
Smart Farms Small Grants Round 2
Grant Opportunity Guidelines
Opening Date: 13 November 2018
Closing Date: 11 January 2019
The purpose of this Grant is to:
- increase land manager’s awareness, knowledge, capability and adoption of tools and management practices that will deliver more productive and profitable agriculture, fishing, aquaculture and farm forestry industries
- protect Australia’s biodiversity
- protect and improve the condition of natural resources (soils and vegetation), and
- assist Australia to meet its obligations under relevant international treaties.
Doing and fostering sustainable natural resource management best practice
Achieving this outcome will:
- deliver benefits to Australia’s natural resource base and the broader community through better protected vegetation and biodiversity and cleaner air and water, and improved economic and social outcomes through better food and fibre industry sustainability, productivity, and profitability
- assist entities to improve their own sustainability, productivity, profitability and ability to adapt to significant changes in climate, weather and markets, while improving the capacity of food and fibre businesses to demonstrate the sustainability of their operations and the traceability of their products.
Small Grants projects may relate to any form of food and fibre production, including cropping, pasture grazing livestock, dairy, horticulture, mixed farming, forestry, farm forestry, fishing and aquaculture.
If you wish to develop up a project or discuss your ideas for a potential project, please call Claudia Hadlow
Mob: 0429 612 447 or send an email to landcare@dumbleyung.wa.gov.au
The time frame to prepare the application during harvest is not ideal but it can be done!
Landcare Survey results from 17 farmers interviewed in 2015
- Landcare is essential as a shop front and must be local to provide advice and transfer information to provide advice and transfer information to Farmers
- Essential to source project funding and assist with paddock projects. It is also a source to gain local knowledge of the environment, weeds and conservation issues.
- Important to advertise landcare articles and information to the local community via Shire newsletters, community emails and school newsletters. The Public need that constant reminder to care for the land and value the natural assets in the Shire.
- If the message is not promoted, then it will disappear from people’s general knowledge.
- Landcare Office keeps the environmental message in the lime light at a local level.
- Would not do landcare activities if there was no local contact to provide support and source funding for the project.
- Landcare Office provides a good service regarding tree planting, fencing subsidies and saltland rehabilitation.
- Since the APB person left town, Landcare is now the one stop shop for environmental weeds, fox and rabbit advice.
- In future will need more help with weeds and pests on the farm.
- Landcare Office is a conduit for information transfer from other Government bodies.
Education and Awareness
Field Days –GRDC coordinate crop production and agronomy Field Days. Agronomy Group is doing lime and potash trials.
Workshop – 1080 training to get permits. Need to deliver Conservation and Environmental awareness information to new residents.
Protect lime mines on the Coast from housing development.
Suggestions for Workshops – Dung beetles, biochar and farm planning.
Welcome Pack for new comers to the Shire
A Shire welcome pack and a list of services aimed at new land owners and Town folk moving to Dumbleyung or Kukerin to introduce them to the Shire’s environmental and conservation aspects and a list of the services available from the Landcare Office.
To move forward I need your suggestions with new ideas or what’s important to you now.
If you wish to provide any comments or have a question please ring Claudia at the Landcare Office on 9863 4225 or 0429612447.
Your ideas can be emailed to landcare@dumbleyung.wa.gov.au