Projects aimed at building the region’s producers’ climate resilience has attracted millions of dollars of investment to the area, according to the Southern NSW Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub.
Hub director Cindy Cassidy said the current floods showed that investing in climate resilience was essential.
“We know that the impacts of things like floods and droughts are largely the same. We know that they happen in cycles and preparing for them is an essential part of business as usual,” Ms Cassidy said.
“The projects and investments we are supporting will help the region manage the impacts of climate variability and recover more quickly when the cycle changes.”
Significant investments include the $1 million Saving our soils during drought project to help farmers maintain groundcover, so the soil can better endure and recover from drought conditions.
Conducted by Holbrook Landcare Network, FarmLink Research, Central West Farming Systems, Riverine Plains, Soils Knowledge Network and Irrigated Cropping Council, it involves paddock trials and demonstrations at six separate locations.
Almost $2 million has been invested in two related projects — Creating landscape-scale change through promotion of resilient pasture systems, led by Holbrook Landcare Network, and Optimal management of soils and available water, led by Riverine Plains.
The projects aim to help protect soils and productivity across 82 per cent of NSW’s land area.
A further investment with NSW Local Land Services as the lead partner has resulted in the development of a virtual reality experience to help farmers design stock containment facilities to protect ground cover during drought.
The Hub is investing a further $2.5 million in technology projects including a calculator to predict the opportunity cost and benefits of investing in new agricultural technology for water, stock and land management that is being tested by a cohort of southern NSW cattle farmers.
“These projects, worth over $6 million in total, are a significant investment in the region’s environmental, economic and social future,” Ms Cassidy said.
“The Hub takes a holistic approach to building resilience, and we are putting just as much effort into regional relationships, communication and co-ordination.
“Our vision involves integrating better technologies, farming practices and support activities to improve how the region manages and recovers from future climate events.”
Led by Charles Sturt University, the Southern NSW Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub is one of eight hubs established through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.