The South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (SW WA Hub) is opening a small grants program to its Hub Consortium Partners to the value of up to $1m for transformational projects that lead to improved drought resilience within Western Australia’s agricultural systems.
The SW WA Hub, led by the Grower Group Alliance and funded by the Australian Government’s $5 billion Future Drought Fund (FDF) program, aims to improve the drought resilience and preparedness of local farmers and their communities, and foster agricultural innovation.
Led by the SW WA Hub with funding from the FDF, the Hub’s Transformational Projects Program (the Program) is seeking expressions of interest for projects that aim to transform current agricultural systems and address drought and climate challenges.
SW WA Hub Director Mark Holland acknowledged transformational change has more complex barriers than those faced when making incremental changes.
“The Program aims to bridge the gap between adapting existing systems and implementing transformational change to address drought and climate resilience,” he said.
The Future Drought Fund Drought Resilience Funding Plan (2020 – 2024) recognises that building drought resilience may require farmers and communities to make incremental, transitional, and transformational changes.
“True transformational change can take years to develop and implement and can involve developing a range of capabilities and new knowledge utilising many stages,” he said.
“Given the project timeline the SW WA Hub does not expect the final development of transformational products or solutions.
“Having said that, successful projects will be defined as the development of new or additional knowledge, processes or capabilities that ultimately enable a body of work to contribute to transformational change for an agricultural system or systems,” he said.
Hub Partners are encouraged to partner with industry (growers, grower groups or commercial organisations) to investigate drought and climate resilience challenges and to co-design projects.
Projects may include desk top analysis, proof-of-concept feasibility, prototype, applied research and case studies, and must align with the SW WA Hub list of regional priorities and address a significant climate challenge for the Hub region.
For further information, contact Tanya Kilminster SW WA Hub Knowledge Broker tkilminster@gga.org.au.
– ENDS –
Contact
Tanya Kilminster Knowledge Broker – South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub
0427 469 038
