Good decisions are central to drought preparedness. During dry seasons, farmers are often making complex choices under pressure, including decisions about feed, water, stocking rates, sowing, business risk and family wellbeing. Through the Barwon and Great South Coast Regional Drought Resilience Plans, Southern Farming Systems worked with Cam Nicholson from [...]
Cropping farmers are no strangers to uncertainty. Every year they face climatic and market challenges while running complex businesses across some of Australia's most productive agricultural land. Now the Wimmera Southern Mallee is facing a different kind of uncertainty, as renewable energy companies identify its landscape as suitable for large-scale [...]
Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority delivered 4 Occasional Counsellor workshops across the Goulburn region as part of the Regional Drought Resilience Planning program. As the name suggests, the workshops were designed to strengthen the skills of natural resource management practitioners who are not employed in counselling roles, but who often [...]
In early 2025 Harrow and District was dry, paddocks were bare and the community were facing another season in one of their worst droughts in decades. Despite these challenges a dozen locals signed up for a new We’re Better Together Partnership aimed at bringing people together to build resilience and [...]
In February 2025, the Gippsland Drought Resilience Plan took a bold step forward with the launch of the Digging Deeper – Ag Chats with Al podcast at the Gippsland Red Meat Conference. Designed by farmers for farmers, this initiative has become a cornerstone of the region’s agricultural communications strategy, offering timely and [...]
The first part of the Regional Drought Resilience Planning (RDRP) program was building plans – Regional Drought Resilience Plans. The Plans articulate the themes and actions of each region to build social, economic and environmental resilience to drought. Plans were built by each region for that region, to ensure they represented local priorities, experiences and perspectives. Agriculture Victoria, through our excellent Regional Leaders, facilitated a collaborative approach through Regional Reference [...]
Announced in 2018, the Future Drought Fund (FDF) is a $5 billion drought resilience initiative of the Australian Government to support Australian farms and communities to prepare for and build resilience to the impacts of drought. There is $100 million per year allocated to drought resilience programs through the FDF, with Phase One kicking off in 2020 through the Drought Resilience Funding Plan 2020 to 2024. There [...]
The Victorian Regional Drought Resilience Planning (RDRP) program began in 2020 with a pilot program, and over the last 5 years has delivered 9 Regional Drought Resilience Plans and $3.42 million in regional Implementation Grants. Co-funded by the Victoria Government and the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund (FDF), the RDRP program has delivered across all 9 regions of Victoria (with the exception of metro and peri-urban Melbourne). Victoria [...]
The experience of drought is far more complex than a simple lack of rain and growing of crops. Equally, building resilience to drought is complex and not a one-size-fits-all challenge. Victoria’s 9 Regional Drought Resilience Plans highlight the different priorities and actions needed based on each region’s unique social, economic [...]
As climate variability and drought risks intensify, Gippsland farmers are stepping up to lead the charge toward resilience. In Autumn 2025, 20 producers representing the wool, beef, dairy, sheep, and poultry sectors embarked on the Gippsland Farm Study Tour - a 5-day immersive experience through northern New South Wales. This [...]
