Plans & Actions

Develop a socially-focused drought resilience framework to assess the impacts of drought and ground-truth its applicability

Assess learnings from the Cyclone Seroja recovery model and use these to develop a program to service communities affected by drought

Funded administrative support positions hosted by local agencies shared between local volunteer/ grower/biosecurity groups to reduce burnout, particularly during adverse events such as drought

Funding for community events and clubs to improve well-being and mental health resilience to cope with drought events and declining rainfall trends (including arts, culture, exercise programs, sports clubs, social events)

Expand existing community infrastructure and resources to act as mini innovation hubs where people can develop and test drought resilience ideas

Implement a marketing campaign focused on the positives of rural and regional living and lifestyle, career opportunities aiming to increase rural populations

Develop incentives to attract and retain skilled professionals into rural and regional areas to stem decreasing rural services during drought

Identify barriers to utilising local, vacant housing stock to improve housing affordability, provide temporary worker accommodation, assist homelessness problems and retain rural populations, particularly during drought

Identify opportunities and incentives for local rural farms and businesses to retain staff during times of drought (Drought Job Keeper) Mid West RDRP actions Public Technical Transformative Community

Develop and or maintain drought tolerant/resilient green spaces to support well-being during drought (community gardens, town ovals, water parks)

Examine opportunities and current barriers to increasing water reuse in Geraldton and examine opportunities in smaller towns with reticulated sewerage, e.g. Horrocks

Conduct a cost/ benefit analysis of stormwater harvesting opportunities throughout major towns in the Mid West region

Identify options to upgrade or establish new on-farm or community water supplies and seek funding at individual or collective scale

Examine and trial technological solutions to provide a cost effective and sustainable options for small-scale desalination of water including waste disposal (supplies at farm or community scale) Drought Resilience Funding Plan 2020 to 2024 actions

Support data and information collection, coordination and supply to improve community and regional planning to build drought resilience

Facilitate increased community understanding of their drought resilience, including through training and information sharing—for example, case studies, inventory or support packages and making information readily accessible

Support community activities and initiatives that foster ongoing social networking, support, engagement and wellbeing

Encourage the development of local leaders, including youth, to enhance wellbeing and drive initiatives that build drought resilience

Support initiatives that strengthen and build leadership in communities to help build drought resilience, including exploring entrepreneurial opportunities

Support communities to implement small-scale enduring infrastructure projects to build drought resilience and enhance wellbeing—such as water efficient or recycling infrastructure for sporting and recreational facilities, upgrades to public gardens, tourist attractions and other community facilities

Quantify the economic and social value of regional ecosystem services to allow for better farm resource and business planning

Support landholders to adopt and implement ecosystem services standards and measurement tools Farming as they evolve

Conduct local inventories of biodiversity on both private and public lands, including the current state across a range of parameters such as species present, native vegetation condition, weed and feral animal incursions etc.

Monitor and evaluate current NRM interventions in the Mid West and provide feedback on the effectiveness of these Vegetation

Conduct soil mapping at the regional and farm scale, and distribute to growers to better inform on- farm improvement of soil health and land use planning Farming

Conduct hydrological mapping at the regional and farm scale, and distribute to growers to better inform on-farm planning for efficient use of soil moisture and water resources Water

Coordinate and manage soil sensor data across multiple farms, including the delivery of information back to growers, to better manage soil resources and land planning Farming

Expand the UWA flux tower network and associated recharge monitoring sites to the Mid West to better understand landscape dynamics, and use the data to further inform water resource management, NRM strategies and adaptive farming practices, and future carbon market projects

Identify marginal land at the regional and local scale unsuitable for agriculture to assist with identifying alternative uses and or planned retreat Vegetation

Undertake hydrogeological investigations in the Tumblagooda aquifer to support growth and drought resilience for the Northampton area Water Implement ‘water farming’ trials in geologically appropriate areas whereby land use is managed to facilitate maximum recharge of groundwater at a local scale

Promote the continued uptake of precision agriculture practices and technologies (e.g. VRT, seed and spray, ‘green or green’) through education, case studies and demonstration programs, and financial incentives Farming Mid West RDRP actions Public Technical Transformative Community Knowledge, innovation and extension (continued)

Promote the continued uptake of soil erosion control measures such as perennial pastures and Farming native windrow plantings (e.g. expand the Growing Great Ground program) through demonstrations and increased financial incentives

Support and contribute to continued research and demonstration projects into regenerative Farming agricultural practices to promote the uptake of practices beneficial to environmental resilience

Support collaborations between grower groups and research institutions for the continued development of drought resistant breeds and crop varieties, as well as alternative crops Farming

Continue research and development into alternative stock feeds (e.g. Asparagopsis) to improve stock management Farming

Continue research and development with local horticulturalists into the production, application and benefits of biochar Farming

Identify marginal agricultural land and subsequent options to incorporate carbon farming across Farming multiple farming properties for regional scale carbon projects

Coordinate and improve water catchment planning to better support landscape scale actions which Water protect waterways

Expand Aboriginal participation (e.g. ranger programs) on both public and private land to manage Vegetation natural resources (e.g. fire management)

Collaborate with Aboriginal groups to preserve and expand remnant native vegetation, as well as Vegetation manage threats to biodiversity

Support improved technologies for the Geraldton horticultural sector to reduce inputs and water use, including irrigation options linked to domestic water reuse Water

Provide financial support to accelerate feasibility and planning for a new desalination water source to support growth and drought resilience in the Mid West region. This will inform decision making Water and provide greater clarity for the future of the region

Understand barriers to increasing water efficiency (in new and retrofit builds), implement better urban water management principles and advocate for stronger mechanisms for decision making authorities to require greater water efficiency Mid West RDRP actions Public Technical Transformative Community Promote and facilitate collaboration between local private industry and land holders to revegetate Vegetation marginal land for new carbon market opportunities or offsets Develop and promote businesses (e.g. nurseries, native seed supplies, bush foods) which support NRM activities as well as provide income diversification for land holders and Aboriginal groups Vegetation Support land managers to use available industry approved tools to calculate the carbon ‘footprint’ of their businesses, and to make subsequent management decisions to mitigate the impacts of Farming drought on environmental and economic assets Drought Resilience Funding Plan 2020 to 2024 actions Improve information and management capacity for farming practices and systems that support improved functioning of agricultural landscapes Facilitate primary producers’ increased knowledge of market and private sector services to improve natural resource management and enable access to emerging markets Support the collection, management, public accessibility and application of data and information to improve natural resource management Support the development of systems and collaborations that enable better analysis and practical application of data, including for farm natural resource management practices Involve end users to co-design local natural resource management research development, extension and adoption. This will help to develop tailored outcomes and the adoption of the research Support incentives for practice change that will build or redesign landscapes for improved functioning. Support primary producers to adopt strategies for improving soil health, land cover, water and biodiversity

Support on-ground projects that enhance the resilience of natural capital in agricultural landscapes—including adoption of new or existing technology and practices

Incentivise local and regional organisation’s capabilities by trialling and adopting new natural resource management practices and technology through collaboration

Support landholders to undertake voluntary environmental resilience assessments or other measures to better understand their environmental resilience level

Promote the development and adoption of new or existing commercial opportunities and technologies that support improvement of natural resource condition and resilience

Support the creation and uptake of commercial opportunities for investment into sustainable landscapes, and encourage increased private sector’s involvement in environmental management

Develop an appropriate drought criterion for Western Australia, taking into consideration use of seasonal rainfall versus the current meteorological definition using annual rainfall

Undertake further research into the emerging trend of ‘hot droughts’ including modelling on current and predicted future impacts on agricultural assets and production Triggers

Develop, refine and ground truth regional drought indices to assist with drought responses, planning and decision making in the region

Refine and ground truth the drought vulnerability assessment framework for the Mid West to better Triggers identify the most at risk areas

Develop a long-term monitoring program of the economic performance of several WA farms, encompassing a range of sizes and production types, to assist with informed drought policy Triggers decisions at a regional and state level

Review and collect suitable data through recognised sources to track farm business, and rural and regional business performance and response to drought to inform drought policy and response

Continue to improve and make accessible capability building programs to support growers to develop their own drought resilience business plans using environmental and economic assessment tools. Planning

Continue incentives to support farming businesses’ risk management, including taxation concessions, the Farm Management Deposit Scheme and concessional loans but review the Mechanisms suitability of these

Provide tax incentives to land holders to invest in equipment and major works which promote environmental resilience (e.g. earth works for landscape rehydration, expanded rain water capture) Mechanisms Mid West RDRP actions Public Technical Transformative Community Collaboration and building capability (continued)

Supporting landholders to adopt new technologies which reduce carbon footprints and improve efficiencies i.e. drones, autonomous electric vehicles Planning

Working with relevant state agencies and the local private sector, encourage the use of alternative energy sources on farm including developing income from renewables Planning

Working with relevant state agencies and the local private sector, improve on farm and community mobile networks and data infrastructure Planning

Support growers in improving digital and technical literacy, skills and capability, including through the development of local knowledge hubs

Facilitate the strategic sharing of key rural and regional infrastructure between sectors (e.g. with mining) Planning

Develop and promote additional tourism opportunities (e.g. Aboriginal, cultural, heritage, wildlife, wildflowers, fishing, food) to promote rural and regional off-farm income, and economic diversification

Allow tenure adjustments for primary producers to enable diversification and increased revenue from novel income streams (e.g. tourism) Mechanisms Drought Resilience Funding Plan 2020 to 2024 actions

Support the collection, management, public accessibility and application of data and information to improve farm and agri-business decision-making, risk assessment and management.

Support the development of systems and collaborations that enable better analysis and practical application of data and information, including thresholds, trends and projected changes to agri-climatic zones.

Support the development and availability of an innovative drought resilience research, development, extension and adoption strategy—including a stocktake and evaluation of drought resilience research and extension—in a process that will involve end users to maximise the relevance and adoption of outcomes.

Encourage the leveraging of investment, including through public and private partnerships and other potential investors, to address gaps and investment opportunities in research, innovation and extension.

Identify and review innovative solutions developed overseas for drought resilience, with a view to adapting them to suit Australia’s agricultural sector.

Encourage the generation of ideas, information sharing and the adoption of regionally and industry relevant research, development and extension through collaborations with public and private sector extension organisations and networks.

Support improved weather information over a range of timeframes and levels regarding drought risk, such as early warning systems, seasonal forecasts, future climate projections and impacts for agriculture.

Support demand driven research including cross-sectoral, development, extension and adoption to expand technologies available to primary producers and agribusiness to respond to risks such as drought—both within their current industries and activities and to enable switches to new enterprises. Drought Resilience Funding Plan 2020 to 2024 actions (continued)

Increase primary producers’ understanding of their farm business drought resilience level Including through sharing information—for example, on climate data, soil health, water use efficiency, maintenance of groundcover, capturing carbon and the efficient use of inputs—and/or By encouraging voluntary farm resilience assessments where appropriate.

Support improved strategic management capacity of farm business managers through the use of innovative tools, improved drought risk business planning, education and training, and improved knowledge of—and access to—market and private sector services.

Encourage primary producers to adopt innovative approaches and technology, including on and off-farm diversification options or new farming practices, farming systems and markets (e.g. emerging carbon markets).

Promote approaches that overcome barriers to developing innovative infrastructure or creating new lines of business.