What is the agriculture strategy?

The Agriculture Strategy sets out a way forward over the coming decade to help drive Victoria’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and bolster the economy. It identifies clear areas of focus and investment by government to help the Victorian Agriculture sector remain strong, innovative and sustainable now and into the future.

Over the past 12 months, investments across the strategy themes of Recover, Grow, Modernise, Protect and Promote have had a significant and positive impact on Victoria’s agriculture sector. Initiatives to boost exports, encourage the uptake of AgTech and invest in a skilled labour force are building on agriculture’s strengths, supporting the flexible response to emerging challenges as they arise and helping to capture new opportunities to grow.

The Victorian Government is backing agriculture and has an ambitious vision for its future.

Download the strategy

Our investments

Since the Strategy’s launch there has been significant investment in projects, programs and services that will help in achieving our goal of a stronger, more innovative and sustainable agriculture sector.

Recover	Food to Market Program – grants to support jobs, deliver productivity improvements and capitalise on new opportunities across the agri-food supply chain. Projects will help to fast-track economic recovery and deliver more resilient supply chains.
Grow	Small-scale and Craft Program – grants to help businesses scale-up operations, diversify product lines and expand outreach; and AgriLinks Upgrade Program – grants for Agricultural local road funding for councils.
Modernise	On-farm Internet of Things Trial – grants to support uptake of IoT technology such as apps and devices on farms.
Protect	Agriculture Energy Investment Plan – On-farm energy grants to help industry reduce energy costs, improve energy efficiency and explore alternative energy options.

Grant programs delivered across Victoria that are helping support implementation of the strategy

The map below provides examples of investments that are helping the Victorian agriculture sector to Recover, Grow, Modernise, Protect and Promote.

Map of Victoria. Further information given below map.

Note: the funding amounts above may change through time as grants continue to be processed and paid for some programs.

Loddon Mallee

Recover – $2.98m of Food to Market grants
Grow – $3.2m of Small-Scale and Craft and AgriLinks grants
Modernise – $2.38m of IoT grants
Protect – $11.39m of On-Farm Energy grants
Promote – $219,000 of Young Farmer Scholarships

Hume

Recover – $567,000 of Food to Market grants
Grow – $4.65m of Small-Scale and Craft and AgriLinks grants
Modernise – $1.67m in IoT grants
Protect – $8.74m of On-Farm Energy grants
Promote – $118,000 of Young Farmer Scholarships

Gippsland

Grow – $4.12m of Small-Scale and Craft and AgriLinks grants
Modernise – $1.32m of IoT grants
Protect – $9m of On-Farm Energy grants
Promote – $179,000 of Young Farmer Scholarships

Greater Melbourne

Recover – $821,000 of Food to Market grants
Grow – $2.85m in Small-Scale and Craft and AgriLinks grants
Modernise – $102,000 in IoT grants
Protect – $3m of On-Farm Energy grants
Promote – $28,000 of Young Farmer Scholarships

Barwon South West

Recover – $485,000 of Food to Market grants
Grow – $4.3m in Small-Scale and Craft and AgriLinks grants
Protect – $11.39m of On-Farm Energy grants
Promote – $153,000 of Young Farmer Scholarships

Grampians

Recover – $472,000 of Food to Market grants
Grow – $5.75m in Small-Scale and Craft and AgriLinks grants
Modernise – $592,000 in IoT grants
Protect – $7.04m of On-Farm Energy grants
Promote – $106,000 of Young Farmer Scholarships

In 2030, Victorian agriculture will be:

An engine of growth for the Victorian economy: attracting investment, supporting jobs and helping communities thrive
Creative, resilient and responsive to challenges and opportunities, capitalising on technological advancement and new ways of doing things
A front runner in low-emission food and fibre production
Australia’s agriculture exports centre, providing high-quality, sought after agriculture produce to diverse markets around the world
Home to diverse and innovative careers, attracting the best and brightest to our farms and regions.

Our themes

We are making commitments under five themes to achieve our vision for the coming decade.

Our themes	Our commitments
Recover Recover from the impacts of drought, bushfires and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and become an engine of growth for the rest of the economy.	Support farmers with information and tools to build resilience. Strengthen local supply chains and support opportunities for local manufacturing.
Grow Grow the value and output of agriculture through increased exports, investment, greater diversification and new products.	Support Victorian producers to be more profitable, exporting more products to more markets, more often. Maximise the growth potential of key emerging industries. Create the right conditions and opportunities for investment here in Victoria.
Modernise Modernise Victorian agriculture through innovation, investment and future skills.	Increase the adoption of new, effective and fit for purpose technology. Grow a thriving and globally competitive AgTech industry in Victoria. Enhance the commercialisation of research. Deliver the agriculture skills of the future.
Protect Protect and enhance the future of agriculture by ensuring it is well-placed to respond to climate change, pests, weeds, disease and increased resource scarcity.	Position Victoria as a leader in low-emission agriculture. Ensure Victorian agriculture is well-placed to manage climate risk and continues to be productive and profitable under a changed climate. Deliver best practice regulatory systems to manage risk and respond to new challenges.
Promote Promote and build confidence in the sector to international markets and the community.	Promote Victorian agriculture’s commitment to quality and high performance. Position agriculture as a career of choice and build its reputation for workplace excellence.

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Page last updated: 03 Jan 2024