20 November 2008
DAFF08/162B
The Rudd Government has announced $8.9 million for 46 Landcare projects across Australia, as part of a major investment in land management and sustainable farming projects under Caring for our Country.
The Landcare projects are among 137 community initiatives to receive grants of between $80,000 and $400,000 through the Open Grants funding round.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke said the Landcare projects covered all states and territories.
Examples include a project to manage mesquite in the Pilbara, Western Australia; enhancing grazing productivity in the Northern Territory; managing serrated tussock in the Snowy River, NSW; and integrated farm management support in the Burdekin and Bowen regions of Queensland.
“The Rudd Government recognises the Landcare movement is responsible for decades of invaluable environmental work across Australia,” Mr Burke said.
“The Landcare work funded today directly involves farmers or farming industry groups in improving the productivity of their land.
“By investing now in productivity gains, the Government will help to ensure our farming industries are resilient in the face of climate change.”
The funding is part of the $2.25 billion earmarked for the first five years of Caring for our Country, launched in July this year.
The mesquite management projects in the Pilbara will tackle some of the largest infestations of mesquite in three sub-regions of the rangelands of Western Australia.
One infestation alone covers 30,000 hectares of alluvial flood country.
The project is led by a non-profit community group involving state and local governments, industry groups, the CSIRO, Indigenous organisations and natural resource management regional organisations.
Smaller-scale Landcare projects include a group expanding holistic resource management techniques in the Yowrie Valley region in NSW.
The local Landcare group will educate other communities interested in the techniques.
For more information and a full listing of successful grants, please visit www.nrm.gov.au/projects/open-grants.html
Examples of Projects Funded
National or Multistate
|
Project Title |
Group |
Funding |
|---|---|---|
|
Sustainable Milk Production Model for the Northern Dairy Industry |
Queensland Dairyfarmers' Organisation Limited |
$152,273 |
|
Maximising Nutrient Use Efficiency and Improving Soil Health in the Processing Tomato Industry |
Australian Processing Tomato Research Council Inc |
$141,279 |
|
Strategic Management of Serrated Tussock - Reducing Threats to Sustainable Farming |
Snowy River Interstate Landcare Committee Inc. |
$143,460 |
|
Australian Wine Industry Stewardship Environmental Assurance Program |
Winemakers' Federation of Australia Inc. |
$241,982 |
|
Australian Pastoral Property Innovation Manual |
Rural Directions Trust |
$192,182 |
|
Sustainable Piggery Effluent Utilisation in Australian Farming Systems |
Australian Pork Limited |
$127,955 |
|
Protecting the Northern Territory from Rubber Vine Incursion |
Roper River Landcare Group Inc |
$158,500 |
|
Sustainable Practice - Development of the Horticulture Recognition Framework |
Horticulture Australia Limited |
$239,326 |
|
Do It with Dung - from the Mountains to the Murray |
Kiewa Catchment Landcare Group |
$253,023 |
|
Enhancing Adoption of Best Practice Grazing Management in Northern Australia: Phase 1 - Integration and Scenario Testing |
Meat & Livestock Australia Limited |
$299,795 |
|
A Responsible Lead - Laying the Foundations of the Grains Industry Environmental Plan |
Grains Research and Development Corporation |
$363,636 |
|
Seanet East- the Environmental Fisheries Extension Program for Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria |
Oceanwatch Australia Ltd |
$398,545 |
|
Developing Sustainable Production Systems, Resilient to Climate Change - Baselining |
Avongro Wheatbelt Tree Cropping Incorporated |
$399,682 |
New South Wales
|
Project Title |
Group |
Funding |
|---|---|---|
|
Yowrie Valley Biodiversity Enhancement and Sustainable Farming Program |
Yowrie Valley Landcare Group |
$82,273 |
|
Farmer Targets for Climate Change - New South Wales Mid North Coast |
Dairy Advancement Group |
$131,700 |
|
Climate Priorities - Stocktake and Priority Setting for Broadacre Irrigation in the New South Wales Riverina |
Ricegrowers Association of Australia |
$185,500 |
|
Horticulture For Tomorrow - Taking Stock of the Environmental Impacts of Horticultural Production in Australia |
Horticulture Australia Limited |
$93,000 |
Victoria
|
Project Title |
Group |
Funding |
|---|---|---|
|
Reducing Wild Dog Impacts on Agriculture through Enhanced Community Participation |
Wild Dog Management Groups |
$157,273 |
|
Farming for a Sustainable Future - Demonstrating Best Farm Practices |
Lake Wellington Landcare Network |
$113,273 |
|
East Gippsland Soil Carbon Project - Pilot Project |
Agribusiness Gippsland Inc |
$158,455 |
|
Compost Use in Sustainable Agriculture |
William Grant |
$101,236 |
|
Improving the Efficacy of Hydrogen Phosphide (Ph3) Fumigation for Rabbit Control |
Frank Gigliotti |
$135,909 |
|
Development of Multi-Dose Ejector for the Control of Foxes |
Frank Gigliotti |
$338,068 |
Queensland
|
Project Title |
Group |
Funding |
|---|---|---|
|
Integrated Management Practices for Alternating Crops - Burdekin Region |
Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers |
$210,309 |
|
Queensland Grow Me Instead Project |
Nursery & Garden Industry Queensland Industrial Union of Employers |
$173,000 |
|
South East Queensland Sustainable Trees on Farms Program |
SEQ Catchments Ltd |
$106,500 |
|
Carbon – What Does it Means for Me on My Property |
Agforce Queensland Industrial Union of Employers |
$400,000 |
|
Transforming Sunshine Coast Caneland into Sustainable Biodiesel and Integrated Farming Enterprises |
Maroochy Land Care Group Inc |
$156,141 |
|
Educating Producers in Accessing and Utilising Spatial Information! |
Agforce Queensland Industrial Union of Employers |
$363,636 |
|
Reducing Emissions and Improving Carbon Levels in Southern Queensland Soils |
North East Downs Landcare Group Inc. |
$80,000 |
|
Macintyre Brook Sustainability Initiative |
Macintyre Brook Irrigators Association Incorporated |
$131,127 |
|
Encouraging Sustainable Farm Practices via Adoption of Grains Best Management Practices in Queensland |
Fitzroy Basin Association Inc. |
$194,778 |
|
Burdekin Bowen Integrated Farm Management Monitoring and Support Project |
Burdekin Bowen Integrated Floodplain Management Advisory Committee Inc |
$300,793 |
Western Australia
|
Project Title |
Group |
Funding |
|---|---|---|
|
A Broadacre Approach to Certification of Sustainable Farm Practice |
Curtin University of Technology |
$219,000 |
|
Adopting Innovative Practices to Improve the Resilience of Farming Systems in the Northern and Eastern Wheatbelt of Western Australia |
Wheatbelt East Regional Organisation of Councils (Weroc) |
$273,182 |
|
Sustainable Production and Landscape Repair in Salinity-Affected, Water Supply Catchments |
Treenomics |
$149,718 |
|
Good Practice and Better Environmental Outcomes in Vegetable Production |
WA Vegetable Growers Association Inc |
$147,273 |
South Australia
|
Project Title |
Group |
Funding |
|
Increasing Precision Agricultural Awareness and Adoption in South East South Australia |
Mackillop Farm Management Group Inc |
$86,835 |
Tasmania
|
Project Title |
Group |
Funding |
|
Soil Biology - the Missing Link for Regenerative Production in Our Farming Systems |
L.R Young & R.J Young |
$94,821 |
|
Adoption of Sustainable Water Management on Tasmanian Vegetable Farms |
Rds Partners Pty Ltd |
$123,788 |
|
Protecting Tasmania's Sustainable Farming and Biodiversity Assets from Serrated Tussock Invasion |
Tasmanian Land & Water Professionals Pty Ltd |
$195,662 |
|
Using Landscape Ecology to Prioritise Property Management Actions in Tasmania |
Natural Resource Planning Pty Ltd |
$296,264 |
Northern Territory
|
Project Title |
Group |
Funding |
|
Scoping Future Scenarios and Building Innovative Partnerships for Northern Territory Pastoral Lands |
Northern Territory Cattleman's Association |
$327,602 |
|
Integration of Fire, Feral and Weed Management to Enhance Grazing Productivity, Top End Floodplains |
Northern Territory Cattleman's Association |
$75,432 |
|
Land Type Specific Sustainable Practice Guidelines for NT Pastoral Lands |
Northern Territory of Australia |
$81,295 |
|
Asset Protection Decision Support Tools for Pastoralists in Semi-Arid Landscapes. |
Barkly Landcare and Conservation Association Inc |
$129,910 |