Students from two WA Colleges of Agriculture (WACOA) rose to the challenge of designing innovative solutions to real-world farming issues related to Western Australia’s often hot and dry climate.
Now in its fourth year, the Climate-Smart Innovation Challenge – an initiative of the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (SW WA Hub) – encourages high school students to think creatively about the future of agriculture.
This year, sixty-six students from the Harvey and Cunderdin Colleges of Agriculture participated, tackling locally relevant problems such as improving water management and reuse, reducing bushfire risk, alleviating heat stress in dairy cows, enhancing farm-level weather information, improving nitrogen fixation, and increasing soil moisture retention.
Manager Farm Training Paul Dyson at WACOA Harvey said the challenge gave students the chance to explore rainfall and temperature trends in their local area and across the State using long-term data.
“Only with researching long-term trends could they identify issues that they will be confronted with in their lifetime and begin to think about possible solutions to these,” Mr Dyson said.
“What was evident to my students when completing the task was that the real answer lies in small changes made continually over time, by many people, to adjust to the changing weather patterns and our reliance on water.
“The students soon discovered that there was no ‘silver bullet’ approach that would be an easy fix. It was about raising awareness across all sectors and making a difference where you could.”
Cunderdin science teacher Kate Strong said the challenge helped her Year 11 Plant Production Systems students understand the greater impact that agriculture can have on the environment, and how one can be innovative to make things better and more sustainable.
“Often I find that the students get overwhelmed by the thought of being innovative, but when they are given the opportunity to apply their creativity and in-class learning to real-world problem solving, the innovations become truly inspiring,” Ms Strong said.
Participants were asked to demonstrate their understanding of climate-related issues in agriculture in their local area, research existing solutions, identify key gaps, and propose innovative approaches that farmers could adopt.
First prize at WACOA Harvey went to Maggie Kilrain for her ‘Cow to Crop’ project.
“It uses the dairy effluent water in our undercover horticultural system, reusing water from the dairy to grow plants that can either be used to feed dairy cows or, in a very extensive situation, be used to grow food for people,” Miss Kilrain explained.
Miss Kilrain said that the Climate-Smart Innovation Challenge made her think about the many ways there are to mitigate dry seasons in South-West Western Australia.
“It’s good to see that there are ways to slow [drought] down and make a change. That’s why I took on this challenge,” she said.
The project by WACOA Cunderdin students Darrius Sutherland and Ethan Glass explored the potential of genetically modifying crops to develop longer root systems, enabling plants to access water and nutrients deeper in the soil.
“It was really enjoyable to compete against our classmates in a challenge about agriculture, which is what we do,” Mr Sutherland said.
“It was really good to try and figure out some new ideas – something that’s new and innovative that could work and help improve the future.”
SW WA Hub Knowledge Broker Tanya Kilminster has been working in partnership with the WA Colleges of Agriculture on this initiative since 2022.
“The Climate-Smart Innovation Challenge is designed for students to step into the role of innovators – identifying issues that matter to farmers and communities, and developing creative, practical solutions that could make a real difference,” she said.
“Students have shown curiosity, problem-solving, and teamwork, and reminded us that the next generation is already thinking deeply about how to shape the future of WA agriculture.
“As Knowledge Broker, I have the privilege of helping connect ideas to action, and I can confidently say, the students’ ideas have real potential.
“Whether it’s new technology, adapted practices, or completely fresh thinking, they have demonstrated what is possible when we combine local knowledge with creativity and purpose.”
The Climate-Smart Innovation Challenge will return in 2026, inviting participation from all WA Colleges of Agriculture.
Led by the Grower Group Alliance and funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, the SW WA Hub is committed to fostering agricultural innovation and collaboration. By integrating programs like this challenge into schools, the Hub is equipping the next generation of agricultural professionals with the tools and knowledge to build resilience and sustainability in farming.
