Program grant opportunity to build drought and climate resilience in partnership with First Nations peoples.
The program will run from 2025–26 to 2027–28, with $12 million available to support up to six First Nations businesses and organisations as Delivery Partners.
Applications close 16 December 2025.
Hub contact: Adoption Manager, Theo Nabben: theo.nabben@gga.org.au | 0403 196 381
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.
Renewables in agriculture: How regional communities can stay ahead of the renewable energy curve
The third and last episode of Farmanco’s limited podcast series on integrating renewable energy into agriculture explores how regional communities can stay ahead of the renewable energy curve, featuring Shire of West Arthur's Vin Fordham-Lamont and Karen Harrington.
Sandy soils series: The benefits and challenges of sandy soils
We’re kicking off our Sandy Soils podcast series with Dr Stephen Davies (DPIRD) and Dr Therese McBeath (CSIRO), co-conveners of the 2025 Sandy Soils Conference in Perth. They share highlights from the conference, and dive into the key challenges shaping sandy soils management in agriculture.
General News
Highlights of the study tour to Victoria and Tasmania. Drone photo: Roberto Lujan-Rocha.
Lessons from Victoria and Tasmania on building drought resilience
In early September, the SW WA Hub took 14 West Australian farmers, researchers, and agronomists on a week-long study tour through north-central Victoria and northern Tasmania. The group gained first-hand insights into how producers and researchers are working together to build drought resilience and adapt to climate variability.
Highlights included vineyards trialling water-efficient irrigation and cover crops, livestock enterprises like Paringa Livestock using multispecies pastures and proactive drought planning, and dairy farms adopting robotics and virtual fencing to improve efficiency and welfare. Horticulture showcased AI orchard mapping, solar-integrated agrivoltaics and automation in berry production, while processors such as Greenham and Forager Foods demonstrated how sustainability standards and market innovation drive change.
The tour also emphasised the importance of networks and collaboration.
Together, the tour reinforced a key message: diversity, innovation and forward planning build resilience.
A full summary report will be available soon. Watch this space!
Hub bursary student accepted into Drought Resilience Lab
UWA PhD student and SW WA Hub bursary recipient, Huyen Pham, has been selected for the fourth cohort of innovators in the Drought Resilience Lab, led by Beanstalk Agtech and funded by the Future Drought Fund.
Over the course of 12 weeks, Huyen will work alongside 15 other innovators developing solutions in soil diagnostics, wastewater management, plant coatings, and more. Beanstalk’s Venture Builders will guide the cohort in refining their ideas, testing solutions, and preparing for scale across the agtech ecosystem.
Huyen’s project focuses on a high-throughput phenotyping platform to help plant breeders and dryland farmers quickly identify wheat lines with stronger root-soil contact under drought and acidic soils. Her PhD research, supported by the Hub bursary, investigates a natural root trait known as rhizosheath (the soil layer that sticks to plant roots after they have been physically removed from the soil), which helps wheat access water and nutrients more efficiently, especially under dry conditions.
Hub Projects in Focus
SMART SPRAYS demonstration at MADFIG Spring Field Day, 16 September. Photo: Murdoch University
Enhancing water use efficiency in wheat: SMART SPRAYS demos
Murdoch University and the Bioplastics Innovation Hub ran demonstrations at spring field days in Yuna, Merredin and Esperance for their Hub-supported project SMART SPRAYS – maximising the benefits from rainfall. The project is trialling innovative biopolymer technologies designed to improve water use efficiency in wheat production systems.
The trials highlighted how these materials can capture and retain water, potentially reducing evaporation losses and redirecting rainfall to where crops need it most. The demonstrations sparked plenty of discussion about the practicalities of applying these products at scale, their potential role in farming systems, and the benefits of building resilience into wheat production.
Field day showcases Aboriginal knowledge and innovation in the Wheatbelt
The Transformational Aboriginal Agricultural Methods (TAAM) project, co-led by Maaman Marra Boodjar and Edith Cowan University with support from the SW WA Hub, hosted a field day at Gimlet Ridge and Weelhamby Farms near Perenjori on Friday 5 September. The event brought together Traditional Owners, farmers, researchers, industry representatives and local agricultural college students to share knowledge and explore regenerative ways of caring for Country.
The day included a field walk with yarning sessions and presentations from the project team. Clint Hansen (Maaman Marra Boodjar) shared his work installing leaky weirs designed to slow water flow and rehydrate the landscape. Built from locally sourced rock, soil, and logs, the weirs are already visibly helping to restore hydrology, reduce erosion, and improve soil health, showing how simple, place-based interventions can heal land, retain water, and support climate resilience in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt.
New WaterSmart Dams resources now available
Over the past three and a half years, the WaterSmart Dams project has been driving innovation to improve on-farm water security across Western Australia. Funded by the Future Drought Fund and the Western Australian state government’s Agriculture Climate Resilience Fund, and with the SW WA Hub as a project partner, the initiative has delivered practical tools and insights for growers.
A major milestone has been the launch of the Water Evaluation Platform (WEP), a free online tool that helps farmers model dam performance, optimise designs, and assess water security options: waterevaluationplatform.app/dam.
To complement WEP, several new resources are now available. A project video showcases farmer experiences and learnings (watch here). UWA’s Centre for Water and Spatial Sciences has published technical case studies of the technologies trialled (view here). Upcoming farmer-focused case studies will further highlight practical outcomes and on-ground experiences. Stay tuned!
Drought Hub Team Out and About
Electrify Ag 2025: powering rural WA’s clean energy future
Electrify Ag 2025, organised by GGA member group AgZero, at Technology Park, Bentley last month explored how rural Western Australia can embrace the opportunities of a clean energy economy.
Several GGA and SW WA Hub partners were involved, including Rob Sands (Farmanco), who highlighted findings from the Hub-funded project Integrating Renewable Energy into Agriculture, addressing both the opportunities and challenges renewable projects pose for farming businesses and local communities.
Regional Nodes
Drone mapping photo: Stirlings to Coast Farmers
The SW WA Hub’s Great Southern and South Coast Node, Stirlings to Coast Farmers (SCF), is partnering with neighbouring grower groups to deliver ‘mini projects’ that build on local drought resilience priorities and respond directly to farmer needs.
One project, Mapping summer weeds using drones to reduce on-farm water use, labour, and chemical costs, tested the efficiency of using drone imagery for targeted ground spraying. Early results show it is possible to save both water and costs, compared to blanket spraying.
Stay tuned for SCF’s full case study, which will share further insights from this project.
Soil Stories
Soil questions front and centre at Dowerin
By Bridget Watkins, South-West WA Regional Soil Coordinator
What’s top of mind for growers when it comes to soils? At this year’s Dowerin Field Days, the SoilsWest team put the question directly to farmers: “What do you need to know about plant and soil nutrition?”
Topics of interest were diverse and reflected the range of complex scenarios farmers are facing throughout the growing regions. In soil health and nutrient management, growers had queries about nitrogen strategies, sulfur requirements in canola, deep potassium placement, trace elements and the role of cation exchange capacity (CEC) in nutrient retention. With crop selection and rotation, growers were interested in drought resistant varieties, legumes, pest and disease management and impacts on soil biology.
The Regional Soil Coordinator project provides opportunities for researchers, primary producers and community groups to collaborate and share knowledge related to soil health and management. This project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program under the Natural Heritage Trust. The project is led by the SW WA Hub, partnering with SoilsWest at Murdoch University.
Relevant News, Events and Resources
Photo: Debbie Dowden
Case Studies: Southern Rangelands Revitalisation Program
Seven case studies showcase the inspiring innovations of WA pastoralists who have participated in the Southern Rangelands Revitalisation Program, led by DPIRD and funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the WA State Government’s Climate Resilience Fund.
The case studies show how pastoralists can tackle challenges to build prosperous, drought resilient and sustainable stations.
Locally Relevant News from the Future Drought Fund
Photo: Nuffield Australia
Five Nuffield Drought Resilience Scholars announced for 2026
A new cohort of five Nuffield Drought Resilience Scholars will help further research into drought resilience, fostering Australia’s commitment to climate-smart agriculture and international collaboration in addressing drought challenges.
The scholarships have been awarded under the Drought Resilience Scholarship Program, a partnership between the Future Drought Fund (FDF) and Nuffield Australia.
In Western Australia, Blythe Calnan will investigate how stock handling can build resilience in people, animals, businesses and landscapes.
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.
