The latest news, events and opportunities from the SW WA Hub
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Welcome from the Director
Welcome to the August edition of the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (SW WA Hub) newsletter.
As we move through the year, it’s encouraging to see so many innovative projects and opportunities taking shape across our region. This month’s newsletter highlights the breadth of work underway and the partnerships driving it forward.
Two Future Drought Fund (FDF) grant rounds are now open. The Hub can support consortium partners and GGA members with introductions and high-level advice. See details below for both the Innovation Challenges Pilot and the Strengthening Drought Resilience on Country Program.
At Forum25, our Hub breakfast focused on co-design in agriculture. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this important conversation. Your insights are critical to ensuring projects are designed with, not just for, communities.
We’re also pleased to share findings from Farmanco’s project on integrating renewable energy into farming businesses, which was supported by the Hub. This study highlights the potential of business diversification in building economic, social and environmental resilience, and you can explore the results in Farm Weekly (subscription required) or our Dry Season Resources podcast.
Looking ahead, September field days will showcase the SMART SPRAYS project. This research, supported by the Hub, is trialling biopolymer technologies to improve water use efficiency in wheat production. It's an exciting opportunity to see innovation in action.
Finally, we feature innovation from the brewing industry, where a new water-saving technology is just about to be trialled at Spinifex Brewing through the propaGATE program.
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.
Insights from the International Rangelands Congress
Pastoralists Alys McKeough (Carey Downs Station) and Debbie Dowden (Challa Station) share key insights and takeaways from the 2025 International Rangelands Congress, from global perspectives on rangeland management to the importance of international collaboration.
Renewables in agriculture: Why energy companies are knocking on WA farm gates
More and more WA farmers are being approached by energy companies with big ideas – and big infrastructure. But what does it all mean for your farm? Farmanco’s Kelly Ryan and Williams and Harrismith grower Mark Fowler explore why renewable energy companies are knocking on WA farm gates.
Renewables in agriculture: Are renewable energy projects worth it for WA growers?
The second episode of Farmanco’s limited podcast series, "Diversifying Farm Income: Integrating Renewable Energy into Agriculture", explores whether renewable energy projects are worth it for Western Australian growers, featuring Farmanco's Greg Easton and icubed Consulting's Fraser MacMillan.
General News
Fireside chat with Tanya Kilminster (SW WA Hub), Michelle Handley (SEPWA) and Jethro Sercombe (Third Story).
Co-design in agriculture takes centre stage at SW WA Hub Breakfast
The SW WA Hub delivered a thought-provoking stakeholder breakfast at GGA’s Forum25, exploring the practice of co-design in agricultural projects.
Guest speaker Jethro Sercombe of Third Story unpacked the realities of "imperfect co-design", prompting rich discussion about what genuine collaboration with stakeholders looks like. SEPWA CEO Michelle Handley and Hub Knowledge Broker Tanya Kilminster shared real-world insights, highlighting the challenges and rewards of designing projects with, not for, communities.
The event reinforced that while co-design isn’t always easy, it’s essential to delivering practical, locally relevant outcomes, especially in the context of building climate resilience across regional Western Australia.
Hub Projects in Focus
Enhancing water use efficiency in wheat: SMART SPRAYS Field Days
Murdoch University and the Bioplastics Innovation Hub are hosting field days for their Hub-supported project SMART SPRAYS – maximising the benefits from rainfall, showcasing biopolymer technologies to potentially improve water use efficiency in wheat production systems.
Field Day Schedule:
- Yuna/Wandana: 4 September (Contact YFIG for more information)
- Merredin: 16 September (MADFIG Spring Field Day - Register)
- Grass Patch/Esperance: 25 September (Contact SEPWA for more information)
The Yuna and Merredin sites demonstrate the use of biopolymer hydrogels applied into furrows to capture and retain water. The Grass Patch site showcases a biodegradable polymer spray applied to soil mounds to potentially reduce evaporation and improve water delivery to the furrow.
In Western Australia, broadacre crops average only 56% water use efficiency, highlighting a major opportunity to lift productivity. By improving soil water retention and the redirection of rainwater, SMART SPRAYS seeks to enhance yields and farm profitability while helping growers adapt to the region’s drying and increasingly variable climate.
FIPWA General Manager Dr Chris Vas congratulates Hydroleap’s Moh Sherafatmand and Frank Zamani on winning the PropaGATE Trial Award.
Innovation on tap: brewing industry trials new water-saving tech
Brewing a litre of beer can take up to eight litres of water and create up to five litres of wastewater. The propaGATE program set out to tackle the problem and called for global solutions, attracting more than 40 applications from over 15 countries for innovative ways to treat and reuse brewery water.
At the Innovator Showcase on 6 August at the Food Innovation Precinct WA (FIPWA), ALGAESYS (WA) won People’s Choice for its algae-based treatment system that also recovers resources like bio-methane and soil conditioners. Hydroleap (Singapore/Victoria) claimed the PropaGATE Trial Award and will pilot its next‑generation electrochemical treatment technology at Spinifex Brewing, offering a cost-effective, sustainable way to recycle water.
PropaGATE is a collaboration between Beanstalk Agtech and GGA, and receives funding from the SW WA Hub and FIPWA.
SW WA Hub backs research into climate-resilient intercropping
The SW WA Hub has awarded a bursary to UWA PhD candidate Chloe Rout to investigate the agronomic potential of intercropping canola with legumes in Western Australia’s dryland systems. Intercropping, which is the action of growing two or more crops in the same space, may have several benefits, including improved soil health, weed suppression, and reduced fertiliser reliance.
Chloe’s research will explore grower perceptions, barriers to adoption, and the productivity and profitability of intercropping through field trials and co-designed activities with grower groups across the Wheatbelt.
This project aligns with the SW WA Hub’s priorities to strengthen farming practices in a changing climate and supports the reintroduction of legumes to improve diversity in broadacre systems.
New grants program to support women in agriculture
Regional women in agriculture are set to benefit from a new grants program launched by the SW WA Hub in partnership with Women in Farming.
The Gather and Grow program will support small, locally led gatherings focused on planning for, managing, and recovering from climate challenges. Grants of $2000–$3000 are available to Women in Farming branches for events focused on resilience, from practical to social or well-being themes.
Gather and Grow aims to strengthen community connections, and share strategies for managing climate challenges. Women in Farming works to improve the efficiency, resilience and profitability of its members' businesses across South-West WA.
WA farmers gain powerful new digital platform for evaluating water security
A new digital platform is helping Western Australian farmers take the guesswork out of water infrastructure planning. The Water Evaluation Platform (WEP) enables users to choose the most effective dam infrastructure strategy, based on their local climate, budget, and water needs.
The Platform is the result of two years of research and field trials at demonstration sites and was made possible through the WaterSmart Dams – Making Dams Work Again project. Led by the Grower Group Alliance (GGA), through the SW WA Hub, this project is a collaborative effort with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), Western Australian grower groups, farmers, and the Centre for Water and Spatial Science at UWA.
Explore the Water Evaluation Platform now: https://waterevaluationplatform.app/dam/
Listen to the Dry Season Resources podcast:
Drought Hub Team Out and About
Thriving in agricultural business: reflections from the Women in Farming Seminar
What does it mean to truly thrive in agricultural business?
For the women who gathered in Albany for the Women in Farming seminar on Wednesday 20 August, the answer stretched far beyond balance sheets and business plans. The day was about building resilience through financial knowledge, supporting wellbeing, and strengthening the relationships that hold our communities together.
Soil Stories
Sustainable Solutions for Sandy Soils, West Midlands
By Bridget Watkins, South-West WA Regional Soil Coordinator
A new five-year project, funded through the Future Drought Fund’s Resilient Landscapes Program, is set to tackle the challenge of declining groundcover across WA’s sandy soils. Led by DPIRD, in partnership with Edith Cowan University, West Midlands Group, and Mingenew Irwin Group, the project aims to improve the year-round groundcover of over 50% of vulnerable land in the West Midlands region. Local farms will benefit from practical demonstrations, farm planning workshops, and tailored support, helping ensure both environmental and financial resilience.
Read more about the project and how to get involved in Bridget's latest blog post.
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.
Soil re-engineering field walk
Are you interested in deeper amelioration of duplex soils? Join the upcoming Field Walk at the DPIRD soil re-engineering R&D site in Wagin with soil researchers Gaus Azam and Glenn McDonald. Topics covered include delving, deep ripping, claying, and spading.
Location: Lime Lake East Rd, Wagin
Date and time: Wednesday 10 September, 10.00 am - 12.00pm
RSVP to DPIRD Senior Research Scientist Glenn McDonald via email at Glenn.McDonald@dpird.wa.gov.au, or via call/text at 0429 105 512.
Stay tuned for more insights on soils from the SW WA Hub with our upcoming Dry Season Resources podcast episode featuring Gaus Azam.
Equip: Helping rural communities prepare for natural disasters
Nine communities across Australia have signed up to learn how best to prepare for natural disasters under the new initiative Equip. In Western Australia, the program will be delivered in Denmark, Narrogin and Witchcliffe, which have experienced their fair share of droughts and bushfires.
The Equip project is funded by a $5 million Medical Research Future Fund grant and involves local health districts and primary health networks, the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council, Rural Fire Service, SA Drought Hub, Armidale Regional Council, Disaster Relief Australia and Meat and Livestock Australia.
Locally Relevant News from the Future Drought Fund
Build your farm's future with the Farm Business Resilience program
Farmers and pastoralists across WA can now access targeted support to strengthen their business through the Farm Business Resilience program. Delivered in partnership between the WA Government and the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, the program supports producers in dairy, aquaculture, horticulture, apiculture, broadacre, Aboriginal primary industries, and the pastoral sector.
Participants will build strategic business skills, improve risk management, and strengthen their personal ability to adapt to change. Tailored business planning and access to professional advice are also included.
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.
