Future Drought Fund
Recognising that drought is an enduring feature of the Australian landscape with significant economic, social and environmental impacts, in 2020 the Australian Government established the Future Drought Fund (FDF). The Fund provides $100 million a year in secure, continuous funding for drought resilience initiatives that help farms and communities prepare for the impacts of drought.
The Victorian Government is partnering with the Australian Government to deliver two programs, the Farm Business Resilience program and the Regional Drought Resilience Planning program.
Farm Business Resilience program
The Farm Business Resilience program provides farmers with the opportunity to develop a plan for their farm business. Participants will improve their skills and knowledge to better prepare for and manage risk, adapt change and strengthen their farm business’s resilience.
For more information on the Farm Business Resilience program, visit the Farm Business Resilience Program web page.
Regional Drought Resilience Planning program
The Regional Drought Resilience Planning program has delivered 9 regional drought resilience plans across Victoria, working collaboratively with a broad range of regional stakeholders, including local governments, regional organisations, the agricultural sector and local drought resilience adoption and innovation hubs.
Each plan identifies the actions needed to improve regional drought resilience. As there is no one-size-fits-all approach to building drought resilience, the program supports regions to develop plans that reflect their own regional landscapes, communities and economies.
The plans build on existing planning, identify actions to prepare for future droughts, and draw out regional needs and priorities to inform future investment.
All plans are now available through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund pages.
A regional organisation in each of Victoria’s 9 regions has been awarded a $380,000 RDRP implementation grant, to coordinate and deliver some priority actions identified in its region's plan over 12 months. We congratulate the following organisations:
Regional organisation | Regional drought resilience plan |
|---|---|
For further information email drought.support@agriculture.vic.gov.au
Drought Research and Adoption Program
The Drought Research and Adoption Program will support networks of researchers, primary producers and community groups to enhance drought resilience practices, tools and technology. Eight hubs across Australia have been funded for 4 years.
Agriculture Victoria is a member of the Victorian consortium, led by the University of Melbourne, that will host the Victorian hub.
For further information visit the Vic Drought Hub website or email info@VicDroughtHub.org.au.
Further information about each program will be published on this webpage as it becomes available.
More information on the Fund from the Australian Government is available on Future Drought Fund.
For further information about the programs in Victoria contact 136 186 or email drought.support@agriculture.vic.gov.au.
