Drought

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Pip Grant

WHY RIVERINE PLAINS IS HELPING FARMERS PREPARE FOR THE CHALLENGES OF DROUGHT

Agriculture is the backbone of many rural communities in the Riverine Plains.

Drought can dramatically reduce farm income and if farm businesses are not thriving, there’s likely to be negative impacts on other businesses in the community.

While we cannot change the weather, Riverine Plains can help farmers and the community be more prepared for extreme climate events such as drought. Our aim is to share information and knowledge with our members and the community about the ways that producers can manage their business and production risk, their assets and their cash flow.

The aim is to ensure farming business have planned for drought with contingencies, so they are less impacted and can recover more quickly.

Community is especially important during tough times. Riverine Plains’ program of events and project activities aims to help farmers share knowledge, build capacity and create connections. Our goal is to help build resilience and improve support networks for individuals, families and businesses during drought.

Through our involvement in the Victoria and southern NSW Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hubs, Riverine Plains is undertaking a number of livestock and grains-related projects that support farmers and communities to prepare for drought.

Research highlights

As part of the Enhancing Community Networks for Drought Resilience in the Riverine Plains project, Riverine Plains hosted nearly 30 workshops across southern NSW and north-east Victoria to connect primary producers, landholders and Indigenous custodians. The workshops were designed to build capacity, share knowledge and help improve community resilience to future drought and climate challenges.
Building Livestock Drought Resilience by Discovering Stock Containment Innovations was a project that ran through the Victorian Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub. It created a business case for the investment in stock containment areas and identified current barriers to adoption.

Victorian drought resilience adoption and innovation hub

The Vic Drought Hub is delivering innovations to enable Victorian farmers and communities to become more drought resilient, and to better respond to a changing climate.

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OUR DROUGHT PROJECTS

Our projects are helping farmers prepare for and better manage future droughts, improving resilience and sustainability in the long-term.

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On farm water management planning

Encouraging and supporting landholders to develop farm water management plans through workshops and demonstrations.
Helping regional communities prepare for drought

We are strengthening drought preparedness through community events, leadership training, and innovative initiatives. Be part of the change, build connections, and shape a sustainable future together.
Small farm dam suitability assessment

Understanding the suitability of existing farm dams to capture run-off from rain events can help farmers improve their drought resilience.
Redesign of broadacre farming systems of SE Australia

With the threat of drought ever-present in the Australian landscape, researchers are investigating a range of different strategies to improve drought resilience in farming systems.
Vic Drought Hub

Collaborating with farmers, industry, and researchers, we are pioneering solutions to bolster drought resilience.
Southern NSW Drought Hub

Farmers, industry professionals, and researchers are delivering innovations to enable farmers and communities to become more drought resilient and to better respond to a changing climate.
Saving soil during drought

Soil is a major natural asset in farming, which needs to be protected from damage by livestock during drought. This project investigates how stock containment areas can be used to protect soils, ensuring productivity and long-term sustainability of farm businesses.
Drought resilience practices in mixed farming systems

Helping farmers with containment feeding strategies, trigger points, monitoring tools, and dual-purpose crops.
Understanding electronic identification technology

Using eID technology to help farmers collect information and make better decisions.
Building livestock drought resilience by discovering stock containment innovations

Understanding the barriers to using stock containment areas in times of drought.