Drought Hub
The Vision: Thriving producers and communities adapting to our variable environment
MADFIG hosts a local Drought Hub Node Lead, funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund (FDF).
There are eight Hubs across Australia and only one in WA, the South-West Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (SW WA Hub) led by the Grower Group Alliance (GGA).
Want to know more? Email droughthub@madfig.com.au
Latest News
New Drought Hub projects set to transform agricultural practices
Six 18-month transformational agricultural projects have commenced in Western Australia after grants worth $1 million were awarded by the South‐West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (SW WA Hub).
The SW WA Hub, led by the Grower Group Alliance and funded by the Australian Government’s $5 billion Future Drought Fund program, aims to improve the drought resilience and preparedness of local farmers and their communities and foster agricultural innovation.
More information about the transformational projects are available on the SW WA Hub website.
Become a changemaker
The Merredin Changemaker Workshop hosted by Australian Rural Leadership Foundation is coming up, for more information and tickets visit here.
Invitation to Participate in the “Farm to Port Research Project”
The University of Western Australia’s (UWA) Farm to Port research team is inviting you to participate in their research project titled Farm to Port: An Optimisation Model to Navigate Heterogeneous Agent Interactions in Agri-food Supply Chains. With the information gathered from the survey, UWA’s research team can estimate the importance of factors relevant to the grain supply chain, including transport and storage considerations.
Please click here to access the survey and contribute your insights and experiences to our research.
Resources
Kondinin Group Drought Info Reports
The Kondinin Group Drought Info reports are a good long-term resource for farmers. A new report is released each month.
Soil Quality eBook series
A digital soil quality book series digs up soil information and data from across Western Australia, providing real world context to some of the science underpinning management of soils, making the ebook accessible to everyone from farmers to agricultural professionals, researchers, and students. The series, available for free from Apple Books, is published by SoilsWest – an alliance between the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and Western Australian universities.
Grower Group Alliance Youtube Channel
Check out the Grower Group Allicance Youtube channel. Uploading new content each month, we recommend checking out the Grant Thompson video preparing for season 2024!
Loans to manage drought
The Regional Investment Corporation is offering Farming Enterprises lower cost loans to manage drought. Funds can be sourced for preparing, managing through and recovering from drought.
Helpful Links
Reports
Situational analyses and priority project topics
The SW WA Hub has produced the following situational analyses for the Wheatbelt. You can view this document here.
The priority project list for the Wheatbelt can be viewed here.
Both the situational analyses and priority project topic lists are draft, ‘living’ documents. To view the documents for all four agro-ecological zones or ensure you are viewing the most current document, please visit the Growers Group Alliance Drought Hub page here.
Read monthly reports on drought and related issues prepared by Kondinin Group Researchers here.
View GRDC resources here.
Farming in the Eastern Wheatbelt Podcast
The “Farming in the Eastern Wheatbelt” series let’s you listen and learn about projects in our region that benefit producers and communities.
Our first episode is with Meg Gethin (MADFIG’s Node Lead) and Tanya Kilminster (Knowledge Broker), discussing the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub, their own experiences farming in the Eastern Wheatbelt, and examining why the Future Drought Fund Program is vitally important for our state and region’s future.
In our second episode, Dr Richard George from the WaterSmart Farming team speaks about the project and how reviewing past research can provide insights into a better future with new knowledge and technologies.
Dry Season Resources Podcast
MADFIG hosts the Drought Hub Node Lead for the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub dunded by the National Future Drought Fund. The Drought Hub is dedicated to sharing information that supports growers in preparing for, and responding to, dry seasons.
In this limited podcast series, hear from growers and industry experts on managing dry season responses, ranging from early planning to tactical decision-making as the season changes throughout the year and setting up for the following season.
Madfig Hub Newsletters
South West Hub Newsletters
To receive project updates and details of upcoming Hub events, sign up to the Hub newsletter on the
Growers Group Alliance Drought Hub page here.