Helping regional communities prepare for drought

WHY THIS PROJECT IS NEEDED

Regional communities are generally accepting of the need to prepare and plan for future droughts and other adverse climatic events.

After several good seasons in the Riverine Plains region, farmers and the wider community were open to discussing how resources can be applied to prepare for, and manage, future droughts.

Riverine Plains led the ‘Helping regional communities prepare for drought – Goulburn Coordination’ project, to support communities in establishing strategies to better manage their response to drought. This project was delivered for the Goulburn Region through the Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative – Community Impact Program.

This project follows on from the success of the Enhancing community networks project for drought resilience project, delivered by Riverine Plains from 2021–2022. 

In short: This project aimed to enhance drought preparedness in Victoria’s Goulburn region through community events, leadership training, and support for local initiatives. The project fostered social connections and resilience, while promoting awareness and action on drought and climate change.

The project

This project aimed to strengthen drought preparedness and drive local action in the Goulburn region through the coordination of Community Impact Program activities and evaluation.

The project brought together three non-for-profit community groups in the Goulburn region of Victoria to plan a series of community events to increase social connection and help prepare for future drought.

These events included an Indigenous Festival, Riverine Plains Ladies Luncheon, Secondary Schools Program, Citizen Science and the Riverine Plains Youth in Ag Program.

This project supported communities to identify and adopt innovative and transformative ways to build drought resilience and promote a change in awareness of and attitudes to drought preparedness.

This project also specifically supported the Riverine Plains Innovation Expo to build the depth of social connection in the region and increase skills, knowledge and understanding of the risks posed by drought and climate change.

Leadership training

The project also had a role in developing the reach and activities of community leaders, mentors, networks, and organisations driving action on drought resilience. As part of this, the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLF) conducted leadership training for community members in the Goulburn and Murray regions wanting to play a more active role in the community. The ARLF Changemaker workshop series including leadership workshops at Finley, Dookie and Euroa during early 2024, which helped participants explore how to make change in their community, start community conversations and shape the future of their community. 

Collaborations

Riverine Plains was also part of the Murray Community Impact project, led by Holbrook Landcare, and is involved in both the Victorian and Southern NSW Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hubs. This project helped to connect the Hubs to the wider community.