AS part of the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, the Drought Resilience Farming Practises Grants Program received over 160 applications, of which 18 were successful.
Up2Us Landcare Alliance was announced as a successful applicant in May 2023.
They teamed up with Gecko Clan Landcare Network to host two groups of Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (NRM) tertiary students for two weeklong training programmes in February 2024.
Topics covered throughout the program included biodiversity on farms, drought preparedness and recovery, and early decision making.
Participants completed local farm visits, walk and talks with landholders and met professionals in the NRM and Agricultural industry.
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One student said it was great to see the overlap between conservation and agriculture and why these two things no longer have to be distinct.
Discussions with participants gave insights into the challenges of drought, drought resilience and the realities of farming.
The training also included an industry networking dinner, a visit to the Euroa Arboretum, yarns with traditional owners and a mental health workshop.
This opportunity exposed students to farming systems and gave them a chance to meet with landholders and learn about the realities of the economic, social, and environmental aspects of farming alongside the long-lasting impacts of drought.
Students spoke with landowners and learnt from their first-hand experiences.
One participant said they live on a farm, and they are interested to learn the best ways to drought proof and advise others in the future.
In addition to the student engagement program, a series of landholder workshops and information sessions will be delivered over the two networks regions (Mansfield and Benalla) and will explore topics involving drought preparedness, early decision making and recovery.
Through these sessions, small and large landholders will be provided with essential information on building drought resilience on their farms in north-eastern Victoria.
Community events coming up as part of this project within the Mansfield region are Cam Nicholson (Nicon Rural Services) on July 17 to deliver a workshop on Carbon and Climate Change for landholders.
Dale Grey (Ag Vic), seasonal risk agronomist, will explore local climatic hydrological data and present a spring seasonal outlook on August 16.
On Tuesday August 20, Up2Us will host a workshop with David Hardwick, an agroecologist with over 20 years' experience in rural landscapes, farming, and food systems.
