Long-term trials of drought resilient farming practices grants recipients announced
Australian farmers are set to benefit from a long-term investment by the Future Drought Fund (FDF) into innovative ways of managing drought and climate change.
The FDF is investing $38 million in a Long-term Trials of Drought Resilient Farming Practices Grants program, with grants of up to $8 million awarded to six projects across the country.
Projects will test novel farming methods in the grain cropping and livestock sectors, which account for about 60% of all farming businesses.
The trials will run across different landscapes, production systems and seasons until 2029, building a solid evidence base that will give farmers the information and confidence needed to try the practices themselves.
Associate Professor Rhiannon Schilling is leading the implementation of the Flinders University and South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) long-term trials project on improving the climate resilience of SA farms and will be working with 39 partners throughout SA to establish Discovery Farms and Innovator Sites to test long-term drought resilience innovations.
SARDI will also be establishing long-term pasture trials in SA through links with the successful Deakin University project on investigating diversity in pastures to build resilience and support 365 days of feed production in southern temperate grazing enterprises.