Applications closed
The Australian Government announced the $20 million Drought Resilience Innovation Challenges Pilot Program in the 2024–25 Budget.
The program adopts a challenge-based approach that supports innovative solutions to address complex and multi-dimensional challenges imposed by drought and climate impacts. It will fund projects that address one of the following challenges:
- Advancing Natural Capital and Biodiversity for Drought Preparedness and Resilience
- Innovating Water Management for Enhanced Drought Resilience in Australian Agriculture
- National Innovation for Enhancing Community Resilience to Drought in Australian Agricultural Regions
Grant recipients will investigate the effectiveness of high-impact and evidence-driven innovations, that have achieved proof of concept, over two years to increase drought resilience.
Projects will use a consortium of project partners that include farmers or farmer-led organisations.
Drought Resilience Innovation Challenges Pilot Program recipients have been announced.
Selected projects include:
| Lead organisation | Project location | Project name |
|---|---|---|
| Arca Sustainability Pty Ltd | WA | Farm Forward, Building Drought and Climate Resilience in Western Australia's Broadacre Sector |
| Australian Fodder Industry Association Limited | NSW & VIC | Transforming Australia's Fodder System. A Collaborative Network for Tough Times |
| Berries Australia Limited | NSW, QLD, VIC & WA | Bioreactors - Turning runoff into a resource for the protected cropping berry industry |
| Deakin University | VIC | Building Drought Resilience Through Simulation-Based Learning for Farmers and Rural Communities |
| Department of Energy Environment and Climate Action | VIC | Optimisation of production and on farm demonstration of beneficial microbes to alleviate drought stress in cereal crops |
| Desert Channels Queensland Ltd | QLD | RAINS - Resilient Agriculture through Innovation in Native Seeds |
| James Cook University | QLD | CLOVER - Climate-smart Optimisation for Valuable & Efficient Irrigation |
| Mallee Sustainable Farming Ltd | NSW, SA & VIC | Accelerating the adoption of farmer led intercropping and multi species innovations in southern Australia's fragile low rainfall environments |
| Mollongghip & District Enterprises Pty Ltd | NSW, QLD, SA & VIC | Transformative AI-Driven Soil Microbiome Analysis and Customised Biofertiliser Development |
| Outback Academy Australia Limited | NSW, SA, TAS, VIC & WA | Thriving Country Thriving Communities - Traditional Ecological Knowledge Meets New Science and Technologies to Support Drought Resilience |
| Riverine Plains Incorporated | NSW, SA, VIC & WA | WaterSmart Decisions - Scaling Farmer Confidence in Water Use Efficiency Technologies |
| Seed Force Pty Ltd | NSW, SA, VIC & WA | SowSure - A Farmer-Led National Trial of Crop Establishment Protection for Drought Resilience |
| The University of Newcastle | NSW & WA | Hydro Harvester Pilot Program |