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Tropical North Queensland Drought Hub Director, Professor David Phelps said the new grant funding initiative was open to organisations throughout northern Queensland who had capacity to deliver projects that would improve drought resilience for farms and communities where agriculture is a strong contributor to the economy and society.
“We were looking for great ideas from community groups, not-for-profits, primary producers, and agribusiness that would help the agricultural sector and communities become more drought and climate resilient,” said Prof Phelps.
“The projects needed to demonstrate tangible benefits in implementing or accelerating the adoption of new technologies, knowledge sharing, and enhancing the capacity for farms and communities to adopt and sustain these practices and programs.”
Prof Phelps said the rigorous assessment process took into consideration the needs and challenges faced by each grant recipient, with funding awarded to James Cook University (JCU), Gulf Savannah Natural Resource Management (NRM), Southern Gulf Natural Resource Management (NRM) and Terrain Natural Resource Management (NRM).
Recipients were also required to commit to a co-contribution towards the project.
“James Cook University will evaluate the drivers of bare soil and use their insight to inform land management strategies and rehabilitation approaches. This research will improve productivity and profitability for farmers whilst minimising environmental impacts,” said Prof Phelps.
“Gulf Savannah NRM will investigate the adoption of silvopastoral systems, which integrates tree growing with the production of livestock as a drought-resilience strategy. This system offers alternative animal feed sources and provides income diversification for farming enterprises, which is key in the face of drought.
“Southern Gulf NRM will develop a satellite-based water mapping tool to help landholders plan future water infrastructure improvements. This tool aims to reduce dependency on farm dams, which are often unreliable sources of water, and transition to a more dependable piped water supply that enables landholders to effectively manage water resources.
“Terrain NRM will showcase their innovative soil technology that improves pasture quality, fertility and resilience. In collaboration with a local dairy farmer, they will demonstrate its capabilities next year, where they hope to encourage farmers to adopt the technology.”
The projects are due for completion by June 2024, and Prof Phelps said they expect the outcomes to have long lasting benefits.
“The TNQ Drought Hub leads a regional, collaborative approach with northern Queensland stakeholders to support the agricultural sector, but we are also strongly connected with the other Future Drought Fund Drought Resilience adoption and Innovation Hubs throughout Australia,” he said.
“This enables us to share knowledge about the latest innovations and technology in agriculture and farming, and we’re very much looking forward to analysing the outcomes of these projects and bolstering northern Queensland’s resilience to drought and climate variability.”
| Lead Organisation | Project Title | Funding Amount (exe GST) |
|---|---|---|
|
Gulf Savannah |
Exploring perceptions and best practice adoption of silvopastoral systems as a strategy for drought resilience in the Northern Gulf |
$100,000 |
|
James Cook University |
Evaluating the drivers of persistent bare soil in the Southern Gulf to inform rehabilitation and build drought resilience |
$99,967 |
|
Southern Gulf NRM |
Satellite based water analysis and drought planning in northwest Qld |
$79,000 |
|
Terrain Natural Resource Management |
Building drought resilience and feed capacity of pastures in North Queensland |
$50,669 |
For more information about the projects, visit the grants page.
